'There is some anxiety... these are human beings after all': Leader of Lebanon mission

An Athlone resident who is preparing to lead a deployment of close to 400 Irish troops to South Lebanon has acknowledged there are feelings of anxiety among the group due to the volatile situation in the region.

Lt Col Shane Rockett is a native of Tipperary who is married to an Athlone woman, Gemma, and has been living in Athlone for the last two decades or so.

He has served in the Defence Forces for 30 years and is heading up the 125th Infantry Battalion which is scheduled to depart for the Middle East in the coming weeks.

While referring to the challenges facing UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers at present, Lt Col Rockett told journalists, "this isn't our first rodeo".

"We've done this before, we've been doing this for a number of years in Lebanon, and we've seen kinetic activity like this before in the past. The Irish Army is well prepared for that," he said at Custume Barracks on Thursday last.

"Our troops are well prepared and well-trained, and I have trust and confidence in our ability to do our job in the mission area. And we will look after each other."

He said that, while his primary concern would be for the safety of the troops under his command, they would be focused on the task at hand during the six-month mission.

"The stuff that's going on there is for politicians to worry about. We have a job to do when we go over there, in line with UN Security Council resolution 1701, and we intend to do that.

"We know our job is to monitor and support the local Lebanese forces. We can do that, and we're going to do that."

In preparing for the deployment, he said certain things had been done differently on this occasion.

"We're aware of all the activities out there. Without getting into the operational side of it, our tactics, techniques and procedures have changed to address some of those issues," he said.

"We train for this stuff on a regular basis in the Defence Forces, but we've just upped the ante in relation to our training."

When asked about the general feeling among the battalion, he replied, "There's anxiety, as you can imagine. These are human beings after all.

"We all have families, and people who are worried about our deployment to South Lebanon, but I want to reassure people that we've done the training, we are prepared for this, and the Irish Army have been in this position before. So this is nothing new to us."

The timing of this tour of duty means the troops will be away from their families and loved ones at Christmas.

"We will try to have a normal Christmas Day, as much as we can normalise it," said Lt Col Rockett.

"There are care packages that are sent out from Ireland. Our families actually prepared them and are handing them in tomorrow. Nobody knows what's in these care packages, but they'll be opened on Christmas Day, and that will be a little gift for everybody in the battalion.

"We'll have our Christmas dinner, all going well, depending on the operational situation out there, and we'll have a Mass on the day. So we'll try to keep it as normal as possible, but there's operations to be undertaken as well in the mission area."

Originally from Carrick on Suir in Tipperary, Lt Col Rockett lives in Athlone with his wife, Gemma, and their children Mark and Sarah.

"My wife is from Athlone - the reason why I'm here is because of her!" he said.

"My kids are involved heavily with the rowing club and swimming club, and I help out as much as I can with those. So, even though I am a Tipperary man, Athlone is my home now."