Current Issue

January 2012

As many of you regular readers will have seen it has been my privilege to take over the Editorship of Raider recently, but I felt very strongly that Paul should stay at the helm of what he originally created and keep the Foreward for himself.

I've tried as hard as possible to make the content of Raider more pointed , whether it be in terms of gear, of special interest items, or about our basic mission which is to let everyone know what our servicemen and women are really up to at the "sharp end".

Obviously, as part of that process, you cannot help but put a little of yourself into what you write and report on, so Paul has now asked me to fully take over the reins.

I hope that you will have seen small changes happening in recent months; book reviews in the main have moved towards issues that I feel are pertinent to things going on in the world today.

You may also have seen Garreth Murrell from Veterans at Ease joining us in his regular column on PTSD issues; I'm delighted by this as I feel strongly that Raider is there for you, our readers, and if any of you are suffering in any way due to your service then it's vitally important that you know what help is available to you!

Operational news has widened in scope and will continue to do so; I have to admit that initially I had no idea how important these reports were to those of you who receive Raider in theatre. A chance meeting with a Company Sergeant Major taught me differently though; he thanked me for reporting on what they had done on their Tour in Afghanistan and how their families had been proud to hear what they were up to whilst they were there.

This was personally humbling, I have to tell you, and of course my response was to thank him for his service, and to please pass that on to all his soldiers!

Equipment Reviews will be moving up a notch too, with more and more of a focus on the "Tried and Tested" aspect. I've got some new faces lined up for the Team in 2012 so expect to be reading some pretty interesting reviews.

I'm going to sign off for this issue with a huge "Thank You" to all of you, especially those currently serving, who have, and continue to loyally support Raider. Although I may be the "caretaker" this is YOUR magazine.

Raider: Eye on the target, boots on the ground!