A SOLDIER from Warrington has deployed on a six-month operational tour in Afghanistan.
The 4th Battalion, the Mercian Regiment, a Territorial Army infantry battalion, is deploying a company of 120 soldiers to provide force protection duties at Camp Bastion, the main UK base in Helmand Province.
All but one of the soldiers are Territorial Army soldiers, who would normally serve the British Army on a part-time basis.
The one Regular soldier is Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Steven Morrison, 36, from Culcheth, who will mentor 
and assist the TA soldiers throughout the important tour of duty.
The Company of 120 soldiers – known as Normandy Company – will deploy during the next few weeks, but WO2 Morrison has already departed for Afghanistan as a member of the advance party.
The 4 Mercian soldiers will guard Camp Bastion, but will also often leave this camp to carry out patrols in the local vicinity and provide escorts for medical teams and convoys.
An experienced soldier, WO2 Morrison, a father-of-one and a former pupil of Culcheth High School, has served in the Army for 19 years. He has previously served in Bosnia, Northern Ireland and Iraq. This is his first operational tour of duty in Afghanistan.
He said: “My job will be to mentor the soldiers and sort out any issues that may arise. I will also be responsible for any in-theatre training. I will deploy out on the ground with them and give them guidance, where needed. They are all up for it and have adapted quickly. It is the usual mix – they come from all walks of life. We have police officers, students, a postman and truck drivers.”
The TA is an integral part of the British Army representing over a quarter of its total manpower. Hundreds of TA soldiers have deployed every year in recent years in support of British military operations, most to Iraq or Afghanistan. TA soldiers combine their everyday civilian lives and “day jobs” with a commitment to train as soldiers in their spare time, usually at evenings or weekends.
