Inverness soldier prepares for deployment to Afghanistan

AN Inverness soldier has spent days driving in convoy in hot cramped conditions transporting vital supplies and personnel to military bases in the heart of Helmand.

But there is no danger of him suffering heatstroke or a raging thirst, and being constantly ready to deal with enemy threats.

For Lance Corporal Tristan Levrack (23), of 1 Logistics Support Regiment (1LSR), has been training for his upcoming mission in Afghanistan at the world class Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (CATT), in Sennelager, Northern Germany.

It is one of only two facilities in the British Army which houses nearly 200 simulators providing realistic training on a variety of British Army vehicle platforms.

The former Inverness High School pupil, who joined the Army in 2005 as a driver, is due to deploy to Afghanistan later in the year with the majority of 1LSR.

He said: "My role in the simulator is top cover – scanning the views, making sure no surprises happen, looking for ground sign evidence of IEDs etc. But it’s a long day and quite testing. We started at 08.10am and ran through until the afternoon when we stopped for lunch.

"Then we continued until the close of play – it gives you a real sense of the conditions on the ground and how frustrating it would be to be stuck in a convoy for a whole day in the heat."