IT’S GREAT TO BE BACK HOME
87 RFMF TROOPS BACK IN THE COUNTRY AFTER A YEAR SERVICE IN IRAQ Welcomed by the commander of Joint Task Force Command (CJTFC), Brigadier General Manoa Gadai at Blackrock Camp in Votualevu
After a year of being away from her loved ones, Corporal Salome Vukici, couldn’t have summed it up better.
“It’s great to be back home,” the former Ratu Sukuna Memorial School sprinter said.
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces soldier was one of the 87 troops of the First Battalion Fiji Infantry Regiment-Batt 23B who served for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for a year.
They arrived at the Nadi International Airport yesterday.
Like other troops, Corporal Vukici looks forward to spending quality time with her family after her tour of duty.
She joined the RFMF in 2009. This mission marked her second time of tour of duty (TOD) in Iraq.
Whilst on TOD, she was blessed to be with her women comrades. “They were my family away from home. It is a challenge to be away from home, especially during the festive season and away from home for more than a year. I will take a good break before I resume work,” Corporal Vukivi said.
Lance Corporal Timaima Lomani, 26, who was also part of the TOD, shared similar sentiments.
The Nananu, Tailevu native joined the RFMF in 2015 and the mission was her first TOD.
The troops were led by the contingent commander, Lieutenant Colonel Netani Kaukimoce. Following their arrival, the troops made their way to Blackrock camp in Nadi for a medical board and parade before dispersing.
The troops were gathered at the Blackrock Camp in Votualevu for a medical board and welcome parade before dispersing. They were received and welcomed by the commander of Joint Task Force Command (CJTFC), Brigadier-General Manoa Gadai. Brigadier-General Gadai, on behalf of the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), thanked the troops for their tireless effort in the UNAMI peacekeeping mission area.