Boots : Warrant Officer Class II J T Cattana, Australian Army Training Team 4 in Iraq (AATTI-4)

Pair of leather and nylon boots with a padded collar and removable cushion insole. Each boot has four pairs of brass eyelets and five pairs of riveted loops to retain the nylon laces. There is a pair of mesh covered ventilation holes located at each instep, though one is missing from the left boot. The boot uppers around the ankle are nylon with a webbing strip stitched across it. The suede tongues are lined with green fabric and have a small pocket secured with Velcro. The rubber strip just above the soles is worn and broken in places, particularly at the toe and heel.

Warrant Officer Class II Jeoffrey Talbot Cattana joined the Army in 1985 and after completing training was allocated to 1 Platoon, Alpha Company of 3 Battalion The Royal Australia Regiment (RAR) in Holsworthy, Sydney.

In 1998 Cattana joined 2/17 Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment. He went on to serve in the Middle East as a security sergeant on Operation Mazurka in June 2000. On completion of the tour he was promoted to warrant officer class II and resumed his position with 2/17 Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment as the training warrant officer.

In 2003 Cattana was posted back to 3RAR and in 2005 was deployed to Iraq with the Australian Army Training Team in Iraq 4 (AATTI-4). The AATTI-4 formed part of Operation Catalyst, the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq, and was responsible for training and supporting the Iraqi Army in the Al Muthanna province.

Cattana was selected as a team leader and in early May the six man team commenced training and mentoring the newly reformed Iraqi Army to enable them to take over the internal and external defence of their country. The team began by sharing a meal with the Iraqis, finding this a good way to break down cultural barriers and allowing them to exchange pleasantries and experiences while gaining an understanding of the different ways of doing business between the two armies. The Iraqi Army was keen to learn new tactics, techniques and procedures from the Australians. Their training focused on improving skills in a number of areas, including individual and squad movement, navigation, weapon drills, foot and vehicle patrols and urban warfare.