WHEN Army Reservist Lance Corporal Doug Horsfall was offered his dream deployment to the Middle East, it did not take him long to accept the opportunity to use his skills outside Australia.
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He has just completed a seven-month deployment from 15 Transport Squadron at Horsham. When Doug’s at home in Australia, he runs his own full-time engineering business at St Arnaud.
He was second-in-command of the six-person transport section at Camp Baird in the Middle East.
The section enabled Australian Defence Force personnel to board flights at the airfield and also moved equipment and supplies to other groups in the region.
“In my job I assisted with the maintenance of the Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles, which were either sent into Afghanistan, Iraq or returned to Australia,” Doug said.
“I also did the night and day pick ups of personnel going out on and coming in from flights at the airfield.”
Doug joined the Army Reserve in 2003, completing his part-time service working at 15 Transport Squadron in Bendigo. He now parades at the unit’s other depot in Horsham.
“I joined partly because I love trucks and the army was one of the few places I found where I could drive a four-wheel-drive truck,” he said.
“It was also the outdoor experience as soldiers. The hands on work and the camaraderie with the friends I’ve made are the reasons behind why I joined.”
Doug is not the only member of his family serving with the Australian Defence Force.
“I’ve got three kids. Jonathon did a gap year with army in Cavalry corps and is now part time at my unit in Horsham and Christopher did a gap year with army’s 176 Air Dispatch squadron in Sydney and is now also at our unit,” he said.
“My daughter is on her gap year in the army as a driver posted to 3CSSB in Townsville.”
He said his deployment to the Middle East was the greatest experience of his life.
“It finished a journey I began 13 years ago when I first joined the Army Reserve,” he said.
