Remembrance; from Afghanistan's battlefields

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A hard hitting personal vignette, on what remembrance really means to a Soldier.

A personal vignette on the true meaning of remembrance; from a Soldier's perspective. HRH Prince William and his wife Princess Kate presented Ryan McCready the award for Most Outstanding Soldier, for his work in Afghanistan. Ryan was Wounded in Action in an intense gun-battle resulting in blast and shrapnel injuries to his face, neck and back but chose to stay on the battle-field and continue to lead his men from the front. HRH Prince William told the audience that Ryan McCready exemplifies the qualities of a British soldier: “courage, steadfastness, sense of humour, professionalism and a deep sense of humanity.” Ryan delivers some of the most hard hitting and bone chilling talks on his military experiences over the past 20 years, drawing out the key lessons on leadership and motivations. After delivering leadership talks throughout the military and defence sectors, Ryan has now chosen to open this up further to include the general public. This takes form in 3 distinct talks, all of which are founded on his success in the Military. Note. A consultation will take place prior to the event to ensure a bespoke fit for an effective delivery. Biographical Details. Ryan enlisted into HM Armed Forces in 2002 and attended and successfully completed the Combat Infantryman’s Course at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick where he was awarded the ‘Top Recruit’ award for his overall performance. Mr McCready joined the Royal Irish regiment and was deployed within weeks to Cyprus in support of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He has been deployed on Operations and exercises around the world including; Cyprus (2003), Northern Ireland (2004), Iraq (2005), Afghanistan (2008, 2010 & 2017) and Ukraine (2015). Ryan conducted Artic warfare training in Norway, Jungle warfare training in Belize and is an instructor in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) warfare, Advance Close Quarter Marksmanship (ACQM) and a Forward Air Controller (FAC) including airspace management. He was selected to be a Forward Air Controller or more commonly referred to as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) for 16 Air Assault Brigade’s Op Herrick 8 deployment to Helmand province, Afghanistan in 2008. Ryan provided Close Air Support (CAS) to both UK Soldiers & US Marines with intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition resulting in precision air delivered munitions from a range of air platforms, including rotary wing, fixed wing and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) such as the MQ-9 Reaper series. On return from deployment he was summoned to Whitehall, London to back brief the UK MOD on CAS Operations, realities, experiences and lessons learned in from Helmand province. In 2010 Ryan was awarded a distinction on his performance on the Platoon Sergeants Battle Course at the School of Infantry (Brecon) and subsequently promoted to Sergeant. He was redeployed to Afghanistan’s Helmand province as a Platoon Commander, planning and conducting dismounted close combat Operations in a Counter-Insurgency environment which ranged from police mentoring, key leader engagements and weekly skirmishes with the Taliban. During one of these skirmishes, Ryan was Wounded in Action (WIA) during a fierce fire fight with the Taliban and sustained shrapnel injuries to his face, neck and back as a result of a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) strike. On return to the UK, he was invited to attend the Sun’s Military Awards in London and was awarded the UK’s Most Outstanding Soldier accolade 2011 by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, HRH Prince William and HRH Princess Kate Middleton. Ryan was selected to become a member of the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst’s (RMAS) Directing Staff and promoted to Colour Sergeant in 2012. At RMAS, he instructed, trained and mentored the next generation of British Army Officers and a cross section of international exchange officers. He spearheaded the implementation of a Virtual Learning Academy to enhance learning and development at an institutional level. In 2015, Ryan re-deployed to Ukraine as part of the UK’s operation ORBITAL in support of the Ukrainian Armed Force’s struggle against Russian aggression and the annexation of Crimea. Here he was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2 and appointed the UK’s Operations Command Sergeant Major. He worked closely with the UK’s Embassy Defence Attaché and the Ukrainian MOD and Armed Forces to design, plan and assure UK Military training delivery. He redeployed in 2017 to Kabul as part of NATO’s Operation Resolute Support as an Operations Warrant Officer but quickly became the UK’s lead for Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS). Ryan was involved with drafting Policy, C-UAS strategy and developing lifesaving C-UAS tactics, techniques and procedures. It was here Ryan saw first-hand the fruition of new and emerging threats, such as the use of commercial drones use with nefarious intent and insidious acts of terror. In 2018, Mr McCready was awarded NATO’s highest award, the Meritorious Service Medal for his personal contributions to counter-unmanned aerial systems operations on Op Resolute Support in Afghanistan.

What to expect

FAQ

Q: How long does setup take? A: 30 mins
Q: What are your space and power requirements? A: Can be discussed
Q: Do you take requests? A: Can discuss different options

A hard hitting personal vignette, on what remembrance really means to a Soldier.

Q: How long does setup take?

A: 30 mins

Q: What are your space and power requirements?

A: Can be discussed

Q: Do you take requests?

A: Can discuss different options

A hard hitting personal vignette, on what remembrance really means to a Soldier. View More

Speakers and Motivational Speakers based in Co L-Derry

Book directly with Ryan McCready member since 20/05/2022

Book directly with Ryan McCready member since 20/05/2022

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