First Battalion of the Royal Anglican Regiment Welcomed Home

The First Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment was welcomed home on Friday after a long tour of duty fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

There is nothing quite as stirring as a military unit marching smartly through town to the sound of a military band; however, no nation does this better than the United Kingdom. The First Battalion's nickname is the Vikings, and this unit clearly exhibits the fighting spirit of those ancient warriors.

The unit fought in no less than 40 engagements with the enemy, driving them away from the area so that trade could be re-established. In doing so, it lost 10 soldiers and had a number of wounded. The people of Norwich lined the streets ten deep to greet its returning soldiers and honor their fallen. On hand were many former members of the unit, commanders as well as soldiers.

With perfect uniforms, assault rifles, stern military bearing, and absolutely straight lines, the troops marched through the town, with flags flying and a military band. They were greeted with cheers from the local populace. People called out, "Well done boys." More than one shed a tear. Many people traveled hundreds of miles to welcome the soldiers home, and to commemorate the soldiers who lost their lives in Helmand, Afghanistan.

The battalion has 500 soldiers. When they were not fighting the Taliban, they were building schools, irrigation systems, electrical infrastructure, clinics, and cleaning up bomb damage and craters. They fought and worked around the town of Sangin.

Back home the local mayor and various dignitaries were on hand to greet them. One of the soldiers placed a plaque, and the unit marched past the local cathedral.

Anti-insurgency strategies are difficult to implement, at best, but the First Battalion proved that it could implement the dual strategy of confronting the enemy militarily while at the same time befriending the local population, performing the public service works described above.

Many of the soldiers expressed some frustration that the Taliban was not willing to confront them directly, but made use of roadside bombs and other insurgent tactics.

By creating security and befriending the population the unit was able to improve local intelligence networks. Tips from the community allowed the unit to sometimes engage the enemy and to anticipate its attacks. This is the bedrock of an anti-insurgency campaign. It is not enough to fight the insurgents because focusing on them exclusively necessarily alienates the local population. By befriending the community and helping it to improve its life, the anti-insurgency forces inoculate it from the insurgents.

Welcome home and well done.

Vikings Come Home, Ministry of Defence, UK