0:00:02 > 0:00:09This programme contains very strong language and some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
0:00:09 > 0:00:124am in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19In the town of Sangin, a British soldier filmed a routine patrol.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36A civilian interpreter was with him.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41RADIO: 'Follow me to...'
0:00:41 > 0:00:45They were about to come face to face with the horror of hidden explosives.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51EXPLOSION
0:00:58 > 0:01:00An IED had been triggered.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05The British soldier was blown almost 50 feet through the air,
0:01:05 > 0:01:07but wasn't badly injured.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Shavar, are you OK? DISTANT SHOUTING
0:01:11 > 0:01:13His interpreter lost both his legs.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19He was another civilian caught in a conflict
0:01:19 > 0:01:22that was claiming more innocent lives than ever before.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28Nine years of IED attacks, air strikes and gun battles
0:01:28 > 0:01:31had turned the war into a nightmare and devastated Afghanistan.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36If it was ever going to end, something had to change.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41This film meets some of the soldiers who started trying to make that change.
0:01:41 > 0:01:48A 23-year-old captain who led one of the youngest platoons sent to Afghanistan in 2009.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Man down! Man down!
0:01:50 > 0:01:53They fought with new rules which put them in greater danger.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56'We have to show control...'
0:01:56 > 0:01:59and we have to show, ultimately, restraint.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04A major who fought to set up a school...and paid with his life.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11And a young captain who struggled to train a new army...
0:02:11 > 0:02:13GUNFIRE
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Oi! Watch where you're fucking shooting!
0:02:15 > 0:02:19..but found it dragged more people into the crossfire.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24EXPLOSION
0:02:26 > 0:02:27Pull back!
0:02:28 > 0:02:32No modern conflict has been recorded like the one in Afghanistan.
0:02:32 > 0:02:33Come on, men!
0:02:33 > 0:02:36It's life and death. Do not walk!
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Young soldiers take their cameras to the front line
0:02:39 > 0:02:42and film the war as only they can see it.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45This is Afghan camera, I'm here with the sergeant major.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47I've been fucking smacked in the eye by shrapnel.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53This war has been fought for ten years, and thousands of hours
0:02:53 > 0:02:57of this uncensored footage have been held by the Ministry of Defence.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59GUNFIRE Fucking hell!
0:03:00 > 0:03:02- Where's it coming from? - Don't know!
0:03:02 > 0:03:07Now, the MOD and the young soldiers have allowed us
0:03:07 > 0:03:11to use that footage to tell their extraordinary stories.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17This, ladies and gentlemen, is fucking war.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39As you can see, very cosy, that's our room.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43This is where we're living for the night, but it's not too bad.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48And if we leave the cooking area
0:03:48 > 0:03:53and take a walk over to where our chicken is getting gutted...
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Mmmm.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Small, why are you doing it?
0:04:06 > 0:04:11In January 2009, the 2nd Battalion,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, arrived in Helmand Province.
0:04:15 > 0:04:212 Platoon warriors. DJ, Ollie Hunter, Dominico.
0:04:25 > 0:04:292 Platoon, A Company were one of the youngest groups to enter the war.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35So young, they were known as the Kindergarten Platoon.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Definitely we earned that title, without a doubt.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Everyone just noticed how young we looked,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45especially compared to the other countries there.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48All the Americans and that, they're all very big men.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53I was only young - 17, about to turn 18.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56I think I'd been on holiday to France when I was young.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01I hadn't really been anywhere, so it was brand new.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06I was 23 when I went out.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10I had such an easy life at university - drinking,
0:05:10 > 0:05:15where the biggest decision I had to make was pizza or curry.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17It was constantly going through my mind -
0:05:17 > 0:05:21am I going to be good enough? Do I know enough?
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Am I going to be able to successfully command the blokes?
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Thursday, February 19th 2009.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Patrolling in Nad-e Ali.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Say hello!
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Hello!
0:05:42 > 0:05:43Salaam.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46The platoon's mission was to clear the Taliban
0:05:46 > 0:05:49out of the villages around Nad Ali.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53But they had been ordered to fight in a different way to those who'd been there before.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56They weren't there just to beat the Taliban.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01They had to hold back and put the safety of the people first.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Say hello to them, Craig.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08SPEECH INAUDIBLE
0:06:11 > 0:06:15It's really just a matter of making the people feel secure in that area.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Showing a constant presence if you can.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21And really trying to keep them away from the fighting.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27The men set out to work with the local people...
0:06:29 > 0:06:31GUNFIRE
0:06:31 > 0:06:36..but were quickly dragged into fights in the villages by the Taliban.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Unfortunately in 2009, especially in Nad-e Ali,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45a lot of them villages were the front lines.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49And we just didn't have the distance between that and the fighting
0:06:49 > 0:06:53to get the aid there and the traffic and to get the bazaars back up and running.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57It's hard to do that when the fighting's on your doorstep.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59GUNFIRE
0:06:59 > 0:07:03The plan to help the people was overtaken by a fight to stay alive.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08There's a fight going on.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Hold your bits now, Mike!
0:07:10 > 0:07:15We were coming under contact pretty much every day.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20And how did it feel? Well, it's the most scary moment of your life.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Ollie Hunter, any last words for your bird?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24This is fucking dog shit.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Suddenly you realise that there's actually an after-effect
0:07:29 > 0:07:32of somebody pulling a trigger, there are rounds landing by your feet.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I'm fucking going for it!
0:07:39 > 0:07:41LAUGHTER
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Am I a bit close?
0:07:45 > 0:07:47It's a hard area to work in.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51It really is like a bandit country in that area, without a doubt.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Even the most routine patrol could turn into chaos,
0:07:58 > 0:08:04as Corporal Ollie Hunter and Private Mike McCabe found out.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Their platoon was walking through a crossroads
0:08:07 > 0:08:09when they came under attack.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11I heard something go over the top of my head
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and it sounded like an RPG, like a "fudd fudd", like that.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Me and Ollie looked at each other and we were like, "What was that?"
0:08:18 > 0:08:22And as I was walking along I just remember, I just see this figure,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26I can't remember if it was dark or black dish-dash, just pop up.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29I couldn't exactly make out its face but it was kind of a...
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Like, "Oh!" You know, "You're here."
0:08:32 > 0:08:37And then he's opened up with what I believe was a heavy machine gun,
0:08:37 > 0:08:38a PKM.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40GUNFIRE
0:08:40 > 0:08:43And then it just literally went "crack, crack, crack", past me.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47And there must have been about four or five heavy machine guns.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51All the dust round my feet were cracking up.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55And basically we got into this ditch and it was literally like,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57I just wanted the ground to swallow me up.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Jumped into the ditch, I'll be honest, I started laughing.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06I went to him, I remembering going, "Ollie, mate,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08"they're right there, they're right there."
0:09:08 > 0:09:10And Ollie's going, "Where?" Cos he hadn't seen.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13And the rounds were obviously winging past.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16And I was going, "They're literally right there."
0:09:16 > 0:09:18The patrol was caught in an ambush.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Although they couldn't see the enemy,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23they were surrounded by an estimated 20 Taliban.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25GUNFIRE
0:09:31 > 0:09:33We decided to make a run for it.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36And I felt like a "fudd" into the side of me.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39And immediately a burning sensation in my leg.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43He burst out going, "Ollie, I think I've been hit, I've been hit, I've been hit."
0:09:43 > 0:09:48Then it turned into a bit of chaos. Everyone screamed out "man down".
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Man down! Man down!
0:09:50 > 0:09:54Where is he? Where the fuck is he?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56In the river!
0:09:58 > 0:09:59You're all right, you're all right.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02'Mike McCabe was in quite a bit of a bad way.'
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Don't look at it! Don't fucking look at it!
0:10:05 > 0:10:07He was trying to look at his wound,
0:10:07 > 0:10:11and the last thing I want is him seeing all that, getting upset.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15I just wanted to get him out into a safe place and deal with him there.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22I remember just turning round to Ollie and I went,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25"Look, mate, I don't want to die in this ditch.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27"Just get me out of this ditch, please."
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Let's go. Let's go.
0:10:34 > 0:10:35Fuckin' out my way!
0:10:39 > 0:10:42GUNFIRE
0:10:43 > 0:10:45You're all right, you're all right.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Cos I was obviously in quite a bit of shock, some of the lads had to literally
0:10:49 > 0:10:52pin me down and assess what was going wrong with me
0:10:52 > 0:10:54before anything happened.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56I remember them ripping open the trousers.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Amazingly, although he'd been shot twice,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Mike wasn't seriously injured.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05One bullet had grazed his leg,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09and another had been caught by his body armour.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I suppose when you think you're going to get injured,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16you get this idea that you're going to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger
0:11:16 > 0:11:19and Rambo, or something like that, where you kind of look at it
0:11:19 > 0:11:23and go, "Yeah, stitch me up with a... I don't need anaesthetic."
0:11:23 > 0:11:28But when it actually happens to you, kind of a bit of a different situation!
0:11:34 > 0:11:37McCabe and the rest of the platoon
0:11:37 > 0:11:40now faced the real test of their new orders.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42Straight down this road, the tree line south.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Roger!
0:11:44 > 0:11:46They may have wanted payback,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50but they still had to put civilian safety first.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Stand up, keep your head down.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55That meant only firing when they were fired upon,
0:11:55 > 0:12:00and even then only when they could see exactly what they were shooting at.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Is he withdrawing? Is he withdrawing?!
0:12:03 > 0:12:08It was called Positively Identifying the enemy, or PID-ing.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11And it wasn't easy.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13GUNFIRE
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Is there an element of frustration? Of course.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40When you're being fired at as a platoon and you're
0:12:40 > 0:12:43sat in an amazing position to give the Taliban a bloody nose,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46it's very frustrating when someone says you can't.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49You feel like you're running away.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51I mean, for me, a stupid little private,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53I just want to push on and bark at them.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56But, yeah, in the bigger picture it's probably better
0:12:56 > 0:12:59to do, like, what you're told.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05As the tour went on,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08not only did the platoon get used to the idea of holding back,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11they began to see it as the only way forward.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16'We never once went into a contact guns blazing.'
0:13:16 > 0:13:18It was always very precise.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21We would locate the enemy and close them down in that area.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24There was no gung-ho at all.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27you can't do that, you're playing with people's lives and livelihoods.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Is it really worth destroying someone's home
0:13:32 > 0:13:35and livelihood to kill a couple of Taliban?
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Absolutely not, absolutely not.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Because I guarantee that that homeowner, with his family,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44are going to be pretty hacked off that you've just destroyed it.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47And you might create another ten Taliban from it.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50We have to show control.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53And we have to show, ultimately, restraint.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
0:13:59 > 0:14:03left Afghanistan in April 2009.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10Their efforts to start protecting the people hadn't come too soon.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13More civilians were dying in this war than troops -
0:14:16 > 0:14:196,000 since records began in 2007.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Two-thirds were killed by the Taliban,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26the rest by coalition forces.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35In just one air strike that went wrong, 90 people were killed...
0:14:35 > 0:14:3760 of them children.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Too many Afghans were being caught in the crossfire.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50By 2010, everyone had been ordered to fight with the new rules,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54and they'd been given a name - Courageous Restraint.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00These rules were seen as the key to protecting the people,
0:15:00 > 0:15:02and perhaps winning the war.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Ladies, meet the men of your dreams.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18This is Corporal Howard.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23Zoom out, down. Zoom in.
0:15:23 > 0:15:29In April 2010, B Company, the 1st Battalion Scots Guards arrived in Helmand.
0:15:29 > 0:15:35Note the primitive animals opening pork ravioli.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39How's that working out for you?
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Well, this is to be continued in about five hours' time.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Captain Neil Gow was one of B Company's commanders,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49and responsible for 32 men.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53My grandfather had been in the army, my father's in the army,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55and I knew that if I didn't join the army
0:15:55 > 0:15:57I'd regret it for the rest of my life.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00I always wanted to go into the infantry -
0:16:00 > 0:16:04to make a difference, to be in the dangerous situations with the guys
0:16:04 > 0:16:08who...let's say in your social circle you might not normally come across.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Sometimes I think they have a giant Twister sort of thing
0:16:11 > 0:16:13that they spin to decide what we do.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17OK, so if we were a fucking... Oops. If we were a giant Twister,
0:16:17 > 0:16:22would it be right hand on red or left foot on blue?
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- Left testicle on IED.- Yes.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36The Scots Guards were responsible for a 35km stretch of road
0:16:36 > 0:16:41called Route 601 near Helmand's capital, Lashkar Gah.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44It was a lifeline for the local people.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Working from two patrol bases -
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Bamba Serai and Attal -
0:16:53 > 0:16:58their job was to train the local police force in Courageous Restraint
0:16:58 > 0:17:02and protect the people, businesses and schools along the road.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Salaam.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17They smell different, they eat differently,
0:17:17 > 0:17:22they wear facial hair to the sort of extremes.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32We got told certain things not to do, big things on the women.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34You don't talk to the women and that.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Keep away from talking about religion.
0:17:38 > 0:17:44You can be driving down the road one minute and then they'll just all stop and get out and pray.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46In Glasgow you're not going to see
0:17:46 > 0:17:49somebody stop in the middle of the road, get out and pray.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52But that's just the way that they are.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54And I respect it, the way they are.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Look at this! You've got Mountain Dew,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02you've got Coca-Cola, Red Bull.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04- Red Bull, yeah.- Fantastic.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07There you go, lemonade. How much?
0:18:07 > 0:18:10- One dollar.- One dollar? Bargain.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15Although everything seemed normal, the Scots Guards knew the Taliban were everywhere.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19But the moment they tried to get information about them,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21they hit a brick wall.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26The locals were suspicious.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31It was a frustration when we'd be meeting with people and you'd have people would tell you lies.
0:18:32 > 0:18:38We'd try getting information off them and that, but they told us that as soon as we left where they were,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41the Taliban would just move in and beat them up.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44They were scared because, as anyone would be,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48if two opposing forces are about to have a fight in their back garden.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51It's sort of the mechanic's shot...
0:18:51 > 0:18:56Winning trust was vital for Captain Neil Gow.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01Our platoon commander is now with one of the locals.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06He went out personally and invited local people to a meeting known as a "shura".
0:19:06 > 0:19:10DOG BARKS
0:19:13 > 0:19:19To encourage people to attend, he even sent out some men to protect the route to the base.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27The shura was due for about eight o'clock or so.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30And the idea was just to put a presence on the ground
0:19:30 > 0:19:34so that people felt they were being looked after so they could come and see us.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36One, two, zero, bravo, radio check.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39'I was there on my own with the radio.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43'And I was confident with the guys' abilities on the ground.'
0:19:47 > 0:19:50But straight away the patrol could see something was wrong.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25They were out on the ground for some time, the people never came in.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I was, like, what's going on? Clearly something's up,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30something's going on with this.
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Something's happened of course.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34The other worry was that they didn't get the message,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37but I knew they had because I'd seen so many people,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39and I knew they had spread the word.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49GUNSHOT
0:20:49 > 0:20:50Here we go.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00The patrol listened in to the Taliban's radio...
0:21:03 > 0:21:07..and it told them they'd walked into a trap.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11Here we go.
0:21:11 > 0:21:12Here we go!
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Which way?
0:21:26 > 0:21:28They were very much out in the open.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32They were exposed because that's how the insurgents are going to engage you.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36On their own terms when they'll have the most effect.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Go on. OK, fellas, move, move!
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Move, guys, move!
0:21:43 > 0:21:46The patrol had been ambushed from three sides
0:21:46 > 0:21:48but still couldn't fire back
0:21:48 > 0:21:52until they knew exactly where the enemy was.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Yeah, see the two white buildings? Gap in the building.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Mosque, just to the left of the mosque, two guys in the gap.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Roger, they are feeling quite pinned down for the moment.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Do we have any air that's flying by or stationed nearby
0:22:11 > 0:22:14that we can hand over to for a show of force at least, over?
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- Keep going!- Keep going!
0:22:19 > 0:22:23'It is pretty heart-wrenching. Every sinew of your body is focused on'
0:22:23 > 0:22:27exactly what's going on to try and help those guys on the ground
0:22:27 > 0:22:29do what they need to do to get out alive.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Fellas, do you all see the blue flag?
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Having identified the enemy, they could at last fire back.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Rapid fire!
0:22:38 > 0:22:40GUNFIRE
0:22:40 > 0:22:42OK, are you ready? Let's go!
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Have you guys seen it?
0:22:46 > 0:22:47OK, last man, last man!
0:22:49 > 0:22:50Last man.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55Fucking hell.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Compound straight to our front.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05OK, keep peeling, guys, keep peeling!
0:23:09 > 0:23:13'You do sometimes feel lonely. Cos you're the only officer there.'
0:23:13 > 0:23:16When the crap really hits the fan, it's your neck on the line.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19Two lads just at the entry point...
0:23:19 > 0:23:23The men finally found safety in a local farmer's house.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Thank you for letting us use your compound.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34We want to give you what you need to be able to work with us and fight the Taliban.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53How long till the air?
0:23:53 > 0:23:57INDISTINCT VOICE ON RADIO
0:23:57 > 0:24:01The fighter jet Neil had asked for arrived.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04JET WHOOSHES OVERHEAD
0:24:10 > 0:24:12But the plane didn't fire.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17Courageous Restraint meant it just used its threat to scare away the enemy.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27The no-show by the locals was a massive disappointment for Neil.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32The Taliban had won this battle.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36There's so much that's out of your control. You might want to
0:24:36 > 0:24:39go in a certain direction but there's a small element...
0:24:39 > 0:24:41the insurgent, for example...
0:24:41 > 0:24:47who clearly intimidate the local population, which put the brakes on any projects you want to take place.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55The Scots Guards carried on trying to meet the local people.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Yeah, I'm good.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Little bit hot, but apart from that, OK.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17The main people that we came into contact with was men and children.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21CHILD CHATTERS
0:25:24 > 0:25:25Children were...
0:25:25 > 0:25:28They find us, I suppose it was quite exciting
0:25:28 > 0:25:31having a bunch of soldiers sort of wandering past.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33How's it going, mate? All right?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Good. You OK?
0:25:35 > 0:25:38How's it going, buddy? Yeah, man.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41I feel most for the kids.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Cos I hate seeing any kids that are hurt.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47TRANSLATED:
0:25:54 > 0:25:59That's what brings it home, as soon as you go out there you see just the way the kids are.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09It's not like they can put a Playstation on or an Xbox or anything.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13You'd see them flying a kite, they love pens and pencils.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19I remember showing paper airplanes to some Afghan kids.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22That was really funny cos they'd never seen them before.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Pleased to meet you.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34How old is he?
0:26:52 > 0:26:55'Education is key. I think if you're able to'
0:26:55 > 0:26:58open a school in an area where there has been conflict before,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02it shows without a doubt an increase in stability.
0:27:06 > 0:27:12Schools had become a new battleground in the area of Helmand the Scots Guards were patrolling.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19The Taliban saw education as a threat to their way of life.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25They had intimidated and even beheaded teachers.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Girls had been attacked with acid on their way to school.
0:27:30 > 0:27:37Hundreds of schools had been closed in recent years, and people were afraid to open them again.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46But there was a school open in the village of Basharan.
0:27:48 > 0:27:55And it owed its existence to a British major called Sean Birchall.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02Major Sean Birchall.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06First time I met him, when I was a day-one, week-one guardsman.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Arrived at the battalion,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12he was one of the platoon commanders within the Prince of Wales Company.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15And he looked the part, he WAS the part.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19And, you know, we were inspired by this man.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23He was extremely fit, you know,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26he took pride in his fitness. He was, you know,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28far too fit for my liking
0:28:28 > 0:28:30because he used to try and get me to go to the gym with him.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34You'd see him there, sat on one of them bubble balls,
0:28:34 > 0:28:39curling the biggest weight in there for hours without taking a break.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42You're struggling there to do press-ups and sit-ups.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45It's bionic if you ask me,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48that's the only way to describe him, bionic.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Bionic Birchall.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Come out here, this is where we live.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Into the garden, where the Micks always have their fun.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59And there's the boys, look.
0:28:59 > 0:29:06In 2009, Birchall led IX company, the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, into Helmand.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09So what's your impression of this FOB?
0:29:09 > 0:29:12- Love it.- Load of bollocks. - Load of bollocks.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14- No fucking gym.- No gym?
0:29:14 > 0:29:17RADIO PLAYS BALLAD
0:29:17 > 0:29:22No wonder you're all fucking suicidal, listening to that bollocks.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Fire! GUNFIRE
0:29:25 > 0:29:29The company had to clear the Taliban from a place called Basharan.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32HEAVY GUNFIRE
0:29:34 > 0:29:38Major Birchall led his men during intense fighting
0:29:38 > 0:29:42and slowly pushed the enemy away from the village.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48By the time the people returned, it became clear that the children
0:29:48 > 0:29:50had no school to go to
0:29:50 > 0:29:54because the Taliban had murdered the head teacher.
0:29:56 > 0:30:01Major Birchall made it his mission to build a new school.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05Major Birchall facilitated and forced people in the right direction.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08He said, "Right, this is taking too long."
0:30:08 > 0:30:11"These people need it now, let's get it done."
0:30:11 > 0:30:14You know he was a can-do, "let's do it now" kind of guy.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18The building of the school began.
0:30:18 > 0:30:25And then, on the morning of 19th June, Sean Birchall went on a routine patrol.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29I commanded the front vehicle, the Mastiff.
0:30:29 > 0:30:35Sergeant Pete Duffy, a good friend of mine, he normally commands one of them Jackals.
0:30:35 > 0:30:40And Major Sean Birchall told him,
0:30:40 > 0:30:43"Take a hike, I'm going in the front of one of these.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45"You command the other one."
0:30:46 > 0:30:51This picture of Sean Birchall was taken just before he set out.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56We travelled down. Basically...
0:30:56 > 0:30:58sort of caterpillaring down -
0:30:58 > 0:31:01one vehicle would be moving, another would be static.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05We continued pushing over
0:31:05 > 0:31:09when there was a large explosion from behind us.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13I didn't instantly think, "How did that happen?"
0:31:13 > 0:31:15What I thought was...
0:31:16 > 0:31:19"Holy shit. What is THAT?"
0:31:19 > 0:31:23And turned round and then see a large...
0:31:23 > 0:31:27You can't see anything, it's just smoke.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32As the smoke started to clear I could see the top of the Jackal
0:31:32 > 0:31:35that Major Birchall was commanding.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40And I could see the gunner pointing down into the water,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43screaming, "There's two in the water, there's two in the water."
0:31:43 > 0:31:46I looked down at the water, I could see
0:31:46 > 0:31:48one closest to me face down in the water.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51I could see the top of his helmet and the back of his armour.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56Further up I could see one bobbing up and down, shouting, kicking and screaming.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58So I knew which one to go for.
0:31:58 > 0:32:04So slid down the bank, dived in the water, grabbed hold of this soldier
0:32:04 > 0:32:09and pulled him to the bank and turned him over, to bring his face out the water.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13And that's when I noticed and saw for the first time
0:32:13 > 0:32:17that it was Major Birchall that was unconscious in the water.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19He was still breathing at that stage,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22and it's when we pulled him on to the banking
0:32:22 > 0:32:25and we managed to get his lower half of his body out of the water
0:32:25 > 0:32:31that you could see his legs from mid-thigh down had been...
0:32:31 > 0:32:33smashed quite badly.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Did you say anything to him?
0:32:44 > 0:32:45I didn't, no.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Company Sergeant Major Campbell did.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54He said,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57"Don't you dare leave me, I need you."
0:33:00 > 0:33:03We were half-expecting him to react to that.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05He groaned.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Continuously, he groaned.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14But...when he said that, everyone knew that was a true statement.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17We needed him. We couldn't lose him.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19We needed him.
0:33:32 > 0:33:37As a major, Sean Birchall was one of the most senior officers to die in the war.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43Soon after his death, the school in Basharan opened.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48There were lots of photos taken of the children.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52There was one in particular where he's taking a knee
0:33:52 > 0:33:56with all of the village children around him, and he's smiling.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03He's achieved this for them, and that's probably why he's smiling.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05They will remember him...
0:34:08 > 0:34:12..for many years to come as the man who came
0:34:12 > 0:34:17and brought education and security to this area.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21By the time the Scots Guards took over the same area,
0:34:21 > 0:34:27the school was thriving, bringing an education to 200 children every day.
0:34:33 > 0:34:34Let's read people's problems,
0:34:34 > 0:34:38because they're always more fun than anything else.
0:34:39 > 0:34:44"Recently my long-term girlfriend has not been spending much time with me.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48"I'm a bit worried that something might be going on. Is it just me
0:34:48 > 0:34:50"or is there something going on between them?"
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Feed an army, that would.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02So you can see here, this is the ANP compound.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04This is where the ANP live.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06This is their compound,
0:35:06 > 0:35:08which is right next door to ours.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14To protect schools and businesses in the future, the Scots Guards
0:35:14 > 0:35:19had to start training a local force, the Afghan National Police, or ANP.
0:35:19 > 0:35:24As you can see here, they're taking a register-type thing.
0:35:24 > 0:35:30The ANP were set up after the West invaded Afghanistan in 2001.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33It was made up of men from the local area.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36They're not a police in the sense that we have in Britain.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39They don't have inspectors that go out looking for clues
0:35:39 > 0:35:41and a couple of police on the beat.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44They're very much a paramilitary organisation.
0:35:46 > 0:35:51They would be expected to take over if coalition troops ever left Afghanistan.
0:35:51 > 0:35:56The problem was, very little was known about them,
0:35:56 > 0:35:58or whether they could be trusted.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03NEWSREADER: It was one of the most shocking of all the attacks
0:36:03 > 0:36:05on British troops in Afghanistan.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09Five comrades shot dead by a rogue Afghan policemen
0:36:09 > 0:36:13who'd been living and working alongside them.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19Just before we went out, that incident
0:36:19 > 0:36:22with the Grenadier Guards where the ANP shot the Grenadier Guards...
0:36:22 > 0:36:24that obviously played on our mind.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26You've got to ask some questions,
0:36:26 > 0:36:28to what extent can these guys be trusted?
0:36:28 > 0:36:32To what extent are they involved with the Taliban, know people in the Taliban?
0:36:32 > 0:36:34And I think the answer is that,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37well, everyone used to be involved in it, cos you had to be.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42And everyone knows someone in it because, well, it used to be a very large beast.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46Just because they were involved, doesn't mean they can't change
0:36:46 > 0:36:48and they can't be a force for good now.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55As the Scots Guards started getting to know the ANP,
0:36:55 > 0:36:58one sergeant quickly stood out.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Farooq was one of them.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Bit of a crazy one.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08Because he looked a bit like Borat as well!
0:37:08 > 0:37:12I enjoyed it when he came out on our patrols. It was just the way he was.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14He'd laugh at anything.
0:37:21 > 0:37:27Out on Route 601, Daniel Clarke got to see exactly how Farooq and the ANP did things.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34It was just two civilians on the side of the road.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37They looked a bit suspicious.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39They were in new clothes and that.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42DANIEL CLARKE:
0:37:44 > 0:37:48'Farooq knew they were lying. He could tell they were lying.'
0:37:53 > 0:37:54I thought it was a bit harsh,
0:37:54 > 0:37:56but obviously, Farooq...
0:37:56 > 0:37:58that's the way he deals with things.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13There were some things the ANP could do that British troops couldn't.
0:38:13 > 0:38:18Their local knowledge meant they understood the enemy.
0:38:25 > 0:38:31On this occasion, they spotted signs on the ground for a possible IED.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36These markers were sometimes left by the Taliban to warn the locals
0:38:36 > 0:38:39and remind themselves where devices were hidden.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51But there were some things that the ANP weren't so good at.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54SCOTTISH SOLDIER:
0:39:02 > 0:39:06They needed training in Courageous Restraint.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19The ANP were given a chance to put their training to the test
0:39:19 > 0:39:22when the Scots Guards let them lead their first foot patrol.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27I've got a bad feeling about this one.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30I've already said, haven't I? I've got a bad feeling.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Daniel Clarke was wearing a helmet camera.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43All we were doing was checking compounds.
0:39:43 > 0:39:48Basically just went through a series of compounds and searched them.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57About 1K away, just down the road from where we'd come from, there was quite a lot of shooting going on.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59DISTANT GUNFIRE
0:39:59 > 0:40:04The ANP decided that they wanted to get involved, so off they went.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06CHICKEN CLUCKS
0:40:14 > 0:40:16GUNFIRE
0:40:21 > 0:40:23RPG.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29The ANP were leading the Scots Guards straight into a fight.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34GUNFIRE
0:40:40 > 0:40:42MACHINE GUN FIRE
0:40:47 > 0:40:49Right, you stay here, I'm off.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00The patrol was now a real test
0:41:00 > 0:41:04of whether the ANP could use restraint in a battle.
0:41:04 > 0:41:05GUNFIRE
0:41:07 > 0:41:09SHOUTS: Hey! Hey!
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Oi! Dickhead!
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Watch where you're fucking shooting!
0:41:18 > 0:41:20Where the fuck's he going?
0:41:20 > 0:41:22GUNFIRE
0:41:22 > 0:41:25The thing with the ANP was, Courageous Restraint
0:41:25 > 0:41:28wasn't really a concept that they understood quite so well.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31I don't think it's really in their mindset.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35After all, they've been doing it for years, and the way they see it
0:41:35 > 0:41:37is they're still alive, so it's good.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Keep moving! Move!
0:41:45 > 0:41:49The ANP kept doing things their way.
0:41:49 > 0:41:55At one point, Farooq was shooting in the open and there were kids in the fields.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05And did he take that message on board?
0:42:05 > 0:42:06No.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10YELLS:
0:42:20 > 0:42:24If you don't PID your target and you fire upon it and it's not,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27it's innocent, then you're committing murder, aren't you?
0:42:27 > 0:42:29MACHINE GUN FIRE
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Farooq!
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Tell him there's children and that.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40LOW-FLYING PLANE ROARS
0:42:54 > 0:42:59If we didn't have Courageous Restraint, we'd just be as bad as the Taliban themselves.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Just days later on Route 601, while Daniel Clarke was filming,
0:43:10 > 0:43:14the importance of Courageous Restraint was hammered home.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21We were heading back in, I was in the MAN truck,
0:43:21 > 0:43:25and the ANP had... They'd started firing.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27GUNSHOTS
0:43:27 > 0:43:29Who's firing, Dan?
0:43:29 > 0:43:34'I was trying to get information from my top cover to find out what were going on.'
0:43:34 > 0:43:38And then quite a lot of ANP ran to our left, I think.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28The ANP had accidentally hit a three-year-old girl
0:44:28 > 0:44:31with a rocket-propelled grenade.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33Her injuries were life-threatening.
0:44:38 > 0:44:44It was the first day on the ground for B Company's new medic, Private Stacey French.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49'When I first seen her, she was wrapped in a blanket.'
0:44:49 > 0:44:52She was brought over to me, put on the floor.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56I took the blankets off her and she had serious abdominal injuries.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59She had serious injuries to her left arm as well.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04To see it in your own eyes,
0:45:04 > 0:45:10to see a little girl that size with those kinds of injuries,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12it was a bit shocking.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17Using the most basic of equipment,
0:45:17 > 0:45:21Stacey started trying to save the little girl's life.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27'She was very small.'
0:45:27 > 0:45:30She had dark hair, she had massive brown eyes.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33And she was just so calm and so brave,
0:45:33 > 0:45:35I think that's what kept everybody else calm.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41'We'd done everything that we could, treatment-wise.'
0:45:41 > 0:45:44She kept falling in and out of consciousness
0:45:44 > 0:45:48and the main thing was keeping her awake. I remember her
0:45:48 > 0:45:52holding my hand. She held onto my finger until she went.
0:45:52 > 0:45:53I just remember that.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59A helicopter was on its way from Camp Bastion.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03Then, the ANP managed to find the little girl's father.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05He wants to see the child.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09AFGHAN SOLDIER SPEAKS IN HIS LANGUAGE
0:46:09 > 0:46:13SPEECH INDECIPHERABLE
0:46:22 > 0:46:26'I really did feel for him. I think he started crying'
0:46:26 > 0:46:29and he was confused.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35All he wanted to do, from what I gathered, was take her away
0:46:35 > 0:46:36from all this...
0:46:36 > 0:46:39and let her die peacefully.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44'We just let him know that we were trying to do everything we can
0:46:44 > 0:46:47'and that she's alive and that we'll get her back.'
0:47:00 > 0:47:03It seemed to take ages for the helicopter to arrive.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05I thought it was over half an hour.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRR
0:47:07 > 0:47:09'Obviously it was 15-20 minutes.'
0:47:31 > 0:47:33Come on!
0:47:51 > 0:47:56American medics carried on treating the girl on the helicopter.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02'We did the best that we could do. And we just hoped for the best.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05'Hope that she got the treatment she needed and that she would be OK.'
0:48:10 > 0:48:16'I didn't expect anything as bad as that with a child.'
0:48:16 > 0:48:17That was the first time.
0:48:17 > 0:48:22My first casualty on tour, especially my first child casualty as well.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31The little girl survived.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35But it was a major mistake for the ANP.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37When we explained about the collateral damage
0:48:37 > 0:48:42they've caused, and if they kept doing this that the local people
0:48:42 > 0:48:45are going to be on the Taliban's side and not the ANP's side,
0:48:45 > 0:48:49it finally hit home that they need to start doing something about it.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53They started to become more organised,
0:48:53 > 0:48:58and the Scots Guards saw some signs of improvement.
0:48:58 > 0:49:03'You'd see small changes. At least they were changes.'
0:49:03 > 0:49:05It kind of sunk into them a bit.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07Now and again they would just go crazy,
0:49:07 > 0:49:10but you would see that they were using
0:49:10 > 0:49:13the skills that we were advising them to use.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15They were incredibly brave,
0:49:15 > 0:49:17maybe to a fault.
0:49:17 > 0:49:22They don't have body armour like we do, their weapons aren't as good
0:49:22 > 0:49:26as ours, their vehicles certainly are not as well protected as ours.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30And they live with the fact they take very heavy casualties on a day-to-day basis.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46But just as the ANP were making progress,
0:49:46 > 0:49:50there was a terrible reminder of the dangers they lived with.
0:49:52 > 0:49:58With just over a month to go before the Scots Guards packed up to return home,
0:49:58 > 0:50:02gunshots were heard at one of the ANP bases on Route 601.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08Daniel Clarke was sent to take a look.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11'We got told that there was no comms,'
0:50:11 > 0:50:15I think, from that checkpoint,
0:50:15 > 0:50:19so we went down to investigate
0:50:19 > 0:50:22with some ANP.
0:50:30 > 0:50:35When we got there, there was six dead on the roof of the checkpoint.
0:50:49 > 0:50:54What we thought happened was that one of the policemen was crooked,
0:50:54 > 0:50:55he then let some insurgents in,
0:50:55 > 0:50:58who then did the deed, shot everything up,
0:50:58 > 0:51:01killed the guys and stole the car to get away.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11I suppose I felt one of two things. The first is I felt, "Thank God.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14"Something could have happened to my guys."
0:51:14 > 0:51:17Then I thought, "Had my guys been there, WOULD that have happened?"
0:51:19 > 0:51:23Just as the Scots Guards started to trust the ANP,
0:51:23 > 0:51:27the massacre raised more questions.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30At the end of the day, you can't really ever trust anyone totally
0:51:30 > 0:51:34because you don't know what their history or their background is.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36You don't know exactly where their allegiance is.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38They're people at the end of the day
0:51:38 > 0:51:41and they're trying to make their country better.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45And because one guy's messed up, they've all paid the price for it.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54There he is, our cameraman.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57Bye-bye! Look at him, he's getting all emotional.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00Look at him.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04As this day comes to a close, as that zoom comes right to my face...
0:52:04 > 0:52:07we have to reflect on what we've really achieved today...
0:52:09 > 0:52:12B Company, the 1st Battalion Scots Guards
0:52:12 > 0:52:16finally went home after almost seven months in Helmand.
0:52:20 > 0:52:26Another regiment would continue their work with the ANP and the people.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28The people are Afghanistan,
0:52:28 > 0:52:32so if you've made a difference to people's families, lives, happiness,
0:52:32 > 0:52:35in my own mind you've made a difference to Afghanistan.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43I think when we do end up leaving it, I think we'll leave it
0:52:43 > 0:52:46in a better place - hopefully, anyway - than we took it over.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01Good evening.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05Tonight I can report to the American people and to the world
0:53:05 > 0:53:11that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16In May this year, the West finally killed the man whose attack
0:53:16 > 0:53:20on the Twin Towers triggered the invasion of Afghanistan.
0:53:20 > 0:53:24He'd been hiding in Pakistan.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28The war that began as a hunt for Bin Laden
0:53:28 > 0:53:32has now claimed an estimated 15,000 lives.
0:53:32 > 0:53:38To date, 374 of them were British service personnel.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43It has now lasted ten years
0:53:43 > 0:53:46and questions are being asked about whether the war can be won
0:53:46 > 0:53:50and if it has made the world a safer or more dangerous place.
0:53:55 > 0:54:00This series has told the stories of just a few of the soldiers
0:54:00 > 0:54:03who've fought and filmed in Afghanistan in that time.
0:54:05 > 0:54:10I know it might sound weird, but I do miss it sometimes. I do miss it out there.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12Cos seeing some of the footage,
0:54:12 > 0:54:15I was probably at my happiest in the army.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18In Afghan.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20It's very difficult to say to somebody
0:54:20 > 0:54:23who's not been in a similar situation that you enjoyed combat.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Because it's a drug.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29You get addicted to it,
0:54:29 > 0:54:32and you come back and think, "How can I get in that situation again?"
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Man down! Man down! Man down!
0:54:39 > 0:54:41Where?
0:54:41 > 0:54:43Where, where, where, where, where?
0:54:49 > 0:54:52There's things that I just...
0:54:52 > 0:54:56want to forget about...
0:54:56 > 0:55:01all the bad things that you wish that you can bring back, but you can't.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04Get him on that stretcher properly.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14You do go out to Afghanistan, the romanticism of being at war,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17of doing what you've seen and read about.
0:55:17 > 0:55:22But then, you know, it's a reality check and you do realise
0:55:22 > 0:55:26what we're doing here does have its consequences, things do happen.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31Everyone seems to think "My platoon will stop
0:55:31 > 0:55:34"what's happening in Helmand. My platoon will smash them up.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36"We'll add something to it." But you're not.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38You're just a small little pinprick.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41Or a small prick, whatever way you want to do it.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46We didn't do as much as we wanted to do there.
0:55:46 > 0:55:47I think that's a slight frustration.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50I think we all had images in our minds that we'd be cutting ribbons
0:55:50 > 0:55:54for schools and opening mosques and things like that for the people.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01Was it worth it? Yes.
0:56:01 > 0:56:06Is it worth the human life?
0:56:06 > 0:56:11That will have to wait to see what happens in 25 years.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15Because it's all still too raw right now to answer that question.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:56:55 > 0:56:58E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk