North Dakota Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Heidi Sigl, of Bismarck, N.D., is greeted by her children at the N.D. National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility, in Bismarck, on Sept. 10, 2013. Sigl along with two other Soldiers of the Guard’s 1919th Contingency Contracting Team (CCT) were welcomed home to North Dakota this afternoon by family, friends and loved ones after a nine-month long mission in Qatar and Afghanistan. (National Guard Photo by Bill Prokopyk, N.D. National Guard Public Affairs Office/Released)

For more on the North Dakota National Guard, check out:

Website: www.ndguard.ngb.army.mil

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NDNationalGuard

YouTube: www.youtube.com/NDNationalGuard

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NDNationalGuard

Copyright information: www.ndguard.ngb.army.mil/news/pressroom/Pages/Copyright.aspx

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group offload equipment from a C-130 Hercules aircraft at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Capt. Kasandra B. Tharp, Contingency Contracting Officer, 617th CCT, 413 CSB

CPT Jared Tharp (552nd MP CO) and CPT Kasandra Tharp at CPT Jared Tharp's change of command ceremony at Schofield Barracks on 19 Jul 2013 as CPT Jared Tharp assumed command of the 552nd Military police company.

110815-A-FP886-064 CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Staff Sgt. Joshua Moody, squad leader with Company B from Killeen, Texas, 1-5 Calvary, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Calvary Division, advises an Iraqi soldier on the range during a week of marksmanship training on an Iraqi Military Post, August 16. The Iraqi soldiers are learning basic marksmanship, close quarters marksmanship, advanced marksmanship and how to enter and clear a room in an urban environment. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Crystal Hudson, 29th MPAD, USD - N PAO)

POHANG, Republic of Korea (April 7, 2017) - Staff Sgt. Robin McClain a cyber-technician assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., shares knowledge with two Republic of Korea Airmen during exercise Turbo Distribution 17-3 at Pohang Air Base, Republic of Korea, April 7, 2017. The CRW specializes in rapidly establishing hubs for cargo distribution operations worldwide, to include remote and austere locations, on short notice. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez/Released) 170407-F-CJ433-095

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From left, U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Scott Whitteaker, with the 112th Security Forces Squadron, secures the evacuation route for the 112th Air Expeditionary Wing Headquarters building while Maj. Michael Smith, Lt. Col. Tom Emmolo and Col. David Cohen rush to evacuate during an operational readiness inspection (ORI) in Savannah, Ga., Jan. 25, 2011. During the ORI the wing was tested on their ability to survive and operate in contingency conditions. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Angela Ruiz, U.S. Air Force/Released)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, left, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Forces – Iraq, land at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, Aug. 1, 2011. Mullen and Austin met with senior U.S. Division – North leadership to discuss security in northern Iraq during a tour of the Ninewa Combined Coordination Center.

(U.S. Army photo by Capt. Philip Crabtree, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD – N)

A paratrooper assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, conducts live fire training on Fort Bragg, Sept. 9, 2013. The White Falcons, currently part of the Global Response Force, conducted a two-week intensive training cycle designed to reinforce combat skills for the nation’s airborne assault-capable, contingency unit.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull)

Pictured: Okehampton Camp and 'tent city'

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan – U.S. Force Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover AFB, Del., watch a C-5M Super Galaxy land at Camp Marmal in Northern Afghanistan Jan. 26, 2013. The two wings have deployed to assist with the scheduled rotation of two U.S. Army aviation task forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

Staff Sgt. Bruce Henderson, an infantryman assigned to Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, uses crossed ski poles to steady his aim Dec. 12, 2013 at the Malemute Drop Zone at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Henderson and his unit exited a C-130 Hercules Alaska Air National Guard aircraft from the tailgate with a full arctic combat load, demonstrating their unique ability to rapidly deploy troops into arctic environments in response to a variety of contingencies. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith/Released)

Spc. William Baker (left), an infantryman with Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 1-40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, works to secure his equipment in preparation for follow-on movement after successfully exiting a C-130 Hercules Alaska Air National Guard aircraft Dec. 12, 2013 at the Malemute Drop Zone at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Baker and his unit exited the aircraft from the tailgate with a full arctic combat load, demonstrating their unique ability to rapidly deploy troops into arctic environments in response to a variety of contingencies. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith/Released)

Super Bowl Champion.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Daniel Graham, a tight end with the Denver Broncos, shows his Championship ring from Super Bowl XXXVIII to Maj. Gen. David G. Perkins, Commanding General, 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division-North, during the Super Sunday Tour at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 4, 2011. During the Morale, Welfare and Recreation-sponsored tour, National Football League players and cheerleaders visited with service members across Iraq to boost morale and thank troops for their sacrifices in support of the nation.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

Bradley Fighting Vehicle drives off range.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Infantrymen from 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, drive their M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle off of Memorial Range after zeroing the 25mm main gun and M240B machine gun during a live fire exercise in support of Operation New Dawn near Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, July 29, 2011.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Quentin Johnson, 2nd AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD – N)

Pictured:

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

Soldiers present and post the colors of the 4th Infantry Division during the division’s color casing ceremony in a hangar, Oct. 20, 2011 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq. The "Ivy Division" completed its yearlong Operation New Dawn deployment, spending a year commanding and controlling United States Division-North and Task Force Iron Horse. The 4th Infantry Division controlled approximately 49,000 square miles, covering the area between Baghdad and the Iraq-Turkey border.

Staff Sgt. Stephen S. Poff (right), a squad leader and truck commander from Ashland, Miss., watches an Iraqi boy in the village of Ejbah who greeted the Soldiers during a presence patrol, Dec. 15. The Soldiers serve with the Mississippi Army National Guard's A Company, 2nd Battalion, 198th Combined Arms, 155th Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Hernando, Miss. During the patrol, the Soldiers demonstrated their strategies for combating complacency, such as practicing battle drills, alternating routes and meeting with local Iraqis.

Tech. Sgt. Robert Shipp, an aerospace ground equipment specialist from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, prepares a 60-kilowatt electric generator during camp build-up at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

U.S. Soldier mentors Iraqi communications specialist

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Sgt. Christopher Cisco, a signal support specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, observes Pfc. Naiem Gelewa, a communications specialist assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, as he trains on a combat network radio system at the Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, April 6, 2011. Cisco, a native of Freehold, N.J., trains the Iraqi soldiers at GWTC to program encrypted networks, secure radio channels, and communicate with adjacent units using radio systems.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Terence Ewings, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD-N)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Private 1st Class Anthony Richardson, an infantryman assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, walks with members of the Kirkuk expanded Combined Security Force during a patrol in Kirkuk City, Iraq, March 8, 2011. The eCSF is comprised of Iraqi Army soldiers, Kurdish Regional Guard and Iraqi Policemen serving together to provide security in Kirkuk province.

(U.S. Army photo by 1st Sgt. Steven Sierras, Company A, 2nd Bn.,12th Cav. Regt., 1st AATF, 1st Inf. Div.)

Sgt. Kellyn Furgiuele of the 372nd Inland Cargo Transportation Company, 275th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command and Pfc. Michael Doumas of 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Sust. Bde., receive applause Oct. 12 after winning in their respective groups for the 310th ESC’s Grey Ghost Stakes Best Warrior and NCO competition at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

Family members, friends, fellow Soldiers and Virginia Guard senior leaders bid a formal farewell to the Soldiers of the Virginia Beach-based 1945th Contingency Contracting Team, 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group Feb. 8, 2014, at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach. Virginia Sen. Jeffrey L. McWaters of the 8th District, Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Long Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia, Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis A. Green, the Virginia National Guard Senior Enlisted Leader, Col. Michelle Rose, commander of the 329th RSG, Lt. Col. Michael Waterman, commander of the 529th CSSB, Lt. Col. Brent Carey, team leader of the 1944th CCT, and Capt. Bert Hankins, commander of the 1945th CCT, were among the speakers at the ceremony. The four-Soldier team will now head to Camp Shelby, Miss., for premobilization training before they head to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

A Kentucky Air National Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft taxies into MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The Kentucky Air Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE COBRA, Iraq – Soldiers with 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Division – North, and local Iraqis load various commercial products and goods onto a truck at Contingency Operating Base Cobra, Iraq, July 2011. The supplies were part of a combined humanitarian aid project to support local Iraqi families in the villages surrounding COS Cobra in support of Operation New Dawn.

(U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Randy Warren, 2/1 CAV AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD-N)

PALU, Indonesia (Oct. 9, 2018) - A bird's-eye view of the airport hangar in Balikpapan, Indonesia. Members from the 36th Contingency Response Group at Andersen, Air and 374th Airlift Wing from Yokota Air Base, Japan are supporting the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) humanitarian relief efforts after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Indonesia's Sulawesi Island Sept. 28, 2018. The airport is the staging ground for all humanitarian goods before being transported to Palu, Indonesia where they are received and distributed to those affected. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. JT May III) 181009-F-ZM606-076

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www.instagram.com/indopacom | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/ **

Pictured: Okehampton Camp and 'tent city'

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

The North Dakota Army National Guard’s C-12 aircraft arrives at the Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility, in Bismarck, on Sept. 10, 2013. The aircraft brought home the final three Soldiers of a four-Soldier team of the 1919th Contingency Contracting Team (CCT) that served nine months in Qatar and Afghanistan supporting contracting operations. (National Guard Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Steve Urlacher, N.D. National Guard Visual Information/Released)

For more on the North Dakota National Guard, check out:

Website: www.ndguard.ngb.army.mil

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NDNationalGuard

YouTube: www.youtube.com/NDNationalGuard

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NDNationalGuard

Copyright information: www.ndguard.ngb.army.mil/news/pressroom/Pages/Copyright.aspx

Members of the 36th Contingency Response group board a C-17 Globemaster III destined for Kathmandu, Nepal, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 4, 2015. The CRG will join U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development led humanitarian and disaster relief operations in support of the government and armed forces of Nepal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Ashley Conner/Released)

A U.S. Airman from the 36th Contingency Response Group moves palletized cargo using a forklift at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal, May 4, 2015. The CRG joined U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development led humanitarian and disaster relief operations in support of the government and armed forces of Nepal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Ashley Conner/Released)

Super Bowl Champion.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Daniel Graham, a tight end with the Denver Broncos, shows his Championship ring from Super Bowl XXXVIII to Maj. Gen. David G. Perkins, Commanding General, 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division-North, during the Super Sunday Tour at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 4, 2011. During the Morale, Welfare and Recreation-sponsored tour, National Football League players and cheerleaders visited with service members across Iraq to boost morale and thank troops for their sacrifices in support of the nation.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

powered and switched off modification controlled by Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Special Traffic Operations, Traffic and Transportation Management Plan, and Program Contingency Engineers during the operation for the Los Angeles Marathon Mile 2 from the Start Line of Dodger Stadium to the Avenue of the Stars Race Course Route in Century City Finish Line replaced the Santa Monica Finish Line of its extended race course route to the Sea of Santa Monica Bay next to Pacific Ocean, College Street intersection traffic signal red lights, left turn protected permissive green yellow lights and pedestrian crosswalk crossing don't walk orange hand lights, Chinatown Central Plaza Mid-Block Pedestrian Crosswalk Crossing traffic signal red yellow green straight arrow lights, Bernard Street intersection of the intersections traffic signal green yellow red lights, left turn protected permissive green yellow arrow lights, pedestrian crosswalk crossing white walking person lights and don't walk orange hand lights located at Won Won Mini Market in Chinatown Los Angeles, California 90012 where this intersection is frequently used and it is so busy periodically.

This is the continuous route for the Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker 10k run race route where it passes through Dodger Stadium Sunset Gate A, Pasadena Freeway State Highway Junction Route CA-110 Arroyo Seco Parkway and Stadium Way Gate in Solano Canyon Downtown Los Angeles, California 90012.

洛杉磯中國城華埠北百老滙街及奧德街

旺旺 Won-Won Mini Market Inc.

This is the continuous Ciclavia Heart of Los Angeles Car-Free Open-Streets Bicycle Route

@chinatownla @lachinatown @chinatownlosangeles @losangeleschinatown @wonwonminimarket @LAMarathon @LosAngelesMarathon

#northbroadway #broadway #ordstreet #northbroadwayandordstreet #broadwayandordstreet #lamarathon #losangelesmarathon #lamarathonstadiumtothestars #stadiumtothestars #chinatownlosangeles #chinatownla #lagoldendragonparade #goldendragonparade #wonwonminimarket #lachinatown #chinatownlosangeles #losangeleschinatown #northbroadway #broadwayord #ordbroadway #westordstreet #wonwonminimarket #LAMarathon #LosAngelesMarathon #lamarathonstadiumtothestars #stadiumtothestars

Pictured:

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

An aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group marshals cargo at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

As part of the ongoing Africa Contingency Operations Training & Assistance (ACOTA) program, 1st Lt. Salvatore Buzzurro, USARAF ACOTA military mentor, talk with members of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces about a variety of infantry skills such as improvised explosive device awareness, rifle marksmanship, movement techniques (wedge, file, staggered column), battle drills (break contact, react to a sniper and hasty attack) and establishing a combat outpost.

Photo by U.S. Army Africa

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Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, Commander, U.S. Army Africa, delivers remarks at the 236th Army Birthday Ball at 11 Degrees North Community Center, Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, May 28, 2011.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Austin M. May

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More than 300 Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa service members attended the event. Hogg's speech focused on the history and importance of the U.S. Army and its role in today's Overseas Contingency Operations.

Decisive Action Rotations at the National Training Center ensure units remain versatile, responsive, and consistently available for current and future contingencies. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Lisa Orender, Operations Group, National Training Center)

PABRADE, Lihtuania --U.S. Army Europe Contingency

Command Post fire support officer Maj. Bryan Schotts

leads an After Action Review of the Saber Strike exercise June 13,

2013. Saber Strike 2013 is a U.S. Army Europe-led, multinational,

tactical field training and command post exercise occurring in

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia June 3-14 that involves more than 2,000

personnel from 14 different countries. The exercise trains

participants on command and control as well as interoperability with

regional partners and is designed to improve joint, multinational

capability in a variety of missions and to prepare participants to

support multinational contingency operations worldwide. (Photo by U.S.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Victor Aguirre)

After going up the ladder, looking down, and realizing I would have 0 hands on the ladder while staining... I knew that falling into metal spiral stairs would be REALLY FSCKING PAINFUL. Fortunately, being a horder, I had all the couch cushions left over from the last 3 couches we trashed. These were shoved in between the steps, to provide a contingency plan: If falling, bounce and bruise -- don't break bones!

BACKSTORY: Anyone who reads our contract (link below) can see that it specified to move the closet and built-in shelves. But Virginia Design Builders's workers -- the workers hired by Daniel M. Lopez -- were unable to properly move the closet without destroying it. And they "accidentally" threw away our shelves. They also broke the trim at the edge of the closet.

And then guess what? The asshole refused to stain the broken trim (and everythign else they broke/threw away too) to match the pre-existing color, leaving US with the job of restoring what they broke to the condition it was in before broken. Months of wood-staining hell thanks to the inability of Daniel M. Lopez's company to follow simple contractual instructions, as well as a total lack of honor in fully restoring damaged sections to their pre-damaged condition. We called the broken trim "Mt. Trim", because it was the hardest spot to physical reach in the entire house -- and we had to go up there 10+ times to stain it.

STAINING IS A PAIN: Just for reference, proper wood staining is a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR pain in the ass. The wood filling, the sanding, the pre-conditioning, staining, the wiping, the dropcloths, the multiple coats of everything, the (4) polyurethane coats [which often required holding a lamp in one hand, to reflect light on it to ensure evenness], and the final sanding. And don't get me started on the timing: Stain 20 minutes after pre-conditioning, but only for 2 hours; stain in 20 minute cycles consisting of 4 sub-cycles: stain area #1, stain area #2, wipe area #1, wipe area #2. Then break, get new gloves, and start over. A 20 minute cycle might equal 2 shelves, or 2 boards from ceiling to floor. Our spreadsheet had over 200 cells. At the end of the day, the only way to get stain off your skin was to apply paint thinner directly to your skin in violation of the instructions, common sense, and one's best interests...

wood staining.

carpet, cushions, spiral stairs.

downstairs, Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.

June 23, 2007.

... Read my blog at ClintJCL.wordpress.com

... Read Carolyn's blog at CarolynCASL.wordpress.com

LEGAL: To see an official VA DPOR sanction of $500 (+$150) against Dan Lopez and Virginia Design Builders: www.acm.vt.edu/~clint/download/filedump/2008/daniel-m-lop... ... These people were suing him for $400K last time I checked.To see OUR contract with Dan Lopez / Virginia Design Builders: www.acm.vt.edu/~clint/download/filedump/2008/daniel-m-lop... ... Just in case anybody doesn't believe me.icture, pool table, sandpaper, scissors.

upstairs, Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.

June 4, 2007.

... Read my blog at ClintJCL.wordpress.com

... Read Carolyn's blog at CarolynCASL.wordpress.com

Transportation and Traffic Management Plan Contingency Engineers during the operation of the Homeboy Industries 5 km Run Race Course Route located at Solano Canyon Los Angeles, California 90012.

This is where L.A. Chinatown Firecracker 10k run race route continues to Elysian Park uphill, Dodger Stadium, back to finish line.

洛杉磯中國城唐人街華埠十公里火爆竹跑比賽會在北百老滙街同埋蘇蘭樓道十字路口交叉口交通紅綠燈信號機由十公里跑步者路線比賽在此一直走然後轉左在泊路道上山往伊來筍公園觀光道然後道奇體育球場所地點返回程華埠終點結束完畢站場

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This is the 5k Run Race Route of the Homeboy - Homeboyle Industries Chinatown, Solano Canyon, Naud Industrial Junction and Outer Los Angeles State Historic Park.

這裡是5公里小家子 (家仔) 工業跑步比賽路線跑往洛杉磯華埠, 蘇蘭諾山峽谷, 諾德工業樞紐及外洛杉磯州立歷史公園區.

________________________________________________

#chinatownla #lachinatown #chinatownlosangeles #losangeleschinatown #solanocanyon #solanocanyonlosangeles #northbroadway #broadwaysolanoavenue #solanoavenueandbroadway #solanoavenue #elysianpark #losangelesstatehistoricalpark #firecrackerla #firecracker10k #firecracker10krun #firecracker10k2019 #homeboy #homeboyindustries #homeboy5k #homeboy5krun @lachinatown

Nepalese army soldiers and U.S. Air Force 36th Contingency Response Group Airmen work with Republic of Singapore Air Force members to unload relief supplies from an RSAF C-130 Hercules May 9, at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Nepalese army and Airmen worked together to process 537,816 pounds of cargo in a 24-hour period from 13 aircraft delivering relief supplies delivered in response to a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the nation April 25. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa B. White/Released)

A paratrooper assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, charges up the stairs of a building during live fire training on Fort Bragg, Sept. 9, 2013. The White Falcons, currently part of the Global Response Force, conducted a two-week intensive training cycle designed to reinforce combat skills for the nation’s airborne assault-capable, contingency unit.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull)

WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL, NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (NEMA), MUHAMMAD SANI SIDI AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE HANDING OVER AND VALIDATION TABLE TOP SIMULATION EXERCISE OF THE NIGERIAN CIVIL AND MILITARY PANDEMIC INFLUENZA RESPONSE PLANS AND THE MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES DISASTER CONTINGENCY PLAN AT THE TRANSCORP HILTON ABUJA 14TH - 22ND, NOVEMBER 2013.

PROTOCOL.

It is my pleasure and honor to formally welcome you all to this important event of the opening ceremony of the unveiling of the National Influenza Pandemic Disaster Response Plan and the Military Pandemic Disaster Contingency Plan by NEMA, the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) and other stakeholders. This event also involves the Validation Table Top Simulation Exercise and the Development of 5-year Strategic Work Plan events for emergency response stakeholders in Nigeria. In this regards, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and indeed the Federal Government and the good people of Nigeria stretches their arms of fellowship and solidarity to welcome His Excellency, the USA Ambassador to Nigeria, officials of AFRICOM, the Centre for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and all the relevant arms of the United Nations here present. The Agency sincerely appreciates all your efforts towards the success of this very important exercise.

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, going down memory lane, in 1918, the world experienced the Spanish influenza pandemic that claimed over twenty (20) million lives. The figure as it were, was more than the total number of deaths recorded in the course of World War 1. The current global alert of a possible influenza pandemic likely to be caused by a novel virus makes it imperative for every nation to prepare in advance its response mechanisms for such a catastrophe. While it is obvious that no nation is immune to disasters and pandemic crises, it is equally alarming that such emergencies are not restricted by international boundaries or frontiers. This, therefore, calls for conscious planning, and response preparedness and enhanced international cooperation as signified by this very important event we are witnessing today.

Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, you will recall, that in October 2011 at the Eko Suites, Victoria Island Lagos, the USAFRICOM and the Center for Disease and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine in partnership with NEMA conducted a Pandemic Disaster Response Table Top Simulation Exercise; “the Draft Pandemic Influenza Disaster Response Plan”. This plan was earlier drafted by the Federal Ministry of Health, National Stakeholders and other relevant arms of the UN system based in Nigeria at Kaduna by 2009. The exercise was followed up by an after-action review meeting which was conducted to make necessary corrections to the Draft National Influenza Pandemic Disaster Response Plan from lessons learnt and was immediately followed by a meeting to draft the Military Pandemic Disaster Contingency Plan in Abuja 28th – 29th November, 2012. This exercise was also preceded by the drafting of the Military Support to Civilian Authorities Disaster Contingency Plan that also took place in Abuja 15th – 18th April, 2013. A validation meeting of the three plans was then carried out by very senior strategic officers of NEMA, the Defence Headquarters, the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in Washington DC between 23rd – 27th September, 2013. Today’s presentation and validation exercise marks the successful accomplishment of this tortuous but onerous task that is critical to our national preparedness and disaster resilience.

NEMA in line with its mandate of coordinating disaster management in Nigeria is always willing to provide the leading role for a coherent, integrated and coordinated mechanism that enhances unity of purpose and synergy amongst its stakeholders. In this regards, the provision of the mechanisms for epidemiological information, integrated communication strategy and a well articulated emergency response as contained in the Pandemic Response Plan being presented today by USAFRICOM is quite commendable. You will all agree with me that failure to develop such response plan can be disastrous for any nation; the outbreak of pandemic influenza will not only lead to illnesses and death of persons but also impact negatively on all aspects of national well-being and translate into broader negative socio-economic consequences. Needless to add, that the vulnerable groups which in most cases are usually the aged, women and children are more likely to be at a higher risk and thereby facing greater consequences arising from the outbreak of pandemics. Similarly, the limited awareness to disaster risk reduction information in developing countries like ours has further compounded the challenges associated with pandemic influenza thereby making today’s exercise quite apt, timely and imperative.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, let me use this opportunity to express my gratitude to USAID, the USAFRICOM, the UN system and all other National and International partners and collaborators that have committed their valuable time and resources to ensure the successful accomplishment of the Pandemic Response Plan. May I, specifically, convey my sincere appreciation to the Honourable Ministers of Health, Defence, Foreign Affairs, the Chief of Defence Staff, His Excellency, the American Ambassador in Nigeria and all the distinguished guests here present including members of the press that graced this occasion despite your tight schedules. Permit me to also to express my sincere gratitude to our national partners especially the Military, the Nigeria Police, the NSCDC, the Federal Fire Service, the State SEMAs, the academia and several others too numerous to mention here for the continuous unflinching support and solidarity. For our International partners, I wish to once more sincerely thank you for tasking yourselves to ensure the successful accomplishment of this endeavor and travelling long distances to witness the presentation to the Pandemic Response Plan. This indeed is a rare demonstration of a sustainable international cooperation and solidarity to make the world a more resilient and safer place for all of us.

Thank you all and God Bless.

3 MERCIAN Mortar Cadre

With training for contingency ops a priority, the need to train in all weathers is exemplified by soldiers on the 3 MERCIAN Mortar Cadre. Being able to do your job in the cold or the heat is paramount so the weather provided the perfect training opportunity!

Photo credit to read - Cpl Ross Fernie RLC Crown Copyright

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Captain Rodney Saunders, head emergency room nurse, 256th Combat Support Hospital, explains CSH trauma room procedures to 1st Lt. Ayyub, a nurse assigned to the Iraqi Air Force Academy Clinic at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Aug. 9, 2011. Saunders, who hails from Fredricktown, Ohio, explained to his Iraqi counterpart, that in order to serve their patients in life threatening situations, they must maintain rigid organization of equipment.

Staff Sgt. Ebony Spann and Sgt. Ricky Tucker tape steps on the side of command vehicle platform as part of a joint inspection prior to participation in U.S. Army Africa’s Contingency Command Post deployment exercise, Aug. 8-12. Spann and Tucker and the CCP team of more than 20 Soldiers and civilians participated in an exercise that validated the use, operation and deployment of an expeditionary command post.

Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs

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Rendering honors.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Spc. Mario Bravo, right, a military policeman assigned to 512th Military Police Company, attached to 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, salutes Col. Malcolm Frost, brigade commander of 2nd AAB, 25th Inf. Div., during an award ceremony at the Salie Gym on Contingency Operating Base Warhorse, Diyala province, Iraq, Jan. 23, 2011. The 512th MP Company conducted missions with their Iraqi Police counterparts in the Diyala, Salah ad Din and Kirkuk provinces during the final months of Operation Iraqi Freedom through Operation New Dawn. The 272nd Military Police Company, based out of Mannheim, Germany, will replace the 512th MP Company, which will return to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., in February.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Robert England, 2nd AAB PAO, 25th Inf. Div., USD-N)

traffic signal flashing red lights powered off modification controlled by Los Angeles Department of Transportation's Special Traffic Operations and Traffic Management Plan Contingency Engineers followed by East Wind Youth Lion Troupe Dancers on performance Alpine Street, College Street, PED XING - Chinatown Central Plaza Mid-Block Pedestrian Crosswalk Crossing traffic signal flashing yellow lights switched off and Bernard Street intersection traffic signal flashing red lights modification controlled by LADOT Special Traffic Operations during the operation of the Los Angeles Chinatown Golden Dragon Parade located at 639 to 651 North Broadway in Chinatown Los Angeles, California 90012 between two towers of Jia Apartments 甲公寓 and Cathay Manor Senior Apartments 國泰莊園老人公寓, HSBC - Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation 香港上海滙豐銀行公司 (港滬銀), Teo Chew Association Temple 潮州會館廟 and BC Plaza 百昌商場.

Note: The new current G.D.P. route travelled Southbound Broadway and made a left turn at Eastbound West Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and ENDS at a right turn into Southbound Spring Street Olvera Street for parade floats disbanding zone since February 2007 to February 2012 but now this Golden Dragon Parade route on Southbound Broadway turns right to Westbound Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and ENDS at North Hill Street overpass bridge and North Grand Avenue for parade floats disbanding zone since February 2013 to present. The former G.D.P. route was on Northbound Broadway (ended here until 2000) from Cesar E. Chavez Avenue to Bernard Street and Southbound Hill Street at Ord Street took place here until 2006.

The former G.D.P. route was on Northbound Broadway (ended here until 2000) from Cesar E. Chavez Avenue to Bernard Street and Southbound Hill Street at Ord Street took place here until 2006.

美國加州都阿爾特市市長康佳琛及他的妻子坐車上在金龍大遊行巡遊會洛杉磯中國城華埠北百老滙街及奧德街

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Louie Lacsina, 36th Mobility Response Squadron air transportation specialist, unloads vehicles from a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal, May 5, 2015. The 36th CRG is a rapid-deployment unit designed to establish and maintain airfield operations in a forward operating location and joined U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development led humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in support of the government and armed forces of Nepal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa White/Released)

Spc. Soledad Siordia, a driver with Bravo Company, 1-185th Armor (Combined Arms Battalion), 81st Brigade Combat Team, California Army National Guard, conducts maintenance on a vehicle Feb. 5 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq. About 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in August. They are scheduled to return home this summer

Pictured:

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723