Romanian officer joins the Gurkhas in Afghanistan

Captain Catalin Ionita from Bucharest is a graduate of Romania's Nicolae Balcescu Army Academy and was selected for the secondment earlier this year.

The logistics officer from 121 Transport Battalion left his regiment in Bucharest in May bound for 10 The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, based in Aldershot, and subsequently deployed with the regiment to Afghanistan in mid-September 2009.

Capt Ionita, who has a Masters Degree in Geopolitics, is currently based in Camp Bastion.

He said:

"I feel really proud to have been selected to represent my country and work with the British Army; it is a real honour. Working with both the British and Gurkhas, I have learnt about two new cultures. It has been fascinating.

"This is my first time travelling outside Romania. In the beginning, everything was very different, and I have had to learn a lot. I was very nervous about my English, but it is now getting much better. The officers and soldiers have made me feel very much at home. And I have even learnt a few words of Gurkhali!

"The Gurkhas are fierce and brave warriors - I now know why the Taliban call them 'Tigers'."

Capt Ionita is working as a Staff Officer in the Regimental Headquarters, where he is responsible for monitoring the minute-by-minute progress of the regiment's logistic operations that are conducted on the ground throughout Helmand province.

In order to prepare him for his role, Capt Ionita undertook four months of intense training with the regiment prior to deploying.

Speaking about his training, he said:

"Some of the British Army's processes are different from back home. But after a couple of exercises, I soon caught up. The training in the UK is first class; it is very realistic and well resourced.

"I took part in a combat logistic patrol exercise on Salisbury Plain, where we were simulating resupplying a Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan. It was amazing. We had Apache attack helicopters, external force protection, search dogs - you name it, and it was there. I had never seen anything like it before.

"I was particularly impressed by the Trauma Risk Management training. We don’t have anything like this in Romania. It was fascinating. It's a very good concept, and I'll certainly be telling the academy about this when I get home."

With his military training, Capt Ionita has travelled the breadth of the UK, from Hythe Ranges in Kent, all the way across to Castlemartin in West Wales. Not only has he become proficient on a broad range of military equipment, but he has seen a lot of the countryside along the way:

"The training we were given on the ranges was fantastic", he said. "Although the safety measures were very strict, we had great fun and learnt loads.

"It was amazing, I got to fire the new combat shotgun and the grenade machine gun. They are awesome pieces of kit. We were also taught how to fire from moving vehicles, an essential part of our role here in Afghanistan if we come under attack."

Capt Ionita was inspired by his grandfather to join the Army. He had served as a Sergeant in the Romanian Infantry during World War Two. He would tell his grandson about his adventures, fighting against the Germans and Russians, as well as how he was later persecuted by the communist regime.

When he turned 15 years old, Capt Ionita embarked on his military career at the Mihai Viteazul Military High School. His grandfather was very proud of him, but sadly died one year before he was commissioned.

Due to the operational deployment, Capt Ionita's wife, Anca, and nine-year-old daughter Andreea, chose to remain in Bucharest, where his mother and father still live. However, they did manage to visit him in England, and visit London, before he departed for Afghanistan:

"It has always been a childhood dream of mine to visit London, and to see the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. I am really pleased that I’ve managed to do this with my family," he said.

By the time Capt Ionita returns from Afghanistan, he will have been away from home for over a year. He is really looking forward to taking his family away on holiday to Madeira Island, Portugal, where he'll take his daughter dolphin-spotting.