‘We came into an environment that was very much war-like’ says leader of Irish troops in Lebanon

In 1996, Shane Rockett was a young Irish soldier serving in Lebanon on his first peacekeeping mission overseas.

It just so happened that his deployment to the country coincided with an Israeli campaign of shelling and air raids against Hezbollah, known as 'Operation Grapes of Wrath'.

"There was a huge amount of destruction in Southern Lebanon at that time," he recalled. "As a young soldier, I thought, 'ok, we've been exposed to this, this is something I'll never see again'."

Unfortunately, that didn't prove to be the case. Last November, he deployed to the same region, as the officer leading the 333 UN peacekeeping soldiers of the 125th Infantry Battalion in South Lebanon, and they arrived amid an even more extreme period of violence, which the Israeli forces termed 'Operation Northern Arrows'.

"I would go so far as to say it was ten times worse for this deployment," said Lt Col Rockett.

"We came into an environment that was very much war-like. There was a lot of damage done from the conflict. A lot of the local Lebanese themselves had left the region. The UN was very much caught in the middle of that.

"The infrastructure in Southern Lebanon when we arrived was completely destroyed. There was no electricity. No water. Villages and towns (were) essentially abandoned, particularly the ones near the border with Israel.

"The level of destruction… if you think back to news reports from maybe Afghanistan or Iraq, where you would have seen that war-fighting effect on towns and villages, where houses and buildings were completely blown up, that was what we experienced and what we operated in on a daily basis."

A couple of weeks after the 125th battalion arrived, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon came into effect - and has held since - but in a phone interview with the Westmeath Independent last week, Lt Col Rockett said the situation facing the Irish troops remained volatile.

"There are still elements of aggressive behaviour, both from the Israelis and, sporadically, from non-State actors in Lebanon.

"It's not on the scale that we witnessed when we arrived, but the environment here is tense and unpredictable. Almost on a weekly basis there is something of that nature happening here."

Originally from Tipperary, Lt Col Rockett has been living in Athlone for the last 20 years or so. He is married to an Athlone woman, Gemma, and has two children, Mark and Sarah. The 125th battalion which he leads also includes several soldiers from Athlone and surrounding areas.

Lt Col Rockett said everyone was aware of what they might be heading into when they departed in November, and that morale in the camp was "high".

"I have a great team out here," he said. "I think everyone, when they stepped on the plane to deploy to Lebanon, knew they were going out to a difficult situation. There was a lot of trepidation, a lot of 'what are we stepping into?'

"But soldiers like routine. We train for routine... and when we arrived the lads quickly adapted to the situation that we came out to."

When asked about the safety risks facing the Irish troops, he said the Mowag (armoured) troop carriers, and personal protective equipment being used, helped reduce the level of threat. Risk assessments were also being carried out in the mission area on a continuous basis.

"Now, we do realise that we are soldiers," he added. "At the end of the day, our job is probably the most risky job you can do in the world... but the training of the Irish Defence Forces prepares soldiers for deployment in conflict areas like this across the globe."

He said the UN mission was now "working very closely with the Lebanese armed forces to establish and maintain a safe and secure environment here in South Lebanon.

"We are out amongst the community now, providing checkpoints, patrols through the community, and liaising with the locals as they're starting to come back through these towns and villages."

He stated, however, that the level of destruction caused last year meant there was now "a humanitarian crisis" in South Lebanon.

"Locals are starting to come back to their houses and their communities, and there's nothing there for them to go into. There's no front door that they can open - their houses are completely destroyed.

"There is a requirement for a lot of money to be spent by the Government, and international actors, to support the local community in order to get some semblance of normality back here. But it's going to take an incredible amount of time... it's not going to happen overnight."

The timing of the mission meant the vast majority of the battalion's troops would be spending last Christmas in Lebanon.

"We were lucky enough that we could send some people home for Christmas. We prioritised people with young families, and got a group home for Christmas so they could surprise their families, which was great.

"For Christmas here, we tried to make it as normal as we would back at home," he said.

"In the morning we had a charity fun run, where we raised some money for a local charity back home, and then we had a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. We had a bit of a quiz and a social gathering that evening, which was great.

"You can never replicate the Christmas you'd have at home, but you try your best out here. Soldiers are very resilient. They can adapt to things that normally people wouldn't be able to adapt to."

The six-month mission is now nearly at an end, with a first group of soldiers due to return home on May 13 or 14, followed by a second group a week later.

"The next battalion is taking over at the end of May. There are some people who are extending - we have about 40 soldiers here who have expressed an interest or a desire to stay on and spend a further six months deployed in the mission area.

"They do that for various reasons and financial reasons - some people are buying houses or putting a deposit on a house, so everyone has their reason to extend out here.

"But it's a good reflection of the soldiers, and the morale amongst the battalion, that we have people willing to stay on for a further six months."

Part of Lt Col Rockett's work during the mission has involved engaging with Mayors of the local towns or villages, and he said one of the messages he has been hearing from them is of gratitude to the Irish troops for maintaining their presence in the area throughout the recent conflict.

"They feel that, had we pulled out when the war fighting was going on, there would have been more damage, more destruction, and more casualties.

"They are very much appreciative of our attempts to prevent further destruction and war fighting in the region," he concluded.