Hawaii may have been given a bit of a rough trot in the Australian media over recent years courtesy of the soon-to-be former Member for Cook, but there’s something slightly poetic about the 4th Regiment Royal Australian Artillery bringing home some silverware from the place that despatched the captain of the Endeavour courtesy of one-too-many misunderstandings.
The sublime breaks and crocodile-free free waters may beckon surfers of all ability, but the home of Pearl Harbour is also host to one of the more serious rounds of inter-army artillery exercises where the army gets to sample the delights of tropical warfare using steep hills for cover.
Forget golf for putting one in the hole, the US 2nd Division and 25th Infantry Division are the proud hosts of the US Army’s “Best by Test artillery competition” situated on Oahu where sweat appeared to dominate over blood and tears, and there’s not a banana lounge or cocktail umbrella in sight.
Australia walked away the 109 Battery winning “Best Fire Support Team” with Captain Pat Glasby winning an individual award for Best Forward Observer, according to Defence.
And the scenery is great, unless you’re lugging light artillery up and down volcanic-grade gradients while hacking your way through the jungle.
“The terrain would be pretty beautiful if you were there on holiday, but the hills were very steep and there was a lot of jungle to get through while it rained heavily, but it was an amazing place to be,” Captain Taras Jakubovsky said.
Seriously, who takes a working holiday in Hawaii? Apparently not 4 REGT RAA’s 109 Battery.
“We averaged four hours of sleep per night, then covered 10km to 15km with a 50kg pack every day; then every time we moved to a new stand. There were tough physical tests.”
The aim, no-pun, of live-fire training is to be able to shoot or put other ordnance into the opposition at relatively close range without taking out nearby friendlies. Close-quarters ground battles can last for days, especially for underdogs, and often are too concentrated or camouflaged to pick off from the air, assuming that is even an option.
“We had a tight bond, and not everyone feels good all the time, so everyone looked after their mates who might be toughing it out, and the next day they would help others who were struggling along,” Jakubovsky said.
“It was a good validation of our training in Townsville, and it affirms that we’re doing the right thing in our preparations, and we were lucky to compare that to the best in the world.
“We have slightly different processes, so the fact that we can come together and align with the US was really awesome.”
Feet to metres, miles to kilometres, gallons to litres. It’s where real muscle memory comes into play on race day.
“It paints us in a positive light with our strategic allies, that we’re a partner of choice and someone they can rely on,” Jakubovsky said.
Indeed. Tanks that suck jet fuel, not diesel? Got that covered too.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly abbreviated 4th Regiment Royal Australian Artillery to an infantry unit. The Mandarin apologises to the gunners and thanks readers for their counsel.
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