Mullingar man in un mission to syria

“One thing that hasn’t changed is the calibre of the Irish soldier,” says Regt Sgt Major Noel O’Callaghan, who departs for Golan Heights, Syria, this week.

Noel will be celebrating 40 years in the Irish Defence Forces in May in Golan Heights as part of the UN mission monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Syria.

This will be the fourth Irish deployment to this mission in recent times. The 48th Infantry Group UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) mission was established to supervise the implementation of an Area of Separation, with two equal zones of limited forces and armaments in the Golan Heights region.

Preparing since January for the six-month stint, Noel faces the personal challenge of leaving his family behind. Married to Breda, they have two children Rebecca and David, and two grandchildren, Aleesha and Amelia.

“On the home front, the challenge there is being separated from your family. It doesn’t get any easier whether it’s your first or 10th trip away,” he admits. “But the communication side things has improved immensely. Since my first trip in 1978, the family liaison teams help allay the fears of the mission going out there."

However, while out in Golan Heights, the dangers he will face on a daily basis are real and potentially life-threatening. With reports of the ISIS extremists operating there as well as other parts of the Middle East, Noel says he is prepared for all eventualities.

“The situation in the Golan Heights is dangerous, there is no point saying otherwise. However we have all trained hard and know what is expected of us. There is a wealth of previous overseas experience within our unit,” says Noel who has served in the Lebanon, Africa, Kosovo and Chad.

“We will be placing our faith and trust in each other’s abilities and through combined effort and skill we can overcome whatever pitfalls may arise. We are trained for every possibility. Our training was long an intense.”

UNDOF supervises the area of separation and intervenes when any military personnel enter or try to operate there. This is accomplished using permanently manned positions and observation posts, and patrolling.

“The equipment and fort protection has hugely improved. Like all of the missions the Irish have served in, it has the potential to be dangerous. However, we are professional soldiers with a professional military, and are well equipped and highly motivated. We have conducted a thorough and robust pre-deployment training, which is specifically designed to prepare us for all eventualities.

“We have also been briefed thoroughly on the situation in the area of operations and the rules of engagement prior to departure. Within our group we have a huge wealth of expertise and experience, and the defence forces’ recognised role as experienced and professional peace keepers has stood us well over the last five plus decades of life savers.

“The one thing that hasn’t changed is the calibre of the Irish soldier. We’ve developed into a cohesive, disciplined unit – there are 130 of all ranks going.
“You’re always a bit nervous. But we’re well disciplined, well equipped and ready to take it on. We’re looking forward to the challenge, and as well, I’ll be celebrating 40 years in the army out there in May.

“The Defence Forces are unique. We’ve been serving with the UN since they started 56 years ago. We’ve lost 86 Irish personnel, which you could say is 86 too many. But giving the context and complexity, its not bad by any standards.”