Partners of those serving in British Forces Cyprus took part in an exercise last week designed to give them a taste of military life at RAF Akrotiri.
50 participants from RAF Akrotiri, as well as those from British Forces bases across Cyprus, have experienced the working environment across various sections, including Force Protection and 84 Squadron, at RAF Akrotiri last week as part of Exercise Siren Song.
Emily Noonan, Mother of two who works for British Forces Cyprus as a Resettlement Officer, took part in the exercise and spoke about how the exercise was challenging but a wonderful life experience. She said: “There were many of the serials that I thought may be challenging mostly the beach circuits, dog section and live firing. However, these turned out to be the activities I enjoyed the most. Running through the bondhu trying to evade the dogs followed by a demonstration of how the military working dogs are used in real life was a real experience.”
She added:
“We could see a huge amount of planning went into the exercise to make it possible and the activities planned for us were really engaging. After taking part in every serial I feel a real accomplishment, many were outside of my comfort zone, but I am so glad I took part.”
Exercise Siren Song aims to show partners of those serving what goes on behind the scenes, as well as giving them a better understanding of how each section contributes towards the operational output of the station. They visited many sections across the station including the Fire Section and the Military Working Dogs Section, where they were put through their paces on a number of exercises including carrying dummies, operating fire hoses and a tough beach circuit with the Physical Training Instructors.
The exercise was organised by Corporal Jason Inger, RAF Regiment. He said:
“The exercise has been a resounding success with the number of partners participating growing every year. I believe that this year will be one of, if not the biggest exercise of its sort with 50 partners of RAF Akrotiri personnel taking part.”
Clare Wallace, who runs a beauty business at RAF Akrotiri, spoke about how much she has enjoyed working as part of a team during the exercise. She said: “My entire team were amazing, and we worked together through every aspect. No one was left behind, and we faced all challenges together and helped each other through our weaknesses. It was so lovely to know I had nine others who had my back and likewise.” She is currently applying to join the RAF as a Personnel Support Officer and attributes this in part to her participation in the exercise.
She continued:
“After doing siren song 2018 I started the recruitment process to join the RAF and again since participating in 2019 exercise it has made me more determined for the dream. I feel that this is definitely my calling. I feel very excited for the next part of my life and career.”
Many personnel have been expressing their support for the exercise and due to its success, there is already a great deal of interest in next year’s event.
