Lieutenant Pete Farrimond and Lance Corporal John Rooke are both in 659 Squadron which provides helicopter support to Britain's only quick reaction force - 16 Air Assault Brigade. Lieutenant Farrimond, who's 26 and from Hertfordshire, will be spending Christmas on operations flying Lynx helicopters. He joined 659 Squadron in July having only just obtained his ‘wings’ as a fully qualified pilot. His father is a retired Lieutenant Colonel and his two older brothers both joined the Army as well.  | | Lieutenant Pete Farrimond in a Lynx |
“My family are used to people going away and are very supportive of me. I always knew that I wanted to join the Army and I got an Army scholarship when I was 16. I always wanted to be a pilot too, and it’s been even better than I expected it would be”, says Pete. “I’m here for three months. My main job is to fly passengers around as well as providing top cover to support troops conducting operations on the ground.” “Flying wise it’s quite a different environment out here than it is back home. We have to deal with the dust and heat. There’s a good atmosphere and we get on well with our colleagues from the Navy and the RAF. The food and accommodation is good and mail from home arrives quickly. My Mum’s pretty good at things like that.” Pete has already been decorating the tent he shares with his colleagues with some festive items, including the inflatable family Christmas tree. “The tree was sent out to my eldest brother when he was serving in Kosovo and was then it was sent to my middle brother when he was in Bosnia and now they’ve sent it to me here in Iraq!” “I’m not too worried about being here on Christmas day. I’ve got no choice, but actually I’m quite happy about it. We’re really busy here and you start to lose track of the days. I’ve got a tasking as normal, then I’ll have my Christmas dinner and perhaps one can of beer once I finish work, if I’m allowed. I’ll also speak to my parents. We’re organising a secret Santa within the detachment so at least we’ll each get a little present whilst we’re over here.”  | | Lance Corporal John Rooke |
For Lance Corporal John Rooke this Christmas will be the second one in three years that he has spent working in Iraq. As a door gunner for a Lynx helicopter, he provides fire support protection for the aircraft “Basically I’m responsible for ensuring the safety of passengers and aircraft.” “Out here my job is a bit different to when I’m back in the UK. In an operational environment, you’re using live weapons and there’s always the danger that you can get fired upon. It keeps you on your toes. We don’t want to get caught out. It’s been fairly quiet here so far, we’ve only had a few contacts when we’ve been flying around, which is good. I would do another six months if I could, but this will be my last tour here for the time being."  | | Lance Corporal John Rooke in a Lynx |
John has aspirations of becoming a pilot “I’ve always wanted to fly. My dad was a pilot in the Army Air Corps and I’d like to train as a pilot in time too. My younger brother Tom is a private in 16 Close Support Medical Regiment in Colchester and he's been on two back-to-back tours of Kosovo and Bosnia. Luckily I saw him about two months ago when I went home on leave”.
As well as being away for Christmas, he’ll also miss his 24th birthday, which is on 30th December “I was here for Christmas two years ago and it was a real laugh. But even more planning and effort seems to be going in to Christmas celebrations this year, so hopefully it will be even better. “I’ll probably be working on Christmas day and have Christmas dinner at some point later on. I’ve had some parcels sent out to me, but Christmas is just another day when you’re here. My brother was away last Christmas and I was away the Christmas before that, so my parents are used to it by now. But I’ll definitely be going out for a few drinks to celebrate both Christmas and my birthday with my mates when I get back home.” | 
