Longest day exercise lives up to its name

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 631, 9 April 1996, Page 6

Longest day exercise lives up to its name

The name for Exercise Longest Day was not chosen by accident, and as it turned out was very apt. Ten sections of nine soldiers from Linton and Waiouru attempted to walk over 40 kilometres in less than 24 hours, but it was not a

straight walk. Thirteen tasks had to be completed along the way. Task stands were spread from Six Cross (the highest point on the Desert Road) to south of Waiouru camp and the teams started at halfhour intervals. Tasks included defensive wire laying and shooting, casualty evacuation and flotation Windy conditions forced the communication antennae stand into a new location and the assault course

was considered by organisers to be too wet to attempt in the dark and was cancelled. The gruelling exercise proved too much for some and several soldiers were pulled out of the field with a couple

admitted to hospital with exnaustion, saia co-orainaior Captain Mark Blythen. The section entered by the 1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment showed what toughing it is all about to come in first with a score of 225.5. Waiouru's Queen Alexandra' s Mounted Rifles team finished second with 214 points and 161 Battery( 16th Field Regiment) of Linton came in third with 205.5 points. The exercise was designed to promote team-work, further operational focus and practiseArmy Ready Response Unit soldiers and commanders in their profession. 7 Exercise Longest Day was due to have been held last November, but the eruption of Mount Ruapehu and the consequent heavy ash-fall at the northern end of the trairiing area resulted in the army zones being closed and the exercise postponed.