Part-time Army service recognised with honours

1 September 2009

Two part-time soldiers, members of the Territorial Force (TF) of the New Zealand Army, were among the recipients of Royal Honours at an investiture ceremony in Wellington today.

Brigadier Trengrove (left) and Major Strombom (right). WN009-004-68.

Brigadier Sean Trengrove of Nelson and Major Simon Strombom of Porirua both paid tribute to the support they received from their families. Major Strombom also acknowledged the support of his employer in making his service possible.

Brigadier Trengrove said TF personnel deploying on operational missions face unique challenges in managing relationships with family and employers. 

“The absence of TF personnel on a deployment can place serious strain on a workplace so support from employers is important.  The Army deploys TF soldiers on a wide variety of operations around the world and in most cases the TF are used to fill gaps in the ranks of the Regular Force or provide short term personnel supplementation”, said Brigadier Trengrove.

“Most TF training is completed in the evenings or at weekends.  Unlike their Regular Force colleagues, the families of TF personnel are not used to prolonged absences so family life becomes another area placed under strain.

“Sympathetic, supportive families and employers make a big difference to deployed personnel.  Knowing that things on the job front and the home front are stable and taken care of means that TF personnel can focus on the job at hand and perform to the highest standard when deployed.

“The awards we received today are due in large part to the support we got from home while we were overseas.  These awards recognise our work but we would never have been able to do that work without family and employers, standing behind us, we could never have deployed and at support”, said Brigadier Trengrove.

Brigadier Trengrove is a father of four who lives in Nelson and runs his own business.  Major Strombom is a father of two who lives in Titahi Bay and works for the Ministry of Health.