Navy People: Ipswich Sailor Heads For Persian Gulf
26 March 2008
Six years ago, former Ipswich State High School student Glen Puxty swapped his City Bulls soccer strip for the Navy’s battleship grey overalls, and now Glen and his 1:4 shipmates aboard HMAS Stuart are getting pretty focused.
On 31 March they cast off for a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf, where they will be intercepting contraband runners and guarding Iraq’s key oil terminals. It’s a vital job as the two terminals provide over 80% of Iraq’s income.
“I joined the Navy in January 2002,” said Glen. “Now I’m qualified as an advanced medic. I did all my training at HMAS Cerberus, near Melbourne and, after two shore postings, I joined HMAS Stuart in 2007.
“On the deployment I’ll be assisting in the clinical care of patients, doing administration in the sickbay, looking after traumatic injuries (wounds) — if they occur — and be in charge of a medevac by helicopter if it’s required.
“It’s my first big overseas deployment with the Navy. Up until now I have only ever sailed to Christmas Island!
“Being a medic has a personal touch — where I get to know people outside of their work — and I truly enjoy the clinical aspects of the job. I have mostly been sitting behind a desk for six years and this deployment is one of the few times you put your training into a real-life operational situation.
“I joined up partly for the travel and now I’ll be seeing a very different part of the world. And the Persian Gulf I have never seen before – it will certainly be an exciting place to visit.
“My home life has taken a backseat since I joined Stuart — but I plan to go overseas to Europe once I’ve caught up with my family and just relax — this deployment will be a very challenging phase in my career and I’m looking forward to enjoying my time off when we get back!”
Glen is one of some 1500 members of the Australian Defence Forces who are now on duty in the Middle East as part of Operation Catalyst, the Australian Government’s contribution to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq. Working with the Iraqi Government and coalition forces, Australian military personnel are continuing to support a more secure environment and assist with national rehabilitation programs.
