SUFFOLK soldiers are on standby today to help evacuate civilians from Lebanon.The engineers, or sappers, from Woodbridge-based 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault), part of Colchester's 16 Air Assault Brigade, have been called on at short notice to assist with the evacuation operation currently underway in the Middle East.
SUFFOLK soldiers are on standby today to help evacuate civilians from Lebanon.
The engineers, or sappers, from Woodbridge-based 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault), part of Colchester's 16 Air Assault Brigade, have been called on at short notice to assist with the evacuation operation currently underway in the Middle East.
The squadron has been specially earmarked because its members are some of the few parachute-trained engineers in the Army, and currently around 40 of them have their bags packed and are ready to go when given the call.
Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hutchison, commanding officer of the regiment, said: “This demonstrates the demand for our specialist and unique capability, which can be rapidly deployed to anywhere in the world to carry out a range of war fighting and humanitarian tasks.”
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