Proud army dad home for historic salute

A proud father who took a short leave from UN duties in the Golan Heights to see his son commissioned as a Naval Service officer said he had no fears going back to join his comrades in that troubled region.

Brigade Quarter Master Sergeant (BQMS) John Nolan, who is serving with the 44th Infantry Group on the Syrian border, where UN units have come under attack from Syrian insurgents, was at Haulbowline naval base yesterday to watch his son, James, commissioned as an officer.

In an historic break with tradition, he took the passing-out parade salute from his son, as did Thomas Molloy, a Cobh, Co Cork-based Chief Petty Officer, who took the salute from his son, Philip.

BQMS Nolan, from Bagnalstown, Co Carlow, who is a veteran of 11 overseas missions, said that while the situation “had got a bit tense” in recent days his comrades were “highly trained and well protected”.

While some of the Irish peacekeeping troops were young and on their first overseas mission, they were keen to stay and get on with the job, he said.

“I’m happy to go back. They are a good bunch of lads. They’ll hold their own. They have Moag armour [armoured troop carriers],” he said.

He will travel back to the Golan Heights in the next few days and hopes with six years’ service left he will get to undertake more overseas missions.

Minister for Defence Simon Coveney said Irish troops and their commanding officer had confidence in the overall commander of the UN mission in the region.

He said the focus now was on getting the safe release of 43 Fijian peacekeeping troops who were still being detained by the insurgents.

Mr Coveney said negotiations for their release were being worked on in parallel with a review on the ground about UN operations.

“That takes a little bit of time. What has happened and what has been developing is that the civil war in Syria has moved into the demilitarised zone and has changed circumstances on the ground. It has changed the level of risk that our troops and other peacekeepers are exposed to.”

He said he was hoping to get assurances by the end of the month from UN senior commanders that there was an acceptable level of risk before he deployed a new batch of troops there.

Mr Coveney said Ireland wanted to support the UN mission, but added that if the risk to Irish troops was unacceptable then he would withdraw them.