Lance Bombardier Sammie Stapleton is leaving the British Army after 7 years of service that included deployments to Afghanistan and Germany. As a junior non-commissioned officer, LBdr Stapleton has proven himself to be highly competent in his role, self-motivated, able to work well under pressure and meet deadlines, and able to effectively manage his team while communicating well with both subordinates and superiors. His captain reference provides glowing recommendations and states that LBdr Stapleton would be re-employed if he chose to return to the Army in the future.

1. 30075334 LBdr Sammie Stapleton, 132 Battery RA, 26 Regt RA.
Reference as provided to Staffordshire Police on leaving the Regular Armed Forces
(15/07/16)
Reference provided by Capt Maria Egan, 132 Battery RA, 26 Regt RA.
Lance Bombardier (LBdr) Sammie Stapleton decided to leave the British Army after 7 years
of service. This time has included deployments to operational theatres in Afghanistan and a
posting in Germany. LBdr Stapleton has decided he has achieved all he wished to in his
military career and is now looking to settle down, gain more stability and embark on a
second career. Although the British Army is keen to retain this individual and willing to
extend his contract, his reasons for leaving the Army are sensible and he is supported in his
desire to establish a second career.
General Comments: As a member of the British Army, LBdr Stapleton has been regularly
assessed against the Army’s policy of Value and Standards and his conduct has never been
called into question. As his direct line manager, I trust him implicitly and he has had no
discipline issues. On leaving the Army, his service will be formally recorded as exemplary.
Competence: LBdr Stapleton is extremely competent in his current role and regularly takes
on more responsibility than he is trained for. In terms of his technical ability, regards to the
procedures and practises he has to follow in the employment of artillery systems, he is more
than capable of carrying out his role with no issues and often displays extra capacity. As a
line manager of junior soldiers, he carries out this role calmly and efficiently – I am more
than confident that when I give him a task it will be completed on time and with little fuss. As
a manager, he is calm, empathetic but can balance his loyalties to his junior soldiers and his
line managers in order to achieve a positive outcome.
Self-Motivation/Initiative Shown: In order to attain his current rank and progress to
become a Junior Non-Commissioned Officer, LBdr Stapleton has completed a testing
Leadership and Management course in order to be selected for promotion. This
encompasses academic and physical challenges as well as providing opportunities for the
individuals to prove their leadership ability under pressure. Successful completion of the
course requires considerable prior preparation from the candidates as well as a high level of
motivation and initiative from the candidates. LBdr Stapleton displayed a high level of
determination to succeed and as a result was promoted amongst the top 20% of individuals
on the course.
Ability to Work under Pressure/Meet Deadlines: LBdr Stapleton’s current role within a
Fire Support Team in the Royal Artillery is a demanding role and he has proved his ability to
deal with complex issues within a very high pressured and emotionally charged environment,
such as Afghanistan. He has proved that he can apply his technical skills easily, leaving him
capacity to deal with the unknown, interact well with other Army units he is supporting and
maintain a level head and sense of humour throughout.
Working with others: As a Junior Non-Commissioned Officer, LBdr Stapleton is not only
responsible for the day to day management of his team during working hours but also has
the responsibility of managing the discipline and welfare issues of his junior soldiers 24/7.
His role should not be under-estimated and I have been pleased to see how he interacts with
his subordinates. He easily balances the requirements of looking after and mentoring very

2. junior soldiers and completing the tasks he is set by myself as his line manager – an area
where many others fail. He is trusted by both his subordinates and by myself; he achieves
this through his easy and open manner which is underpinned by his professional
competency and quiet confidence.
He takes direction well; he understands what I want him to achieve and requires little
supervision to complete tasks given.
Attitude towards Customers and General Public: LBdr Stapleton was deployed as part of
Op OLYMPICS in the summer of 2012. This involved assisting the general public during
main events, focussed around the area of The Mall in central London. His duties included
management of the public around The Mall area, ensuring the correct information and
direction was passed in a friendly and efficient manner, all the while contributing to the
security effort discretely and responsibly. Deployed in uniform throughout, he was an
ambassador for the British Armed Forces and in his usual way, performed his duties in a
calm and proficient manner.
In his current role within the Royal Artillery, LBdr Stapleton does not necessarily perform a
‘customer service’ role, however he is regularly expected to deal with other units within the
British Army that he is tasked to support. Often, within his Fire Support Team, he has had to
quickly develop relationships with other branches of the Army in order to achieve the overall
goal; this was evident whilst he was deployed in Afghanistan but he also applies the same
ethos in his day to day duties when integrating with new Army units on exercise.
Punctuality: LBdr Stapleton has had no discipline issues raised for Punctuality and there
are no concerns about his general punctuality. It should be noted that when the occasion
has required, LBdr Stapleton has returned back to work to complete additional duties outside
of his normal working hours without issue.
Other comments: LBdr Stapleton is employed in a specialist, technical role in the British
Army - skills that may not be transferable to a civilian role. However, in his role as a junior
line manager he has displayed the ability to effectively manage a team and he
communicates wells with both his subordinates and senior line managers to achieve the task
set. His added responsibilities of overseeing the welfare and discipline of his subordinates is
not an easy role and I have seen first-hand how he has mentored junior soldiers adapting to
military life. He shows a real concern for the junior members of his team and works quietly
behind the scenes to build their confidence and capability. As his direct line manager, he
communicates very well with me and his more senior officers and I have full confidence in
his abilities. His greatest strength is his calmness and level head under pressure; he is rarely
phased by anything – a characteristic I can see benefitting him if he is successful in this
application.
Would you re-employ this candidate: Yes. Personally, although I fully respect his decision
to pursue a different career path, LBdr Stapleton is a loss to the unit and the British Army
and I would support his decision to re-enlist if he chose to return to the services.
Policy wise – LBdr Stapleton sits within a specialist career stream within the British Army;
the decision to re-employ him lies within the Personnel and Manning Directorate of the Army
but it is highly likely that he would be accepted for re-enlistment if he chose to pursue that
route.