0:00:02 > 0:00:07This programme contains very strong language and some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting
0:00:07 > 0:00:08In just a few days,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11these lads will be sent from their Army base in Cyprus
0:00:11 > 0:00:13to war in Afghanistan.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17'You don't know what's around the corner,'
0:00:17 > 0:00:20so we sort of treated each weekend like it was the last weekend.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23SINGING
0:00:23 > 0:00:27They would soon be dropped into one of the most daring operations
0:00:27 > 0:00:28of the war so far.
0:00:28 > 0:00:29Fucking hell!
0:00:32 > 0:00:36We didn't think for one minute that it was going to be as hard as it was.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I was shitting myself.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47I was thinking, "I'm going to die out here in a fucking ditch,
0:00:47 > 0:00:48"I'm going to die in Afghanistan."
0:00:50 > 0:00:53For more than ten years, soldiers have been taking cameras
0:00:53 > 0:00:57to the front line in Afghanistan to film the war as only they see it.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04I wouldn't come here on fucking holiday.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Thousands of hours of this uncensored footage has been filmed,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and the MOD and young soldiers have allowed us
0:01:13 > 0:01:17to use that footage to tell their extraordinary stories.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20This, ladies and gentlemen, is fucking war!
0:01:23 > 0:01:25This is the story of Arnhem Company
0:01:25 > 0:01:29and their three-day mission into the Taliban Badlands,
0:01:29 > 0:01:34a battle for survival that would change the men for ever.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38One of my biggest responsibilities
0:01:38 > 0:01:42is to make sure that they all come home in one piece and they're all OK.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47And when that doesn't happen, it hits you like a ton of bricks.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07The summer of 2010 had seen the bloodiest start
0:02:07 > 0:02:09to the fighting season on record.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13In just two months, 36 British soldiers had been killed.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20Flying in to Helmand for his second tour was Sergeant Mark Wilson.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23He planned to film the tour for his family back home.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Everyone enjoys a bit of leave and that,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30but probably like most people, after a couple of weeks you end up
0:02:30 > 0:02:34sitting at home twiddling your thumbs and wanting to get back.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37You know, there's only so much daytime TV you can watch.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44Arnhem Company, 2nd Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47go by the nickname Lions of England.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51We're a battle-hardened Company.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54We've done four-and-a-half, five months of a tour already
0:02:54 > 0:02:56in Nad-e Ali, which was a highly kinetic tour
0:02:56 > 0:02:58and they took quite a few casualties.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02We were by far the most experienced troops in that Battalion.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04We weren't doughboys, we knew what we were doing.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10You've got lads from, like, Manchester and Liverpool.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15'Outside the Army they're not supposed to like each other.'
0:03:15 > 0:03:18But you get really close to them, they're like your family.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Hey, Mum, if you're going to send me parcels of Trackers in again, I don't want it!
0:03:22 > 0:03:24It's weird, but with this regiment,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27I don't know what it's like with others, you just laugh it off,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30after you've been shot at you just laughed, you know what I mean?
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Because we're northern lads and we're from the North West,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40we've probably got a bit of a reputation of being scallywags.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44But we produce the goods when we're out in the field.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Sergeant Wilson's boss was 25-year-old Captain Andrew Griffiths,
0:03:50 > 0:03:55a rising star in the Army who was following in his father's footsteps.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56All right smelly Matt?
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I'm doing something you don't do very often - I'm washing.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02'Everybody in the Battalion knew who the boss was.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06'As well as being a massive bloke, he was like a massive personality,'
0:04:06 > 0:04:11so when I found out I was getting the boss, I was made up.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19Captain Griffiths' friend and fellow officer was Andy Miller.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22He used to take stick, because his dad's a brigadier,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25so he'll always take stick, but he could easily, easily back it up
0:04:25 > 0:04:28by being the most competent bloke in the Battalion.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Arnhem Company had been sent to Helmand with a simple mission
0:04:34 > 0:04:36to pick a fight with the Taliban.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42Building on Route Trident, a vital road link, was being held up
0:04:42 > 0:04:46because the Taliban were killing local workers.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Arnhem Company was being called in to strike back.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55The officer in command of the operation was Major Paul Tingey.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Beep-beep, coming through.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58'We weren't there to ground hold,'
0:04:58 > 0:05:01influence the population, win hearts and minds.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03We were there to do a very specific job,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06which was to take the fight away from Route Trident
0:05:06 > 0:05:11and into an area where the insurgent could act with impunity,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14so it wasn't an operation where we needed a soft touch.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20The plan was for Arnhem Company to sneak into enemy territory
0:05:20 > 0:05:23and deliberately provoke a fight with the insurgents.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Over three days, they would fight them
0:05:26 > 0:05:29all the way back to the safety of their base.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33While the enemy was distracted,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35building on Route Trident could continue.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40The plan was audacious and risky.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45What made it so exciting was this was a classic,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48old-fashioned, World War II infantry op.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51We draw the insurg... Go behind enemy lines,
0:05:51 > 0:05:56deep into enemy territory, draw them away from an area that needs safety,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00essentially fight them, give them a bloody nose,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02and then pop back down to see the Gurkhas
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and back to PB3 for tea and medals.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08What are your feelings on going today, Flub?
0:06:08 > 0:06:09- A bit excited.- Nervous?
0:06:09 > 0:06:12I can hear his heartbeat - ba-boom, ba-boom.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16'We nicknamed the operation Kick Hornet's Nest,'
0:06:16 > 0:06:20because we were just going to stir it up as much as humanly possible.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Look at your ugly mug, son.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Getting ready to go, it's a buzz of excitement, it's always go, go, go.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Nothing can prepare your mind for what you're going to be doing.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33- Say hi to the camera.- Hi!
0:06:35 > 0:06:37'It was further north than anyone had ever been.'
0:06:37 > 0:06:40All we knew was it was a Taliban bed down location,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43that's where they thought they were safe, secure,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46and they stored fighters, weapons and ammunition.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49'Looking at the ammunition that was in the centre
0:06:49 > 0:06:52'before it was all dished out to the lads,'
0:06:52 > 0:06:55there was enough there to fight half of Afghanistan, it was...
0:06:55 > 0:06:58It was ridiculous amounts of ammunition.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Right, lads! If anyone's got any mail...
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Death letters to the wife and kids.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Stay safe, lad. Stay safe.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Just getting the pictures so when yous come back with no legs
0:07:08 > 0:07:10you can remember what you used to look like.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13When we packed our kit I noted in my diary,
0:07:13 > 0:07:18"I think we'll be lucky to get through this one without anyone getting hurt."
0:07:19 > 0:07:23'We were under no illusions that what we were facing
0:07:23 > 0:07:25'was quite dangerous, and Brigadier Griffiths'
0:07:25 > 0:07:29trusted me to, not just command soldiers of his regiment,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32but also command his son into battle.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38Andrew Griffiths' father was the highest-ranking serving officer in the regiment.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44We spoke to him on the Saturday as they were preparing to go out,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47and he just said, "We're going on another big one,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50"This could be, this could be really hard."
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And that was all he said, really, cos he couldn't say any more,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55and he didn't want to worry us any more.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59And he only told that to me, he wouldn't have told it
0:07:59 > 0:08:03to his mum, because, you know, that's what soldiers do.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06You know, you try and protect people as much as you possibly can.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14Another phone call home was made by 22-year-old Kingsman Darren Deady.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18The last time he phoned
0:08:18 > 0:08:20you could hear, you know, gunfire, whatever,
0:08:20 > 0:08:25going off in the background, and it sounded really close, to be honest.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30And you could hear, his voice was different, you know.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It was, I suppose really, scared.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Just after midnight,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45the Company sneaked into the Taliban's back garden.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57These pictures, filmed by a fighter jet 10,000 metres above,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00were being watched by Captain Bowden Williams
0:09:00 > 0:09:03in the nerve centre of the whole operation.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07His job was to oversee the mission from ten kilometres away.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12Difficult point when you step off.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16The ground was incredibly difficult to cross with heavy kit on,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18and they had a fair few kilometres to cover.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25The Company split up and took over three separate houses.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27They were 250 metres apart.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33As the sun came up, Sergeant Wilson turned on his helmet camera.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Yeah, there's about 400 up here.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45'For the first couple of hours, we were sat there,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48'lads were trying to catch up on some sleep where they could,'
0:09:48 > 0:09:52and the conversation turned into, "Oh, this is going to be rubbish,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54"there's nothing going to be happening,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58"we're going to sit here for 12 hours until it gets dark."
0:10:02 > 0:10:04'It gets very hot, you've got to be alert,'
0:10:04 > 0:10:08you're expected to see things, you know, to be switched on,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11when the heat and everything else is telling you to switch off.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It was me, Anthony Lewis and Tom Watson, who was called,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22that was sat on the roof,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26and I was down on the belt buckle, them two were sat up smoking.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29We were laughing at him, saying, "Shit's up, get your head up,"
0:10:29 > 0:10:32and he's going "No, believe me, it's going to go massive round here,
0:10:32 > 0:10:33"it's going to go massive."
0:10:39 > 0:10:41'Some of us were just resting.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45'And I was in my, like, my boxies, and I just started walking over'
0:10:45 > 0:10:52to get my pants off the washing line, and then it sounded like...
0:10:52 > 0:10:54like a twig snapping.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I had time to think, "This can't be happening,"
0:10:57 > 0:10:59and I shouted "Grenade!"
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Everyone just going "Fuck!" and everyone ran.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04LOUD BANG
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Fucking hell, what was that?
0:11:15 > 0:11:17'Shocked wouldn't even be the word,'
0:11:17 > 0:11:20I couldn't believe somebody would be cheeky enough
0:11:20 > 0:11:21to even try and come that close.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24We never seen that coming, none of us seen that coming.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27SPORADIC GUNFIRE
0:11:34 > 0:11:38The Taliban were ten metres away behind a wall.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Mr Griffiths, the Platoon Commander, jumped on the wall,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and was saying, "If they're throwing them, fucking throw them back,"
0:11:54 > 0:11:58so he started getting all the lads' grenades, throwing them back. It was a grenade fight then.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03You could hear him screaming down at the bottom saying,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05"Bring me another fucking grenade!"
0:12:05 > 0:12:08GUNFIRE AND EXPLOSIONS Grenade!
0:12:12 > 0:12:14With the grenade fight raging,
0:12:14 > 0:12:19Lieutenant Miller was trying to see the enemy from his compound.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40One of Miller's men had spotted flashes from enemy guns.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45'That's the direction the fire's coming from,'
0:12:45 > 0:12:48he's seen movement, so it's time to suppress it.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55With his attention on the fire fight,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Lieutenant Miller didn't see the enemy creeping around his blindside.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12They were good. They'd seen where we were exposed from,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15and at the same time we realised it they were attacking us from it.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22'It's just like a cat and mouse sort of thing.'
0:13:24 > 0:13:26They do something, we do something to counter it.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33They're smart, they're smart as fuck.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40They were more determined, more tenacious than we were used to,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42bolder than we were used to.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Waves of Taliban fighters were now joining the fight.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03All we could see was mini buses full of men,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05motorbikes, more motorbikes...
0:14:08 > 0:14:11It was insurgents reinforcing from the south to the north,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13and pretty much surrounding the Company.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32In their compound, Griffiths and Wilson were struggling to hold the Taliban back.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44'They were looking for a way to get into one of the compounds,'
0:14:44 > 0:14:46and get involved in hand-to-hand combat with the guys.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55That becomes a desperate situation, because that can be quite an even fight when it's that close,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57and we don't want to have an even fight with them.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00CONTINUOUS GUNFIRE
0:15:25 > 0:15:27GUNFIRE STOPS
0:15:30 > 0:15:32'The one thing that was strange about the day was,'
0:15:32 > 0:15:36almost surreally, it just stopped for two hours.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41And, yes, I remember on Icom, and I remember people laughing
0:15:41 > 0:15:43when they said they were going for lunch.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49I'd gone off the roof, because we'd had a lull
0:15:49 > 0:15:52for about 45 minutes where nothing had happened,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55so we thought, right, that's it now, probably that'll be it for the day.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00'So we took the lads off the roof, get some water down them...'
0:16:04 > 0:16:06GUNFIRE
0:16:06 > 0:16:08'About 15 minutes later, as I was walking round,'
0:16:08 > 0:16:14we just had a massive, massive burst of incoming small arms again.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21And then we heard one of the lads shout "man down",
0:16:21 > 0:16:22and then my heart just sunk.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29I knew I'd been hit, how badly I didn't know.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33'Picked my helmet up, got up onto the roof,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37'and Mikey was lying behind one of the sandbags.'
0:16:37 > 0:16:39It felt like my head was going to explode,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I started shaking and everything.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48We got him back into the compound, like, into a bit of safety.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Mikey Wilson, nicknamed Willow,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55was one of Arnhem Company's most experienced soldiers.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Jesus Christ.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20'And underneath his arm, by his armpit,'
0:17:20 > 0:17:26he had like a graze about that long where a round had gone
0:17:26 > 0:17:32underneath his armpit and sort of like sliced his skin a little bit
0:17:32 > 0:17:35and made like a bruise and a red mark.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45Mark was stood above me and he said, "You lucky bastard."
0:17:46 > 0:17:50You know, and it was... There was a few laughs.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54'And the first thing, it was a case of trying to get
0:17:54 > 0:17:57'some water down my neck and smoke as many fags as I could!'
0:18:02 > 0:18:07It is one of the most scariest things I've ever been through.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Sometimes I wish that I did get hit, you know,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15because what happened after, you know,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19is one of the hardest things I've had to endure in my life,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21and that was to carry on.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29By the end of the first day,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33Arnhem Company had drawn the Taliban into eight hours prolonged fighting.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34'Day One,'
0:18:34 > 0:18:39although successful in achieving what we set out to achieve,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43was perhaps a little bit more kinetic than we'd expected on Day One,
0:18:43 > 0:18:49and also, you know, we didn't feel we had had the upper hand, necessarily.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54We did what we set out to achieve, but we weren't, you know, in control.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02As a father, of course I was concerned.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05As a soldier I knew that he and those around him would do all
0:19:05 > 0:19:09the very best they could to succeed in what they were trying to do,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13and that they would minimise the risks as much as possible.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18But in Afghanistan, there is no way to minimise risks totally,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22and so, you know, people do get wounded and killed.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26That is, sadly, a fact of life of the profession of being a soldier.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32But it's one of those factors that, being a commander,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37you learn from the very start - the mission comes first.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Under cover of darkness, Arnhem Company slipped away from the enemy.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Night-time was the safest time to move.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57If we stepped foot outside of that compound during the day,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59we would have been in a world of hurt.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Captain Griffiths, Lieutenant Miller and the men joined forces
0:20:04 > 0:20:07and walked four kilometres to a large farmhouse.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26At daybreak Lieutenant Miller led his exhausted men
0:20:26 > 0:20:30out on a patrol in the hope they had a few hours
0:20:30 > 0:20:32before the enemy caught up with them.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34With him was Darren Deady.
0:20:37 > 0:20:43Kingsman Deady was one of my steady rocks that you turn to amongst your blokes
0:20:43 > 0:20:46for if you need something done, ask him.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54When we dished out the kit for the patrol and he got the heaviest bit of kit,
0:20:54 > 0:20:59he said, "I'm knackered. I'd rather take a round through the chest
0:20:59 > 0:21:01"than carry this for the next hour."
0:21:07 > 0:21:10'We were getting funny looks because we were patrolling patch compounds,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'the doors were wide open. They were just looking at us'
0:21:13 > 0:21:15as if to say, "What are you doing here?
0:21:15 > 0:21:16You know, "You don't belong here".
0:21:16 > 0:21:20'Then we picked up a bit of Icom chatter.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23'It was the Taliban saying, "Yeah, they're in the area."'
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Yet again, the Taliban were watching their every move.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Listening in on the roof were Sergeant Wilson and Captain Griffiths.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- ICOM:- Allah Akbar.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Another Taliban was saying like, "Can we hit them now?"
0:21:47 > 0:21:51They were like, "No, we won't hit them now, we'll wait till they get back to the compound"
0:21:51 > 0:21:52and we were like, "Oh, God."
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Go on, lad. Give it some lead.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Is that all you got?
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Minutes later, the Taliban attacked.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06GUNFIRE
0:22:14 > 0:22:15- Did he?- Yeah.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19I was knelt by the doorway,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22the sentry positions were just due the changeover.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Kingsman Deady was going to move. I was going to move to the door with him.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32The sangar was probably only five or six, maybe ten metres at the most away from me
0:22:32 > 0:22:37and Deady got out of his sangar and he started running towards me.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Obviously cos now the contact had started.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41GUNFIRE
0:22:41 > 0:22:46It was just like a short burst at first then I just heard a scream
0:22:46 > 0:22:48and then it went quiet,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52and then as I turned round, I'd seen Darren started screaming again.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55He sort of fell into me lap and I sort of like caught hold of him
0:22:55 > 0:22:57and he shouted that he'd been shot
0:22:57 > 0:23:01and, at first, I thought he was just messing around.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04I felt like saying, "Shut up, you dick, what are you playing at?"
0:23:04 > 0:23:08I was like trying to work out what had happened, yeah, like.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10If he'd been hit, or where he'd been hit.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14I undone his body armour, and I pulled it open
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and as I put my hand underneath, as I pulled my hand out,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19my hand was like caked in blood.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Little Red come in and said, "Smudge, get your stuff on, man down."
0:23:23 > 0:23:26So I just threw me pants on and a T-shirt,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30didn't have time, grabbed me med kit, ran out.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42He switched from being me mate to, like, "Let's just get him sorted,"
0:23:42 > 0:23:45and then, I just jumped straight on him.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Sergeant Wilson sat next to me and said, "What do you want to do?"
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Darren Deady had been shot through the chest.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06There's nothing worse than having one of your lads injured.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08In most platoons, it'd be the same.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10I'd rather...
0:24:11 > 0:24:15I'd rather it was me sometimes rather than one of the lads getting hit.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Deady's blood pressure was dropping fast.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31He needed a saline drip quickly.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39The drip was a nightmare to get in, we tried, we tried and we tried.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44We tried about nine times and Sergeant Wilson was like,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46"Smudge, are yous going to get it in?"
0:24:46 > 0:24:48And like, I just had a little bite with him and said,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50"We're not fucking stopping."
0:24:59 > 0:25:02We've got this golden hour where it's from the point of them becoming an injury
0:25:02 > 0:25:05to the point of getting back to Bastion.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09If they're to make it there within the hour, then the chances are that they'll pull through.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18I remember the zap number coming through.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21I knew straight away it was Kingsman Deady.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26And you pick things up. It's not just the official reports and returns you get,
0:25:26 > 0:25:28it's the background, listening to the lads shout.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33I can tell who it is shouting, I can tell these lads if they're panicking,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35and I knew this was serious.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Bowden Williams radioed for a Chinook.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45A crew was scrambled, led by Flight Lieutenant Jon Singh.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I remember the 9-liner coming through, the first one of the day,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54the first one of our tour as well.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57So we were pretty keyed up, ready to go.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02It was apparent from the information we got it was going to be
0:26:02 > 0:26:06'relatively tricky in terms of the proximity of the enemy.'
0:26:08 > 0:26:12It was rear gunner Ian McAuliffe's first casualty evacuation.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17It's quite a lot to take in really on your first,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19literally your first few seconds,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21you're burning out across the desert knowing
0:26:21 > 0:26:24there's going to be a welcoming party when you get there.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28A Chinook is a big, old target
0:26:28 > 0:26:30and you don't have to be that good to hit one.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42The saline drip was in. The effect was immediate.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48As soon as the drip went in, it was such a relief.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56There was just, like, for a couple of minutes
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Deady just, like, he forgot he'd been shot,
0:26:59 > 0:27:04he was just himself, he was having a laugh, do you know what I mean?
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Laughing at us and just telling us to shut up
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and it was good to see him like that.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Deady's best friend was still up on the roof.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21'At this point I still didn't know the extent of his injury.'
0:27:21 > 0:27:23I could hear like the lads just talking to him,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27and saying, "You're going to be all right" and he was talking.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32'So when they were leaving the gate, one of the lads had his body armour
0:27:32 > 0:27:34'and I could see all the blood on his body armour.'
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Three, two, one... Lift!
0:27:36 > 0:27:40They had to get Deady out to the helicopter...under fire.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43GUNFIRE
0:27:55 > 0:27:59James Kirner was sent ahead to protect the landing site.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06'I've got gravel underneath me, I've got a lot of shrubbery and a lot of brush'
0:28:06 > 0:28:08and I am concentrating.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10It seemed to be the longest 15 minutes of me life
0:28:10 > 0:28:14'thinking, I'll do the best I can for me mate, get him on the helicopter and out of here.'
0:28:17 > 0:28:21As we came into land then, we'd seen the smoke,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24I noticed the troops out on what was my left hand side.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28The countdown from the front was coming in
0:28:28 > 0:28:32and then all of a sudden Darrell's voice went up a pitch
0:28:32 > 0:28:34and was like, "The troops, the troops!"
0:28:34 > 0:28:37We were about to lower the front wheels onto the ground
0:28:37 > 0:28:41I just saw this petrified face of a young squaddie
0:28:41 > 0:28:43and we were just about to squash him.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46I've literally seen it about ten foot above me
0:28:46 > 0:28:48and I've thought, "What the fuck is that?"
0:28:48 > 0:28:52I closed me eyes and braced for the worst impact of me life.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55'I just remember screaming, "Up, up, up!"'
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Imagine like my family getting the call to say,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12your son's been killed. "How did he die?" "Well, he got squashed by a helicopter
0:29:12 > 0:29:16"that was coming to casevac his friend." It would have been a shit way to go.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Right, let's go lets go, let's go.
0:29:20 > 0:29:21Come on!
0:29:25 > 0:29:27GUNFIRE
0:29:32 > 0:29:35You see that helicopter come in and you put that casualty on there
0:29:35 > 0:29:37and you think he's made it, he's going to be alive,
0:29:37 > 0:29:39nothing'll happen to him now, he's saved.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00'It's pot luck.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02'You could roll a set of dice.'
0:30:02 > 0:30:04You don't know where these bullets are going to land
0:30:04 > 0:30:06and who they're going to hit.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Fucking hell, they've got Deady.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22'After what had happened to Deady,
0:30:22 > 0:30:26'a lot of the lads were payback and revenge.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29'Me and the boss, we were exactly the same.'
0:30:29 > 0:30:31We wanted to really give it to them.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36Facing another day of Taliban attacks,
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Captain Griffiths was ordered to hit back hard.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41A target round, at five rounds...
0:30:41 > 0:30:45Artillery and mortars were called in from bases 15 kilometres away.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56There is always a time for a soldier to employ lethal force
0:30:56 > 0:31:01'and as, you know, the Senior Platoon Commander in my company,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04'I could trust him to get on with the job and he did so.'
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Approximately five rounds.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13Griff was a big believer in giving a big first punch.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15If you want to keep coming at us, keep coming at us
0:31:15 > 0:31:18and we'll just keep firing.
0:31:18 > 0:31:19Approximately five rounds.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21- Get your head down!- Fucking move!
0:31:21 > 0:31:23- Rounds in the air! - You were told to stay there.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27'He was quite happily at the front'
0:31:27 > 0:31:29getting probably more rounds
0:31:29 > 0:31:32down than the blokes were with his grenade launcher.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Whoo, go on, baby!
0:31:43 > 0:31:46The lads were sat there and you could hear them shouting
0:31:46 > 0:31:49and like laughing as if to say, "Yeah, we fucking got you back."
0:32:01 > 0:32:03'We completely decimated the area,'
0:32:03 > 0:32:05so anyone within the vicinity
0:32:05 > 0:32:08will have been killed, there's no two ways about it,
0:32:08 > 0:32:09they could not possibly have survived.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15'The devastation we rained on them was epic, absolutely epic.'
0:32:24 > 0:32:29In the UK, Darren Deady's mother was just arriving at work.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32I was supposed to be in work for eight o'clock
0:32:32 > 0:32:34and I got there at five-to-nine
0:32:34 > 0:32:37and as fast as I walked through door Carl at work said,
0:32:37 > 0:32:41"Turn round go home." I knew, I knew straight away.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47That drive home was only about two miles, but it was awful.
0:32:48 > 0:32:53I shouldn't have really drove the state I was in, I knew that
0:32:53 > 0:32:57and I just walked through my front door and I looked at this guy in my front room and said,
0:32:57 > 0:33:00"Tell me he's alive, that's all I want to know." He said, "He's alive."
0:33:00 > 0:33:02I said, "Just don't talk to me."
0:33:04 > 0:33:09They said it was 100-1 Darren actually survived the gunshot wound that he got.
0:33:09 > 0:33:15So, obviously, at that point, we were not happy, but we were on a positive note.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27In Helmand, Arnhem Company was entering the third night of their mission.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35By then the lads were absolutely shattered, they were exhausted.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37I mean, rations were running low, water was running low,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41and you could tell fatigue was setting in massively.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48We was all quite hungry, quite dehydrated, quite tired...
0:33:49 > 0:33:52..just emotionally drained
0:33:52 > 0:33:56and they wanted to just sack it off and finish the op, I think, that day
0:33:56 > 0:33:59but that's another thing, you've just got to crack on.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05Between them and the relative safety of the friendly forces compound,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08six kilometres away, lay a big obstacle.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12A notorious belt of land riddled with IEDs,
0:34:12 > 0:34:14the Padaka Horseshoe.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19That night it was scary
0:34:19 > 0:34:23and you could sense
0:34:23 > 0:34:25a bit of like, just a little bit of fear.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28I know I was a bit scared leaving the compound.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34I was like a rabbit in the headlights.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Looking over my shoulder, looking left, looking right,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40every noise, even if it was an animal,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43my head would spin straight round in that direction.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49Patrolling in the darkness,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52the men noticed more and more signs of IEDs.
0:34:54 > 0:35:00No matter where you went, there were markers for IEDs that locals put down like,
0:35:00 > 0:35:04like a little stack of rocks or something across the road
0:35:04 > 0:35:08like some twigs across the road as if to say "Don't cross it
0:35:08 > 0:35:10"cos there's something there"
0:35:10 > 0:35:13and in the whole time in Afghan that we spent there,
0:35:13 > 0:35:18I've never ever seen that many markers. No matter which way you turned there was another marker,
0:35:18 > 0:35:19a couple of metres in front of you.
0:35:22 > 0:35:28Listening in on the radio, Captain Bowden Williams sensed the men had taken a wrong turning.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34They were sending location reports, lock stats of where they were and it wasn't right.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37I remember at one point where I completely lost my temper
0:35:37 > 0:35:39and I told everyone to go firm
0:35:39 > 0:35:42and I said, "I want the lock stat from the lead man".
0:35:42 > 0:35:45That then came through to me and they were in Padaka.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54In the most dangerous part of the whole combined force area of operations.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Almost suicide...
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Mark Hayward was the one who stepped forward.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Just as he sorted it out, got us in the right direction,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05he said on the net, "Yep, I'm just heading east."
0:36:05 > 0:36:08And I remember clearly swearing at him down the net, which you shouldn't do.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10I said, "Don't you dare take one step east".
0:36:10 > 0:36:15He went, "I'm going east" and I screamed, "Don't you dare take one step east!"
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Then there was some laughing on the net and then he went,
0:36:18 > 0:36:19"I meant west, I'm sorry."
0:36:24 > 0:36:27The men reached the safety of their compound just before 6am.
0:36:34 > 0:36:39As soon as they sat down, their eyes were closing straightaway.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41A lot of them hadn't slept for three days,
0:36:41 > 0:36:45they were just constantly either on stag, or in contact.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47That's probably the most exhausted
0:36:47 > 0:36:50I've probably seen people in my Army career.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56Everyone wanted to just kind of stop.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01You'd fold your body armour out and sleep on, sleep on Kevlar plates,
0:37:01 > 0:37:08just for a few hours, kind of kip in a safe location with mates,
0:37:08 > 0:37:12with fresh food, water and a bit of shelter.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17That was the time we had to reflect on stuff
0:37:17 > 0:37:19and obviously we were all chatting about Deady.
0:37:19 > 0:37:24We were all like joking that saying, you know, "He'll be in the Pizza Hut in Bastion tomorrow, you know,
0:37:24 > 0:37:26"getting a pizza and that and chilling out".
0:37:29 > 0:37:32The plan so far had been successful.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35The insurgents had been distracted away from Route Trident.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41But then, Arnhem Company was ordered to go out again.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Particularly with tired soldiers,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51this wasn't what Arnhem Company wanted to do,
0:37:51 > 0:37:56but an order's an order, we don't have the bigger picture completely.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03We all know, in our heads, tactically as platoon commanders,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06we know exactly why we're being pushed out for depth.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11However, it just went downhill from there, to be honest.
0:38:17 > 0:38:22Just after 7am, the men left the safety of their base.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26Sergeant Wilson was now recording their progress with photos.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30The mist was in and I was like the last man of the patrol
0:38:30 > 0:38:34and I could see them all going up onto the horizon.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38I don't know if it was because the clag had come in,
0:38:38 > 0:38:44because there were that many markers for IEDs, but it seemed dead quiet.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50500 metres away, they found a compound.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57It was deserted and the walls were riddled with bullet holes.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02We knew that, obviously, the insurgents had been there before
0:39:02 > 0:39:05so it might be a bit dodgy.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09So we closed the lads up and we got them all up against the wall
0:39:09 > 0:39:14while the boss and Sparksy and a couple of the others Valloned up to it.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Corporal Sparks attempted to clear for IEDs.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24But metal debris all over the compound floor prevented accurate readings.
0:39:25 > 0:39:30It was just littered with batteries, empty ammunition cases.
0:39:30 > 0:39:35It would have taken hours, hours to meticulously search through
0:39:35 > 0:39:38all that with Vallons and time was against us.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42The boss sent a dog in, the dog cleared the area,
0:39:42 > 0:39:44never come back with a reading.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49So we made the decision to get all the lads in.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55Inside the compound,
0:39:55 > 0:39:59Captain Griffiths ordered his men to stay on a raised platform
0:39:59 > 0:40:01thinking it would be safer.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07As the men waited for the rest of the company, Sergeant Wilson took a photograph.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11He took another of Captain Griffiths.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18What his camera couldn't see was that the men were standing right on top of an IED
0:40:18 > 0:40:21buried in the mud floor.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25And just in front of Andrew Griffiths, between him and the door,
0:40:25 > 0:40:27were another two IEDs.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31The Taliban had booby trapped the whole compound.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Outside, Lieutenant Miller was arriving with his platoon.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43We were working our way across a grass field,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46up a little hill to the compound.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51I asked Andy on the radio which side of the compound the door was on.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54I was almost there so I asked him to come and open it.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58I was about to jump up and go get them, and the boss went,
0:40:58 > 0:41:01"I'll go. I'll meet them at the gate."
0:41:01 > 0:41:05He moved off and as he walked across like the centre of the courtyard...
0:41:06 > 0:41:10..he got about 20 metres in front of me and then stepped on the IED.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12EXPLOSION
0:41:17 > 0:41:22'You're looking at compound walls that are kind of 12, 15 foot high,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25'the dust cloud went above it, and sat on top of the dust cloud,'
0:41:25 > 0:41:30was the right angle of someone's foot and lower leg,
0:41:30 > 0:41:35and looking at it, Andy's boot was distinctive
0:41:35 > 0:41:37because I'd tried it on in Cyprus.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46I remember screaming for the boss as I was running towards him.
0:41:46 > 0:41:51I was screaming, "Boss" that high that it sounded like a baby screaming.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55I waited for the dust to settle and the boss was lying in the crater
0:41:55 > 0:41:59that the IED had made when it had gone off.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05It was then that we realised he was missing the lower part of his leg.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Captain Griffiths asked for Simon Cohoon,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14who'd served under him on their previous tour.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17I basically had hold of his hand, reassuring him,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19telling him, "You're going to be all right.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22"You'll be back cracking on in a couple of months", you know.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28I was quite emotionally upset that it had been him.
0:42:28 > 0:42:29Erm...
0:42:31 > 0:42:34I just wanted to get him out, do what I could for him,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36get him off the ground, basically.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46The zap number came through and it's the last four numbers of your regimental number
0:42:46 > 0:42:49and the first two numbers of your name,
0:42:49 > 0:42:53and it came though and I immediately checked my book to see who it is.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55And I couldn't see anybody,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58and I thought this isn't right, who is this?
0:42:58 > 0:43:01I checked again, and I didn't check the officers,
0:43:01 > 0:43:03I never check the officers.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Then I said, "Send it again" and they kept sending the same one.
0:43:07 > 0:43:08I couldn't see.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12Then I saw that it was Captain Griffiths, and I completely dismissed it,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15I went, "There's no Way." Got on the net again
0:43:15 > 0:43:18and went, "Send me, just tell me who it is."
0:43:18 > 0:43:21And that's when I heard it's Captain Griffiths.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32At Bastion, all aircraft were grounded because of a sandstorm.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39Jon Singh, who'd evacuated Darren Deady 24 hours earlier,
0:43:39 > 0:43:45was still on call when news of the Category A casualty came in.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48The operations officer came in and said, "There's a British Cat Alpha.
0:43:48 > 0:43:54"I've told them you're not going." To which I replied, "We are going".
0:43:54 > 0:43:58There's no part of your training that says, "When the visibility is down to this
0:43:58 > 0:44:00"and you've got a guy bleeding out with no time to talk it through,
0:44:00 > 0:44:03"this is what you do". Nothing's ever been written for that.
0:44:03 > 0:44:08Jonny Singh was about to rewrite the rules for flying a Chinook
0:44:08 > 0:44:10in low visibility.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14I explained my plan to Steve over the radio
0:44:14 > 0:44:16and said, "Right, we're going in low level
0:44:16 > 0:44:19"and we're going to follow you and you use the flare".
0:44:19 > 0:44:23I can barely see the other end of the runway and part of me is,
0:44:23 > 0:44:27a fairly large part of me is thinking, "This is really stupid."
0:44:29 > 0:44:33The plan was to fly closely behind an Apache helicopter,
0:44:33 > 0:44:37which has the technology to see in poor conditions.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40If Singh lost sight of it, he would be flying blind.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45One of the medics filmed the flight.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53Jonny was saying on the radio, "We cannot lose the Apache, we cannot lose it."
0:44:53 > 0:44:57So it was all eyes forward, it's literally our sort of lifeline.
0:44:57 > 0:45:02It's like holding the apron strings of your mum, sort of thing, you can't let go of it.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06I do remember at one point, we were slowly climbing away
0:45:06 > 0:45:08because I could see the ground and I was happy.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11I was sort of drifting upwards to get away from it
0:45:11 > 0:45:14and Jon coming over the radio saying, "Descend! Descend!"
0:45:14 > 0:45:17They were losing visual clarity with the ground and couldn't see.
0:45:27 > 0:45:32There was a bit of a sense of relief when all of a sudden Jon shouted out, "On the left".
0:45:32 > 0:45:36He saw the smoke and the pilot performed an aggressive manoeuvre
0:45:36 > 0:45:41just to sort of bring the aircraft to a breathtaking stop if you like,
0:45:41 > 0:45:43just really stood it on its tail.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51Sergeant Wilson carried his boss on board.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01'I leant down and told him that we we'd see him in Cyprus
0:46:01 > 0:46:05'and see him in a couple of weeks cos we knew we weren't far off going home'
0:46:05 > 0:46:10and even after all that happened...
0:46:12 > 0:46:17..he'd managed to say... He got the back of me neck
0:46:17 > 0:46:20and pulled me down and said, "Thank you".
0:46:23 > 0:46:25So, even the state he was in,
0:46:25 > 0:46:30you know, he was still thinking of others rather than himself.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40With Captain Griffiths on the helicopter,
0:46:40 > 0:46:44the company withdrew back to the friendly forces' base.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49EXPLOSIONS
0:46:54 > 0:46:58But the Taliban were close behind and getting into position to attack.
0:47:01 > 0:47:02GUNFIRE
0:47:02 > 0:47:07That's like when it hit home, you know, that was it then, I was,
0:47:07 > 0:47:10I was like the platoon commander from that point.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12GUNFIRE
0:47:12 > 0:47:16And we've still got a job to do and the boss would want us to do it
0:47:16 > 0:47:17like the way we have been doing.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26It was, "How much further are we going to have to go with this?"
0:47:26 > 0:47:30We keep dishing them blows but they keep giving us ones as well,
0:47:30 > 0:47:35'so rather than give them a bloody nose, let's knock them out and let's finish it.'
0:47:35 > 0:47:38SHOUTING
0:47:49 > 0:47:51'Everyone was happy.'
0:47:52 > 0:47:57You felt a sense of achievement like you would do in a war,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00you know, you're fighting an enemy, he's trying to kill you,
0:48:00 > 0:48:05you're trying to kill him and, you know, one of yous has got to die.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13Arnhem Company's mission was coming to an end.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25A day later Captain Griffiths and Kingsman Deady
0:48:25 > 0:48:29were flown back together to be treated side-by-side in Birmingham.
0:48:39 > 0:48:44Very early we went to the hospital, briefed by the intensive care team,
0:48:44 > 0:48:48briefed by the doctors, so we knew what his injuries were.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51Then really walked into the ward
0:48:51 > 0:48:55to see him, and it was shocking.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05But he was still alive.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17You'd sit outside all day
0:49:17 > 0:49:21and you'd get to see him for five minutes, that's all you'd get.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27I got upset and one of the nurses come and he said, "What's to do?"
0:49:27 > 0:49:30I said, "I can't even cuddle him, I can't get to him,"
0:49:30 > 0:49:32cos you could just about hold his hand,
0:49:32 > 0:49:37and he said, "Course you can" and he actually moved his bed.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41He said, "Anytime", so as I could go up and give him a hug.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47'We got to know Julie.
0:49:47 > 0:49:53'You are all living in that same hope that you've got to have.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56'It's a period of time when you feed off each other's strength.'
0:49:58 > 0:50:02'Mike and Sue, you could look at them across the room'
0:50:02 > 0:50:05and you'd know exactly where they were and where you were.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08You didn't... There were no need for words.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15After nearly a week, Andrew regained consciousness.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19His eyes were open, he was looking at us.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22I was talking to him. "Do you know where you are?
0:50:22 > 0:50:26"You've been wounded." I said, "Nod your head if you're understanding,"
0:50:26 > 0:50:28he was nodding his head and he was there with us,
0:50:28 > 0:50:33as conscious as you can be with the sedation they were giving him to help him.
0:50:33 > 0:50:39And, er, he recognised us and it was a really important moment.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49The Brigadier wrote to Sergeant Wilson in Afghanistan.
0:50:54 > 0:50:58"Dear Sergeant Wilson, I write as Andy's father to thank you
0:50:58 > 0:51:02"for what you did in the immediate aftermath of the IED blast that injured him.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07"I cannot begin to imagine the difficulties you faced at the time
0:51:07 > 0:51:11"but I do know you brought order to the chaos and gave him the chance that he now has.
0:51:15 > 0:51:20"Knowing Andy he'll want to know the details and I'm sure you'll give them all over a beer.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23"We are forever in your debt.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26"Kindest regards, Mike Griffiths."
0:51:37 > 0:51:40Six days after the letter was written,
0:51:40 > 0:51:44Andrew's condition deteriorated and he died of his wounds.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54Five days later, Darren Deady also died.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01The lads were all devastated.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04I don't think they really knew what to do with themselves,
0:52:04 > 0:52:05that two...
0:52:08 > 0:52:13..two blokes who we were so confident we still had, had died.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24'They did everything to save him, they got him back
0:52:24 > 0:52:29'and unfortunately he didn't make it, but they can be proud of themselves what they did.'
0:52:31 > 0:52:33That's what I said to the lads.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37You gave me 21 days with my boy and I can never, ever repay that.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51By the time Arnhem Company were heading home to Cyprus,
0:52:51 > 0:52:53they'd lost another man.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59Sergeant Peter Rayner died after he too stood on an IED
0:53:04 > 0:53:08Over the whole tour, Operation Kick Hornet's Nest had been a fleeting moment
0:53:08 > 0:53:12but it had a lasting impact on the men.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19We've lost a lot of lads and I've lost a lot of mates
0:53:19 > 0:53:25and I'd never want to see it as it was all done for no reason,
0:53:25 > 0:53:27or it wasn't worth it.
0:53:29 > 0:53:34I feel a tremendous loss for the people we lost in the operation.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38and I just wish that we could have done more to help them.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44'You can't really put a price on a life, can you?'
0:53:46 > 0:53:48It's upsetting, innit?
0:53:52 > 0:53:56It initiated me to leave the Army.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01It was an operation that I'd never want to go through again.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08'Griff died leading his men as part of a regiment he loved,
0:54:08 > 0:54:10'doing a job he loved.'
0:54:10 > 0:54:13As a fellow soldier, it might sound corny,
0:54:13 > 0:54:15but a great way to go,
0:54:15 > 0:54:18but still, we wish he was here now.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34'I want to personalise it a bit.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37'In late August 2010, the doorbell rang.'
0:54:37 > 0:54:40As soon as I saw it was my boss, I knew it was bad news.
0:54:40 > 0:54:46Today Brigadier Mike Griffiths draws upon his experience,
0:54:46 > 0:54:51training Army personnel who support the families of dead and injured soldiers.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54Our son had stood on an IED in Helmand
0:54:54 > 0:54:57and he was very badly injured, but still alive.
0:54:57 > 0:55:01From that moment on, my world, our world, went upside-down.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04The first thing we had to do...
0:55:04 > 0:55:07'The most difficult thing, since his death, is to come to terms'
0:55:07 > 0:55:10with whether or not it was, erm...
0:55:12 > 0:55:13..in a good cause.
0:55:15 > 0:55:20To not believe it was in a good cause would be to say to all those
0:55:20 > 0:55:24who've given their lives, to all those who've been wounded,
0:55:24 > 0:55:27to all those who've served there that it was not the right thing to do.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32Dying for your country, on operations,
0:55:32 > 0:55:38is something that comes all too often with the job.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43And as long as there are young men and young women...
0:55:50 > 0:55:53..brave enough to step forward...
0:56:00 > 0:56:02..we're a nation to be proud of.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32British troops will stop fighting in Afghanistan in 2014.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34It's your response.
0:56:34 > 0:56:39- I thought I'd film you, baby. - But two young officers recently led their men to Helmand Province...
0:56:39 > 0:56:41Death Valley kind of gave it away a little bit.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43It was, "Oh, Christ!"
0:56:43 > 0:56:47..to find a war that is far from over.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49GUNFIRE
0:56:49 > 0:56:51SCREAMING
0:56:51 > 0:56:53That's how serious it's getting out here.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57You always think this could happen and that you could lose a guy.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01You never think about how it's going to feel.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd