:00:26. > :00:31.I'm in Camp Bastion, Helmand province, the heart of British
:00:31. > :00:37.operations in Afghanistan. We'll be celebrating the heroic jobs that
:00:37. > :00:40.our armed forces do, as well as reflectsing on those who've given
:00:40. > :00:50.their lives, both here and in past conflicts around the world. This is
:00:50. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:13.Tomorrow is Remembrance Sunday, the day we honour those who have given
:01:13. > :01:16.their lives for their country. In the lead up to this National
:01:16. > :01:25.Service of Remembrance, we tell the real stories of the people who
:01:25. > :01:30.march past the Cenotaph on Whitehall. Coming up on today's
:01:30. > :01:33.programme: A former paratrooper remembers his biggest battle on the
:01:33. > :01:39.Falkland Islands. Your instinct is to take cover. But you're in a
:01:39. > :01:43.minefield. We hear from the forces' original
:01:43. > :01:48.sweet heart, Dame Vera Lynn. thought, right, just a lipstick
:01:48. > :01:53.will have to do and that's how I worked, with my kaki and lipstick.
:01:53. > :02:00.That was a necessity. And I'm privileged to be in the
:02:00. > :02:04.operation room on a front-line patrol base.
:02:04. > :02:14.By using all the intelligence they have in here, they've identified
:02:14. > :02:20.
:02:20. > :02:25.The term band of brothers is often used to describe the camraderie in
:02:25. > :02:28.the ormed forces. The -- armed forces. The next story shows how
:02:28. > :02:32.deep the bonds are and how they can last forever.
:02:32. > :02:39.In 1982, these four young lads were just 17 years old and true brothers
:02:39. > :02:46.in arms. 29 years on, Mark Eyles-Thomas
:02:46. > :02:49.fondly remembers his friends. Jason Bert was an East Ender, a
:02:49. > :02:54.Londoner, very good looking, handsome chap. He knew that and
:02:54. > :03:01.could work that with the ladies. Neil Grouse talked to his family
:03:01. > :03:05.all the time, you know, his sister, his brother. He was very family
:03:05. > :03:11.orientated. Ian Scrivens was a lad from Yeovil, in the West Country,
:03:11. > :03:16.and talked funny and had a tractor, but he didn't. Mark, Jason, Neil
:03:16. > :03:18.and Ian were junior Paras, the first step to becoming part of one
:03:19. > :03:25.of the most elite units in the British Army, the Parachute
:03:26. > :03:29.Regiment. How can you sum up being a paratrooper? When you pass out,
:03:29. > :03:34.it's the proudest day of your life. I'm not sure that a lot of people
:03:34. > :03:39.understand what you've gone through or will ever understand. It doesn't
:03:39. > :03:43.matter how bad the situation is, you're still expected to go on.
:03:43. > :03:46.There's still more you could do. I've been part of one of the
:03:46. > :03:54.greatest regiment that the British Army have had ever. I will love
:03:54. > :03:58.that to the day I go. In April 1982, their unit was sent to the Falkland
:03:58. > :04:02.Islands, a remote UK overseas territory in the South Atlantic,
:04:02. > :04:06.which had been invaded by Argentinean forces. You're with
:04:06. > :04:10.your friends. We were cocky little 16-year-olds. Imagine what we're
:04:11. > :04:20.going to be like now, when we get back. We're going to be 18, medal,
:04:21. > :04:21.
:04:21. > :04:25.money, oh, everyone's going to love But for these soldiers, the reality
:04:25. > :04:32.of war was about to hit home, when the order was given to secure mown
:04:32. > :04:38.Court Suzanne Lenglen. The date of this mission was -- secure Mount
:04:38. > :04:43.Longdon, the date of the mission was set. We got together to say
:04:43. > :04:47.happy 18th birthday to Neil Grouse. We congregated on his basher, where
:04:47. > :04:50.he was sleeping. We had a cup of tea and a chat about saying happy
:04:50. > :04:54.birthday and let's hope it's a good party this evening and all that
:04:54. > :04:59.kind of thing. And you know, because of what we're doing tonight,
:04:59. > :05:05.when we get back, we'll make sure it's a super special one. But for
:05:05. > :05:12.this group of boys, success would come at a high price.
:05:12. > :05:17.As they prepared to go to battle, three Paras commanding officer
:05:17. > :05:20.addressed the men He ended with the words "May your God go with you."
:05:20. > :05:25.It's the first time I thought, oh, hang on, some of us aren't coming
:05:25. > :05:29.back from this. The realisation hit me like nothing else had hit me
:05:29. > :05:32.throughout the period I'd been there.
:05:32. > :05:35.Mount Longdon was six kilometres from the base, therefore the
:05:35. > :05:44.element of surprise was vital. As they moved forward, they walked
:05:44. > :05:51.straight no a minefield. All hell broke loose from that moment. The
:05:51. > :05:54.whole place just erupts with a firefight. You're instinct is
:05:54. > :06:00.immediately to go to ground and take cover. But you're in a
:06:00. > :06:04.minefield. My whole body knew what was going on. The weapon was
:06:04. > :06:08.shaking in my hand, you know. Whether that be from the cold, from
:06:08. > :06:14.the intensity of the moment, from fear, it doesn't matter. I just
:06:14. > :06:19.related to what was happening to me at that time. This is the biggest
:06:19. > :06:25.fire work display that you have ever seen in your life, but with no
:06:25. > :06:30.fun behind it. It was sheer violence to kill you. Mark, Jason,
:06:30. > :06:35.Ian and Neil made it through the minefield unscathed and continued
:06:35. > :06:39.their advance with their unit to Mount Longdon. The initial parts of
:06:39. > :06:43.getting up to Longdon were chaos. It's pitch dark. You would pick up
:06:43. > :06:46.the occasional silhouette moving. It could be an Argentinean, could
:06:46. > :06:51.be one of your own. You really didn't know. You could hear the
:06:51. > :06:57.Spanish being spoken or whatever, because it was that close. But it
:06:57. > :07:01.would be right of you, left of you, you know. It was absolute chaos.
:07:01. > :07:05.When they reached the base of Mount Longdon, the atmosphere changed
:07:05. > :07:11.dramatically. It was a full moon that night. You can see the glint
:07:11. > :07:19.of the bayonets and the Metal. You could see the breath on the blokes.
:07:19. > :07:28.Time just stops. It just stands still. It's just, there is nothing.
:07:28. > :07:31.No-one's talking. There is no noise whatsoever. Then charge. This has
:07:31. > :07:36.got to happen quickly and all the time, we're running across that
:07:36. > :07:42.ground, we're vulnerable. They were under attack from Argentinean
:07:42. > :07:46.snipers, positioned on high ground. As we were running, I felt Jas go
:07:46. > :07:51.down. I acrawled back to retrace the steps. There's Jas. He was
:07:51. > :07:58.laying with his face down. I turn him onto one shoulder and he had
:07:58. > :08:05.been shot. 17-year-old Jason Bert died instantly, but Mark had no
:08:05. > :08:11.time to grieve, as another of his friends was badly wounded. It was
:08:11. > :08:15.then Scrivs, called out again to say "I'm actually with Neil. He's
:08:16. > :08:19.in a bad way." Scrivs had stabilised him and put a dressing
:08:19. > :08:22.over the wound. This was it in real action, where a man was trying to
:08:22. > :08:31.do everything for his friend. Scrivs said to me, "We've got to
:08:31. > :08:40.move him. We can't stay here. He's out in the open." Eventually the
:08:40. > :08:45.sniper was going to get us. I put my hand on to say, "-- "Right we'll
:08:45. > :08:49.move him." As I went to put my hand ond his shoulder, he was shot.
:08:50. > :08:56.second of Mark's close friend Ian Scrivens had lost his life in the
:08:56. > :09:00.line of duty. On his birthday, and in a life-threatening condition,
:09:00. > :09:06.Neil Grouse was stretchered off the mountain. The held him and I think
:09:06. > :09:14.he knew that this was it. He spoke of his family, of how much he loved
:09:14. > :09:24.them. Incredibly brave with his impending fate. Yes, he thanked me.
:09:24. > :09:27.
:09:27. > :09:35.He said... "Thanks, Tom" Two words. Just personal moments, you know,
:09:35. > :09:43.very difficult. Mark's three best friends had all made the ultimate
:09:43. > :09:53.sacrifice. You know it's all over. Jas is dead,
:09:53. > :09:57.Ian Scrivens is dead, Neil Grouse These three friends and the other
:09:57. > :10:06.37 paratroopers who lost their lives are commemorated here at the
:10:06. > :10:13.Aldershot Cemetery. I love coming here. I sit on a bench, have a
:10:14. > :10:23.drink, have a chat, tell them about what's going on in my life. These
:10:23. > :10:33.are just their new bed spaces. That's where they rest. The truth
:10:33. > :10:41.
:10:41. > :10:46.is you're just coming to visit Afghanistan has been a war zone for
:10:46. > :10:50.over 30 years. As a result, local communities have been destroyed.
:10:50. > :10:54.Everything we take for granted back home, like running water,
:10:54. > :10:58.electricity and education, are non- existent here. But there's a team
:10:58. > :11:04.within the British armed forces who are working alongside the local
:11:04. > :11:09.people to change this. I'm flying to Checkpoint Jeka,
:11:09. > :11:13.which is in the heart of Helmand's infamous Green Zone. In the past,
:11:13. > :11:19.areas like these have been ruined by brutal fighting. I'm here to
:11:19. > :11:21.find out from sergeant Neil Shinner how British troops are helping to
:11:21. > :11:27.rebuilt these local innocent communities. Back home in the UK,
:11:28. > :11:30.we hear a lot about the bad news about the fighting, about the
:11:30. > :11:38.kinetic activity. But it's not all negative. There are positives as
:11:38. > :11:41.well. You're part of that. It can be very positive. I'm a
:11:41. > :11:46.stabilisation operator. Stabilisation seems to be the big
:11:46. > :11:50.word here. What exactly does that mean? Put it into context, within
:11:50. > :11:55.the UK, we take everything for granted. We've got our schools. We
:11:55. > :12:00.have got our hospitals, medical centres, decent roads. However,
:12:00. > :12:04.within this country, there is nothing. So British troops like
:12:04. > :12:11.Neil are working hand in hand with Afghan soldiers and civilians in a
:12:11. > :12:14.number of community projects. They build roads and drill wells, but
:12:14. > :12:21.the most important thing is education. So Neil is taking me to
:12:21. > :12:25.see a newly built school. The school is not far from this
:12:25. > :12:31.checkpoint. We're going to be on foot patrol. But we still have to
:12:31. > :12:38.be in all the gear and my particular favourite, the nappy. It
:12:38. > :12:43.might not look the best, but it's all about protection.
:12:43. > :12:48.Just out there is Helmand. That's where the danger is. We have the
:12:48. > :12:55.team around us, just in case. The moment we walk out of these gates,
:12:56. > :13:03.we'll be exposed to the threat of attack. We're in the heart of Green
:13:03. > :13:06.Zone, then? Yes. Very peaceful, isn't it? At the moment. However, I
:13:07. > :13:11.will probably say two years ago, it would have been a different story
:13:11. > :13:15.around this area. That's what it is, it's predominantly around here,
:13:15. > :13:25.it's just a farming community. We're talking wheat, corn, a lot of
:13:25. > :13:27.
:13:27. > :13:33.them have fruit trees, pomegranate. This is the school. This is it?
:13:33. > :13:40.It's not the kind of standard you would probably see in the UK. So,
:13:40. > :13:46.this is a typical classroom. As you can see, anybody in the UK's
:13:46. > :13:51.looking at this will probably think "it doesn't look much." once we
:13:51. > :13:56.have carpets down, the rugs, the pillows that they sit on, a white
:13:56. > :14:00.board, the teacher, we've got kids learning. The school is a massive
:14:00. > :14:04.part of any community. So all the time you're trying to instill that
:14:04. > :14:14.trust back into the authority, the local authority and the local
:14:14. > :14:20.
:14:20. > :14:29.police. You can do that through a I think we have our first pupils.
:14:29. > :14:36.Hello. Shake hands? Hello. When you can count to ten, I'll give you my
:14:36. > :14:41.watch, OK? The children I've met today will finally have a base,
:14:42. > :14:45.somewhere to come to every day to get their education in this
:14:45. > :14:49.fantastic set up. Hopefully, they won't be influenced in the future
:14:49. > :14:59.by the bad, by the Taliban. They'll take a different route, that route
:14:59. > :15:02.
:15:02. > :15:12.will be a peaceful one and a normal As we head back to the base, the
:15:12. > :15:16.
:15:16. > :15:21.atmosphere changes around us. Have they seen something? Oh my God,
:15:21. > :15:28.they have been spooked by something. Such the strangest thing, at such a
:15:28. > :15:32.peaceful community. It can change just like that. Improvements are
:15:32. > :15:37.being made, so, hopefully, these children will have a safe place to
:15:37. > :15:42.live very soon. We have a saying out here that the people are the
:15:42. > :15:46.prize. Everybody who operates out here does believe that. Eventually,
:15:46. > :15:56.we will be able to leave and leave this country in a better state than
:15:56. > :15:59.
:15:59. > :16:04.what we found it, when we first Still to come: We hear the
:16:04. > :16:12.courageous story of a Royal Marine who survived a Taliban bomb. After
:16:12. > :16:15.that, I knew this is it, nothing's going to stop me, simple as.
:16:15. > :16:19.This series is all about exceptional bravery, courage and,
:16:19. > :16:26.in the case of our next story, the ability to cope in extreme
:16:26. > :16:35.environments. In the Second World War, Burma rifleman Major Neville
:16:35. > :16:44.Hogan was part of an elite special force known as the Chindits.
:16:44. > :16:51.Chindits role was to challenge the Japanese at jungle warfare. We
:16:51. > :16:55.became special because we went behind the lines. The Chindits were
:16:55. > :16:59.the pioneers of jungle guerrilla warfare and the brainchild of Major
:16:59. > :17:07.General Orde Wingate, the British man who named them after a feature
:17:07. > :17:16.of Burmese temples. Chindit, dragons in Burma, they keep away
:17:16. > :17:21.the evil spirit. Wingate being Wingate, Chindit, a forceful name -
:17:21. > :17:25.Chindit. Before the war, Burma was part of the British Empire, but in
:17:25. > :17:30.1942 the Japanese invaded in a bid to control the country's natural
:17:30. > :17:35.resources and extend their power into South East Asia. The only way
:17:35. > :17:40.to forge a successful counterattack was to have a special army of
:17:40. > :17:44.soldiers. You trained to be a Chindit, you had to survive in the
:17:44. > :17:48.jungle. You did everything at the double. You never walked. You
:17:48. > :17:57.trotted the whole way. The only way to get deep into the Burma jungle
:17:57. > :18:06.behind enemy lines was to fly in by gliders. You are up in this glider
:18:06. > :18:13.and you are freezing cold. The next moment and the pilot said, and they
:18:13. > :18:18.have released us - there's no more noise. Then you are coming down, it
:18:18. > :18:23.is getting hotter and hotter. You can feel the heat going up your
:18:23. > :18:28.nose. We were supposed to come down at 75mph. We were coming down at
:18:28. > :18:35.150mph because of the hills. They didn't cater for the hills. It
:18:35. > :18:40.didn'ts the paddy field, hell breaks out. -- it hits the paddy
:18:40. > :18:45.field, hell breaks out. There's weeds coming up through the window
:18:45. > :18:49.and you are sitting there and you can't do a damn thing about it.
:18:49. > :18:56.After landing, Neville rounded up his secret army and prepared for
:18:56. > :19:05.battle. My full title was Recognisance Platoon Commander. I
:19:05. > :19:14.go ahead of the column, the column is 400 men - that's a lot of men -
:19:14. > :19:21.and a hundred mules. I have to find where light planes can land to take
:19:21. > :19:26.away our wounded. On 5th March, 1944, 3,000 Chindits, Wingate among
:19:26. > :19:33.them, began their mission into the heart of Burma. They faced two
:19:33. > :19:39.enemies - the Japanese and the jungle. There's the jungle with the
:19:39. > :19:45.trees with the creepers coming down. You have to hack your way through.
:19:45. > :19:49.Then there's the elephant grass. That's grass seven-foot-high. They
:19:49. > :19:55.have sharp edges and you have to walk through it. Your clothes are
:19:55. > :20:04.torn. Then the dust coming down on you. Sometimes a column would do
:20:04. > :20:08.eight miles a day, starting at 4.30am in the morning, finishing at
:20:08. > :20:12.5.00pm, doing a 12-hour day. You only do eight miles because the
:20:12. > :20:21.jungle is that thick. All I can remember is the man in front of me,
:20:21. > :20:26.or the mule with his tale in front of me swishing. The Chindits were
:20:26. > :20:32.an international fighting force. had some wonderful troops. I was
:20:32. > :20:39.born and bred in Burma, and it was tough for us. I never saw one
:20:39. > :20:45.person go back one foot. If we went forward in line, we were all there,
:20:45. > :20:51.to fight. Initially, the Chindits had taken the enemy by surprise,
:20:51. > :20:56.but soon the Japanese were fighting back. I was a soldier. I took what
:20:56. > :21:01.came. Even in the jungle when you are ambushed, your heart goes into
:21:01. > :21:07.your mouth and fear takes over. Then you fight. And you keep on
:21:07. > :21:13.fighting. And you are all over the place looking. Fire and fire quick.
:21:13. > :21:19.Get them first before they got you. Then when you stand up, "Oh my God,
:21:19. > :21:24.I'm still alive!" You are glad to be alive, that's all. To survive
:21:24. > :21:30.behind enemy lines for long periods, the Chindits had to be supplied by
:21:30. > :21:37.air, but this wasn't reliable, so they had to be resourceful. You get
:21:37. > :21:41.bamboo as thick as that and the green is hard. Where the join is,
:21:41. > :21:51.that is the soft spot. You cut that, there is water in there to drink.
:21:51. > :21:52.
:21:52. > :21:58.The British boys are not used to that, it is about that long. Bamboo
:21:58. > :22:02.you must cut upwards and you must go where the join is. They do it
:22:02. > :22:05.this way. The foliage was so dense it was easy to get lost so it was
:22:05. > :22:11.important to follow strict instructions, even when going to
:22:11. > :22:16.the toilet. You had to go in pairs. You walked about 10, 15, 20 paces
:22:16. > :22:21.away from the column, the two of you, then you would turn your backs
:22:21. > :22:30.to each other and then you did ten paces out and you dug a hole and
:22:30. > :22:35.you did your business and you came back - they don't come back,
:22:35. > :22:40.they've done a wrong turn. Surviving in these conditions was
:22:40. > :22:45.tough. Always hungry, always dirty. Always wet. You were wet with the
:22:45. > :22:54.rain, you were wet with fear. All your clothes were always damp and
:22:54. > :22:59.wet. Just tired of being tired. I cried at night sometimes. All you
:22:59. > :23:05.can think of is food. So Neville and his comrades ate whatever they
:23:05. > :23:11.could find. I thought about monkey, monkey flesh is very lovely. They
:23:11. > :23:15.only live on berries. They had blowpipes because they couldn't
:23:15. > :23:19.fire a gun because it would give our position away. Neville fought
:23:19. > :23:26.and survived for four months, deep in the heart of the Burmese jungle.
:23:26. > :23:35.But the severe conditions caught up with him in 1944. I was in hospital
:23:36. > :23:41.having been bitten by rats. I had pneumonia and malaria. Then Dame
:23:41. > :23:47.Vera Lynn came round. I said, "Kiss me, Vera." And I can tell everybody
:23:47. > :23:54.you kissed me. I met her again a few years back. I said, "You kissed
:23:54. > :23:59.me on 25th July 1944." She said, "How can you remember that?" I said,
:23:59. > :24:04."I was 21 years old!" Neville was then sent to release interns from a
:24:04. > :24:12.Japanese camp where he met a girl called Glory Rose. By the time I
:24:12. > :24:15.got to her camp, there was no fighting, the Japanese had
:24:15. > :24:20.retreated. I was amazed at what he had done during the war. I didn't
:24:20. > :24:26.believe anybody could do so much. She was cooking, making rice cakes.
:24:26. > :24:31.I thought he was a bit of a nuisance, disturbing me cooking!
:24:31. > :24:40.LAUGHTER Happy, always smiling. A damn good cook. I'm very proud of
:24:40. > :24:45.him. Neville and Glory Rose were married in 1949 and celebrated
:24:45. > :24:51.their 62nd anniversary this year. For Neville and his fellow Chindits,
:24:51. > :24:58.their legacy lives on. What the SAS is doing now, they are taking it
:24:59. > :25:04.from us. And I could be quite dangerous even now, I think. We are
:25:04. > :25:09.proud that we were the Chindits. Everyone did their bit. Otherwise
:25:09. > :25:19.you could not have overrun Burma. Every single one was a warrior. I'm
:25:19. > :25:21.
:25:21. > :25:27.This year marks the tenth anniversary of the British mission
:25:27. > :25:31.here in Afghanistan. For many, it's changed their lives forever. Pete
:25:31. > :25:37.and Laura met when they were 16- years-old. But little did they know
:25:37. > :25:42.it would be the beginning of a very special journey. As corny as it
:25:42. > :25:46.sounds, I was the waitress and he worked in the kitchen. I really
:25:46. > :25:53.enjoyed working with her. She had a great personality and sense of
:25:53. > :25:57.humour and good looks - that always helps! We had a little bit of an
:25:57. > :26:02.involvement then, but it never became anything special, so we go
:26:03. > :26:08.back a long way. But they soon drifted apart and Pete decided he
:26:08. > :26:13.needed a serious challenge. I don't know what went off in my head, what
:26:13. > :26:18.about the Marines? Why not? Let's give it a go. I definitely felt
:26:18. > :26:26.when I had that green lid on my head I was six foot tall and
:26:26. > :26:33.bullet-proof. In 2008, Pete was nearing the end of his second tour
:26:33. > :26:37.of Afghanistan when his life was turned upside-down. That morning we
:26:37. > :26:42.were packing up the vehicles, the mission had been finished and we
:26:42. > :26:49.were on the move back to Camp Bastion and then it would have only
:26:49. > :26:53.been ten or 11 days and I would have been flying home. I was the
:26:54. > :27:00.second to last vehicle and we literally started to move off and
:27:00. > :27:04.that's all I can remember to be honest. Pete's vehicle had driven
:27:05. > :27:13.over a buried bomb. He lost both his legs, suffered severe burns and
:27:13. > :27:18.had a fractured spine. My first real memory of it was I was lying
:27:18. > :27:23.in Selly Oak Hospital and obviously I couldn't sit up. In my head I was
:27:23. > :27:28.thinking, "This is it, that's me, done and dusted." What have I got
:27:29. > :27:34.for myself? Got no legs. Can't sit up. Can't do anything. Who is going
:27:34. > :27:40.to love me? Despite being a double amputee, the first hurdle Pete had
:27:40. > :27:46.to face was a major back operation which was successful. After that, I
:27:46. > :27:52.knew, right, this is it, nothing is going to stop me now, simple as.
:27:53. > :27:56.This is done, I'm getting out of here. In an awe-inspiring three-
:27:56. > :28:00.months Pete was ready to be fitted with two prosthetic legs. When I
:28:00. > :28:05.stood up for the first time, it was brilliant. I just felt like
:28:05. > :28:09.nothing's going to get in my way. Pete quickly mastered the art of
:28:09. > :28:17.walking, but this was just the beginning. The opportunity came up
:28:17. > :28:22.to do two weeks skiing in Bavaria. I thought, "Let's find out!" It did
:28:22. > :28:27.take a lot of messing about to get the balance. I wouldn't know where
:28:27. > :28:35.to start trying to guess how many falls I had, like, per day, or per
:28:35. > :28:45.week. Now, it's brilliant. I loved flying down the piste, at stupid
:28:45. > :28:45.
:28:46. > :28:50.miles an hour, waiting to get told off! Through the grapevine, Laura
:28:50. > :28:54.learnt of Pete's injuries. I wanted us to be friends again because I
:28:54. > :28:58.realised that actually life is too short and it was very nearly him
:28:58. > :29:04.not coming home. So that was when I thought, right, stop being too
:29:04. > :29:12.proud, so I dropped him a message and quickly got a reply back.
:29:12. > :29:17.typed back to her and I said, "Of course I remember you." I couldn't
:29:17. > :29:20.really forget! We started chatting and then we met up. When he gave me
:29:20. > :29:30.a hug outside the pub, it was like we have rewound the last couple of
:29:30. > :29:33.
:29:33. > :29:38.I knew then, when we first met up, I felt, yeah, I do still have
:29:38. > :29:42.feelings for her then, obviously, if I'm feeling like this right now.
:29:42. > :29:48.It didn't take long for there to be a bit of a romance starting up.
:29:48. > :29:52.Then he told me that the ski season was just about to start, so
:29:52. > :29:57.although we went on our first proper date and we could be a
:29:57. > :30:00.couple, he was going to leave the country for six months to learn how
:30:00. > :30:05.to ski and to ski race that. Was probably the big turning point in
:30:05. > :30:10.my life. By now Pete was already racing for the Combined Services
:30:10. > :30:16.Disabled Ski Team. Now firmly together, Laura was there for him
:30:16. > :30:22.wherever he was in the world. I've had a bad day on the slope or
:30:22. > :30:25.anything, then I know, phone her up, have a chat to her. Then I know,
:30:25. > :30:29.funnily enough, about five minutes later, I'll have a great big smile
:30:30. > :30:35.back on my face. The other side of that, there are
:30:35. > :30:39.the highs when he's picked up gold medals. I've had phone calls at
:30:39. > :30:43.work to say "I've just won a gold." The one thing you want to do is be
:30:43. > :30:47.there and give that person a big hug and a kiss. When possible,
:30:47. > :30:52.Laura travels to be by his side. Cheering him on from the side lines
:30:52. > :30:56.isn't always easy. When I heard that he'd crashed out, the course
:30:56. > :31:02.was on hold. There was no other racers allowed on and that the
:31:02. > :31:05.doctor was with him. That was very much a hands over the face and just
:31:05. > :31:13.basically waiting for every minute to tick by until I saw something
:31:13. > :31:18.that showed me that he was OK. March 2010, Pete was asked to carry
:31:18. > :31:23.the Paralympics torch in Vancouver. That day was extra special. Laura
:31:23. > :31:27.was out there and it was my 25th birthday. I couldn't ask for
:31:27. > :31:32.anything better to be honest while time that he was carrying the
:31:32. > :31:36.torch I had the proper cheesey, proud, girlfriend grin.
:31:36. > :31:43.As Pete prepared to leave with his team-mates, he had a sudden change
:31:43. > :31:45.of plan. Next minute, he gets off the bus and I'm thinking "What are
:31:45. > :31:52.you doing?" We've already said goodbye and had the tears. I'm
:31:52. > :31:59.waiting now to wave you off into the distance. I got my phone out of
:31:59. > :32:07.my pocket and I text a couple of the lads on the coach to say "Do us
:32:07. > :32:12.a favour, just get thor look this way." He's texting on his phone.
:32:12. > :32:16.You've come off the bus. We're going to have go goodbye again and
:32:16. > :32:21.you're texting somebody. What are you doing? I'm talking to her,
:32:21. > :32:26.saying yes, darling, of course darling, I'm going to miss you,
:32:26. > :32:33.very much and keeping an eye out to see when everyone's looking. She
:32:33. > :32:39.can see me. "What are you looking at? "I look and everyone's there.
:32:39. > :32:44.Just get down on one knee and asked her to marry me. I was just so
:32:44. > :32:48.blown away. Obviously the answer was yes. Then the next thought was
:32:48. > :32:53."You'd better be able to get back up. Because I certainly can't live
:32:53. > :32:57.lift you off the floor." Just after getting engaged, Pete was offered
:32:57. > :33:07.the chance of a lifetime, to be part of the British Paralympics ski
:33:07. > :33:08.
:33:08. > :33:11.team. Just have to wait and see what happens. Obviously he's
:33:11. > :33:16.representing this country again, this time on the ski slopes rather
:33:16. > :33:23.than on the battlefield. I am very proud of that. Proud of what he
:33:23. > :33:27.does. It's been a roller coaster ten years for Pete and Laura and it
:33:27. > :33:31.doesn't look like stopping. In February this year, they found out
:33:31. > :33:34.they were expecting. We've got a lot going on. We have the baby
:33:34. > :33:44.arriving at the start of the ski season and a wedding at the end.
:33:44. > :33:45.
:33:45. > :33:50.Lots to get organised. Laura's brilliant. Simple as. She's
:33:50. > :33:55.helped me out in so many ways. just love having Pete in my life. I
:33:55. > :34:02.couldn't imagine not having him around. She's one in a million. I
:34:02. > :34:07.love her to bits. I'm delighted to tell you that
:34:07. > :34:17.Laura gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, called Ava.
:34:17. > :34:18.
:34:18. > :34:21.Congratulations to Pete and Laura Over 9,500 British troops are
:34:22. > :34:25.deployed here in Afghanistan. In the lead up to Remembrance Sunday,
:34:25. > :34:32.I'm proud to be introducing their stories and those from past
:34:32. > :34:36.conflicts around the world. Since the beginning of the Second
:34:36. > :34:42.World War, over 16,000 men and women have given their lives
:34:42. > :34:46.serving their country. The National Memorial Arboretum in the heart of
:34:46. > :34:52.the Staffordshire is the UK's year- round centre of remembrance, a
:34:52. > :34:56.living and lasting memorial to commemorate and celebrate them all.
:34:56. > :35:06.In July, Her Majesty the Queen visited to pay her respects to
:35:06. > :35:09.
:35:09. > :35:13.those who laid down their lives In the Second World War, British
:35:13. > :35:18.efforts to keep morale high gave rise to some of our most treasured
:35:18. > :35:25.entertainers. Dame Vera Lynn is without doubt the
:35:25. > :35:28.original forces sweet heart. It all started when she joined the
:35:28. > :35:33.Entertainment National Service Association, known as ENSA.
:35:33. > :35:41.boys had their own idea of what they stood for, every night
:35:41. > :35:46.something awful. So many people who had never been on stage before,
:35:46. > :35:52.suddenly decided they wanted to be a performer. They weren't always
:35:52. > :35:55.that good. Formed in 1939 by impressario Basil Dean and the
:35:55. > :35:59.British Government, an army of performers were posted around the
:35:59. > :36:04.world to entertain troops during the Second World War. If you were a
:36:04. > :36:08.working artist and you joined up, you were made good use of, I can
:36:08. > :36:14.assure you! They may not have been fighting, but they certainly about
:36:14. > :36:19.their bit. Dame Vera was just 20 when she signed up for ENSA. She
:36:19. > :36:26.already had plenty of experience. My mother put me on the stage when
:36:26. > :36:31.I was seven. I went through all the singing, the dance bands, before I
:36:31. > :36:36.started in the real profession. It was great experience. It's a good
:36:36. > :36:44.background, you know, to be able to hold people's attention in a smoky
:36:44. > :36:49.hall in a working men's club, with no microphones. By 1940, Dame
:36:49. > :36:55.Vera's sweet voice and girl next door appeal was already a huge hit
:36:55. > :36:59.with our armed forces. I'd been broadcasting to overseas and the
:36:59. > :37:05.boys and I thought it would be nice to go and see them in person, you
:37:05. > :37:12.know, actually where they were fighting and sing to them as me and
:37:12. > :37:16.not just over the radio. So I approached ENSA and suggested that
:37:16. > :37:24.I could go overseas somewhere. They said, well, where do you want to
:37:24. > :37:29.go? I said, well, Europe gets a lot of ENSA parties, so I want to go
:37:29. > :37:34.somewhere where they're not getting a lot of entertainment, if any.
:37:34. > :37:42.They said, well, Burma is the only place that nobody wants to go to. I
:37:42. > :37:45.said, well, that's where I want to In 1944, Dame Vera arrived in Burma
:37:45. > :37:50.and even though everything was rationed, it was still important
:37:50. > :37:55.for the young singer to look her best. I took a nice pretty dress
:37:55. > :38:02.with me, because I thought I would need it. I only wore it once. It
:38:02. > :38:08.was much too hot. So I just lived in kaki all the time. Make up, of
:38:08. > :38:13.course, was a no-no. I tried it once and was per spiring. It all
:38:13. > :38:20.came off, so I thought, right, just a lipstick will have to do. That's
:38:20. > :38:24.how I worked in my kaki and a lipstick. That's was a necessity!
:38:24. > :38:32.And a little bit of lippie went a long way, as thousands turned out
:38:32. > :38:37.to see her. I never imagined singing to 6,000 in one go. It was
:38:37. > :38:41.rather wonderful really, you know, just to be a little platform and
:38:41. > :38:45.look out and see all these chaps out there, spread quite a long way
:38:45. > :38:54.away. It was rather nice really to be the only girl among so many
:38:54. > :38:58.chaps. People ask me "How did they treat you?" I said, "Absolutely
:38:58. > :39:04.perfect gentlemen they all were. Treated me with the upmost respect.
:39:04. > :39:08.There was never any saucy calls or anything like that." But it wasn't
:39:08. > :39:13.only large groups Dame Vera sung to. On one occasion two injured
:39:13. > :39:17.soldiers had a special request. They were poorly. They couldn't go
:39:17. > :39:27.to the concert. So I went to visit them and sat on their bed and
:39:27. > :39:27.
:39:27. > :39:30.chatted. They said "Will you sing We'll Meet Again?" I sang it to
:39:30. > :39:33.them # Don't know where, don't know
:39:33. > :39:39.when... # It's just something from home and
:39:39. > :39:44.that means everything. This became her signature tune. Wherever she
:39:44. > :39:50.went her pianist went as well. It didn't always go to plan. He sat
:39:50. > :39:54.down to play the piano and the sides fell off, clatter, clatter.
:39:54. > :39:59.Some of them jumped on the stage, picked the sides up, put it back
:39:59. > :40:04.and carried on. Mucking in with the boys and making
:40:04. > :40:08.the best of a challenging situation was all part of the job.
:40:08. > :40:13.appreciate what the boys were doing, you had to live with them. I
:40:13. > :40:19.wouldn't have felt comfortable, you know, if I'd lived a few miles out
:40:19. > :40:25.in a hotel. Goodness knows where the hotels are. No hotels. There
:40:25. > :40:31.weren't even any houses, let alone hotels. And being in tropical
:40:31. > :40:37.climates, she had to learn and adapt quickly. You had a bowl of
:40:37. > :40:40.soup. You'd have to be very nifty with your spoon, get it under the
:40:40. > :40:45.flies and whip out a spoonful quickly. That's what you had to do.
:40:45. > :40:50.I don't know what I lived on, I came back all right, a bit thinner
:40:50. > :40:54.than I went. I wasn't very fat to start with! During the Second World
:40:54. > :41:03.War, thousands of ENSA artists performed over 2.5 million shows
:41:03. > :41:07.worldwide. I used to go in and just talk to them. This is what they
:41:07. > :41:11.just wanted. They didn't care whether I sang or not, just that I
:41:11. > :41:16.was there, having a chat, talking about London and the Blitz, to be
:41:16. > :41:23.able to pass on messages and tell them "Don't worry about us. We're
:41:23. > :41:29.fine." Getting plenty to eat, you know, to reassure them that they
:41:29. > :41:34.were -- we were doing all right. For the troops who had been away
:41:34. > :41:40.from home for so long, the morale boost was massive. The boys
:41:40. > :41:47.appreciated so much all the ENSA artists going out there. One chap
:41:48. > :41:52.said, "Now you're here, home doesn't seem so far away. "Dame
:41:52. > :42:00.Vera sang to British troops in Egypt, India, and Burma and will
:42:00. > :42:05.always be our Forces sweet heart. The war brought out a lot of talent,
:42:05. > :42:10.you know, some not so good, but a lot of stars were made through
:42:10. > :42:17.entertaining during the war. It's one of the most important things
:42:17. > :42:23.that I did in my career. I always look back on it with happiness,
:42:23. > :42:31.actually. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I know the boys enjoyed it.
:42:31. > :42:41.That was all that mattered. Wouldn't have missed the experience
:42:41. > :42:45.Just being out here amongst today's servicemen and women, I can see how
:42:46. > :42:55.important it is to have a small bit of home nearby. I'm glad to say the
:42:56. > :42:57.
:42:57. > :43:02.tradition of entertainers coming The British camp here in
:43:02. > :43:07.Afghanistan was built in 2006 and is situated in the middle of the
:43:07. > :43:10.desert. It's the largest overseas military camp built since World War
:43:10. > :43:15.II. Camp Bastion is the engine room of all the operations here in
:43:15. > :43:21.Afghanistan. We're now going to find out what life is really like
:43:21. > :43:25.for the troops on the front line. ( Every day these Chinook helicopters
:43:25. > :43:32.ferry men and essential supplies to British soldiers throughout Helmand
:43:32. > :43:39.province. I'm lucky enough to have been given a seat in one.
:43:39. > :43:44.I'm flying over the deadly Green Zone to visit the men of A company
:43:44. > :43:49.1 rifles in the Nahr-e Saraj region. I want to discover what day-to-day
:43:49. > :43:54.life is like for soldiers on the front line in a patrol base.
:43:54. > :43:57.This one I'm in at the moment is in the heart of the Green Zone. I'm
:43:57. > :44:01.heading up to the watchtower to how close we actually are to the front
:44:01. > :44:05.line. The watchtowers or sangers are the
:44:05. > :44:09.main form of protection for a patrol base. They're heavily armed
:44:09. > :44:15.and offer a vantage point over the countryside to prevent Taliban
:44:15. > :44:20.attack. Rifleman Josh Scorah is on duty. What are you looking for?
:44:20. > :44:24.General pattern of life. If there's no locals around, that's a bad sign,
:44:24. > :44:30.because if Taliban is in the area they will generally warn off the
:44:30. > :44:36.locals not to come out. What are those white flags over there in the
:44:36. > :44:43.trees? Basically, they're Taliban flags. The Taliban come in, put
:44:43. > :44:52.these flags up in certain areas. They'll booby trap them, put some
:44:52. > :45:02.sort of anti-tamper device or IEDs on the ground. ISAF troops don't go
:45:02. > :45:02.
:45:02. > :45:07.Those Taliban flags, which are 100 metres away, are a clear reminder
:45:07. > :45:17.that we are in a dangerous place here and that's why these guys are
:45:17. > :45:22.
:45:22. > :45:26.Major Boswell has been commanding A-Company for the past six months
:45:27. > :45:31.and he and his men have made it their own. This is where the action
:45:31. > :45:36.is. This is the frontline for us. So we have this patrol base which
:45:36. > :45:41.is an old Afghan compound which we have added things to over times. We
:45:41. > :45:46.start cutting wood and putting up roofing, making camp improvements.
:45:46. > :45:51.Within your Company, you have a carpenter, a welder, a former
:45:51. > :45:55.bricky, a painter. Just seeing these random qualifications that
:45:55. > :45:59.the riflemen have from various walks of life and how that can come
:45:59. > :46:04.together to create one big construction company is amazing! It
:46:04. > :46:09.can be the most simple thing. Like creating a drainage system for
:46:09. > :46:14.brushing your teeth, or putting up a shower curtain made from some old
:46:14. > :46:18.manure sacks. Everything around us has been built and produced by the
:46:18. > :46:22.riflemen? It's done by the riflemen in conjunction with the field
:46:22. > :46:29.engineer troops. Of the 9,500 British troops in Helmand, a third
:46:29. > :46:34.endure the simple conditions of frontline compounds like this one.
:46:34. > :46:39.One of Major Boswell's riflemen, Jamie Thornton, has agreed to show
:46:39. > :46:44.me his regiment's creative DIY skills. This is the washing machine.
:46:44. > :46:50.The what? This is the washing machine. It's a cement mixer! I
:46:51. > :46:56.don't know if that is bizarre or ingenious. Ingenious. Hot water
:46:56. > :47:03.into this cement mixer and... it on like usual. Leave your
:47:03. > :47:07.washing in, throw it in, go brush your teeth, come back, rinse it,
:47:07. > :47:12.that's it. It gets the sweat and irrigation water out. What about
:47:12. > :47:17.the tumble drier? That's the sun! Even the sleeping quarters are far
:47:17. > :47:27.more basic than I thought they would be. This is our crib. Welcome
:47:27. > :47:30.
:47:31. > :47:37.to the crib. We have a mouse problem at the moment.
:47:37. > :47:46.confirmed so far! Pretty good going. It's not possible to go for a quick
:47:46. > :47:51.jog outside the walls so each base has its own gym. Exercise is not
:47:51. > :47:56.just about the body, it also helps concentrate the mind because
:47:56. > :48:01.soldiers like Jamie need to be ready and alert at all times.
:48:01. > :48:05.normal day is going out that gate and doing what we do, doing what we
:48:05. > :48:13.are trained to do. Your normal day is different to many people's
:48:13. > :48:18.normal day. Suddenly, the base seems empty and an eerie silence
:48:18. > :48:23.descends. It is quite quiet around the camp today. Where is everybody?
:48:23. > :48:30.It is very quiet. Most of the riflemen are on this operation
:48:30. > :48:35.today. We are trying to bait the insurgents out. This is the
:48:35. > :48:43.operations room. This is where they are keeping an eye on the guys on
:48:43. > :48:48.the ground. The Ops Room is the hub of any operation. It is where Major
:48:48. > :48:52.Boswell co-ordinates his men in battle. By using all the
:48:52. > :48:59.intelligence they have in here, they have identified two members of
:48:59. > :49:03.the Taliban. They are waiting now for the all-clear to engage. Major
:49:03. > :49:09.Boswell listens carefully to all the updates on the ground. And
:49:09. > :49:18.finally he makes his decision. are tracking the guy in the white
:49:18. > :49:21.jacket. The commander. That's it. Everyone's got their job,
:49:21. > :49:31.everyone's communicating brilliantly. It's an extremely
:49:31. > :49:37.
:49:38. > :49:40.job at hand and they are focused on that. Let's go for it! OK. Through
:49:40. > :49:46.Major Boswell's leadership and precision team work between the
:49:46. > :49:49.troops on the ground and in the air, the mission is a success. More
:49:49. > :49:53.importantly, with only two weeks of their tour left, none of A-Company
:49:53. > :49:56.were killed or injured on the mission. The boys who have just
:49:56. > :50:01.arrived back here have been on the patrol we were watching from the
:50:01. > :50:05.Ops Room. It is baking hot. They kind of get on with it. They must
:50:05. > :50:15.have been on foot patrol for five hours. Unfortunately, not all
:50:15. > :50:16.
:50:16. > :50:21.missions are like this. As Jamie reminds me. My mate, he was a
:50:21. > :50:26.double amputee. I was in a checkpoint at the time. I found out
:50:26. > :50:30.that he was blown up. I went and saw him in Selly Oak. That was
:50:30. > :50:35.really horrible. I was walking down the corridor - it's a long corridor
:50:35. > :50:39.- I had a bit of a cry, as you would. It was quite horrible to see
:50:39. > :50:43.him. One thing I have learnt from this place is to live life to the
:50:43. > :50:51.max. You don't know - you see people come and go all the time in
:50:51. > :50:57.the Army. Jamie's moving story about his friend is a reminder of
:50:57. > :51:01.the reason I have come to Afghanistan. There's a special
:51:01. > :51:05.place set aside in this patrol base, the memorial, the names of men and
:51:05. > :51:15.women who have fallen in battle in this area are always remembered
:51:15. > :51:16.
:51:16. > :51:21.How many have been seriously injured? How many have been lost?
:51:21. > :51:26.We have had a lot wounded, an awful lot seriously wounded and we have
:51:26. > :51:30.only lost two. Over time you learn to box it up. There's some demons
:51:30. > :51:39.out there that we will deal with when we get home, together. Right
:51:39. > :51:44.here, it is one big happy family. Nothing can really affect them. --
:51:44. > :51:50.that. Spending time here has given me an insight into how our troops
:51:50. > :51:55.live on the frontline. It is really basic here, really harsh conditions.
:51:55. > :51:59.But friendships get them through. Ef are I time -- every time they
:51:59. > :52:06.leave those gates, they put their life in danger. For that, they have
:52:06. > :52:11.my utmost respect. With loved ones serving abroad, the
:52:11. > :52:18.worry and anguish for friends and family at home is immense. Sadly
:52:18. > :52:25.for some, that worry turns into the news they never want to hear. In
:52:25. > :52:31.2003, Kate Darbyshire met Steven, a Royal Marine. He made me laugh. He
:52:31. > :52:38.was just strong and passionate and had a lust for life, really. If
:52:38. > :52:44.there was any kind of party, he would be in the middle of it. We
:52:44. > :52:51.both probably wanted children at some point. But Ryan came sooner
:52:51. > :52:58.than what we both expected, really. In a good way. Ryan was born in
:52:58. > :53:02.2004 and two years later, Callum arrived to complete their family.
:53:02. > :53:08.He was a great dad. He was hands-on from the start and amazed me,
:53:08. > :53:13.really. I think he changed the first nappy, it wasn't me - it was
:53:13. > :53:17.him. He did the first bath. I used to come home from work and he would
:53:17. > :53:21.be at home and the boys would have their tool bench out and the tools
:53:21. > :53:27.and they would be working at the side of him. Got them involved in
:53:27. > :53:32.everything. Now, to this day, they play Army on the floor with their
:53:32. > :53:40.friends and they do dress up. They have the real things so, for them,
:53:40. > :53:46.it was great, that their dad was a real soldier. In 2010, Steven was
:53:46. > :53:52.posted to Afghanistan for the third time. He phoned as often as he
:53:52. > :53:56.could and he used to ring at like around 6.00 because that would be
:53:56. > :53:59.the time that usually we would all be in, I would be home from work
:53:59. > :54:05.and if the boys had been playing out, they were getting ready for a
:54:05. > :54:10.bath. We all got to speak to him. I used to write to him probably
:54:10. > :54:16.nearly every day. Half of the time I was talking rubbish, really. It's
:54:16. > :54:20.just sending him something to know that we are thinking about him.
:54:20. > :54:26.Kate and the boys made sure he had a little something from home.
:54:26. > :54:30.had a separate part of the trolley that would be for their dad and
:54:30. > :54:34.goodies and for the rest of the lads as well. Parcels are like free
:54:34. > :54:38.to send. So it was a case of sending as many as we can and they
:54:38. > :54:42.used to help me pack the parcels, we used to weigh them together, we
:54:42. > :54:47.used to wrap them together. They would decorate the boxes, put
:54:47. > :54:51.stickers on. So I bet he was made up when his delivery arrived.
:54:51. > :54:59.was a massive morale boost for Steven who as a Royal Marine was
:54:59. > :55:03.often away from home. For us as a family, actually where he was going
:55:03. > :55:07.was a bit irrelevant, it was more the length of time that he would be
:55:07. > :55:11.away. He could have been away training somewhere for six months
:55:11. > :55:16.in a safe environment, but we missed him and he missed us. It is
:55:16. > :55:23.a long time to be away from your family so when they do come home,
:55:23. > :55:29.it's the best feeling ever. Steven was stationed in one of the most
:55:29. > :55:32.hostile areas of Helmand Province. Part of me was always worried
:55:32. > :55:36.because of the environment over there and everything and what he
:55:36. > :55:43.was doing. And the situations that he could have been in. He's been to
:55:43. > :55:49.Northern Ireland, to Iraq twice, this was his third tour in
:55:49. > :55:55.Afghanistan and I think to me in my mind he was invincible, I suppose.
:55:55. > :56:00.There was never any doubt in my mind that he wouldn't come home.
:56:00. > :56:04.The last conversation we all had with him was on the Saturday before
:56:04. > :56:09.he died on the Wednesday. He had phoned at dinner time and the boys
:56:09. > :56:15.had been playing football and we had just got in. Callum had
:56:15. > :56:19.answered the phone but he had pressed the button so he was on
:56:19. > :56:22.loud speaker, which is good now in a way because I heard the whole
:56:22. > :56:26.conversation and he spoke to Callum and asked him what he had been
:56:26. > :56:32.doing at nursery and about playing football that morning. He had spoke
:56:32. > :56:37.to Ryan and I had obviously said in my letters that he's doing really
:56:37. > :56:42.well at football and he's won such a medal and he had won a
:56:42. > :56:47.goalkeeping award the week before. He said to Ryan, "I hear somebody
:56:47. > :56:51.is like a fantastic footballer!" I could see Ryan's face, he was like,
:56:51. > :56:59."How does my dad know that when he weren't here?" The last thing he
:56:59. > :57:08.said to him was, "You will have to show me when I get home." Four days
:57:08. > :57:15.later, Steven was shot and killed. I remember I was putting my make-up
:57:15. > :57:20.on in the mirror. I watched my mum walk into me through the reflection
:57:20. > :57:24.of the mirror. I have never in my entire life seen my mum look like
:57:24. > :57:30.that, ever. When people say things like this happen and you get a gut
:57:30. > :57:38.feeling and you know, I did know. But all I could think about at that
:57:38. > :57:45.moment was protecting my children and if they could have another day
:57:45. > :57:51.where they didn't know then that was - for me it was the right thing
:57:51. > :57:56.to do. I just said to them, you know, your dad's in Afghanistan and
:57:56. > :58:01.you know like you play Army outside with your friends and you hide and
:58:01. > :58:08.you pretend you are snipers and I said, "Over there, the snipers are
:58:08. > :58:14.real and the guns are real. The bullets are real. This morning your
:58:14. > :58:19.dad's been out and he's been shot." I had conversations with them both
:58:19. > :58:24.for like hours and hours and hours, just answering question after
:58:24. > :58:30.question. And it is child questions like, "If somebody was shooting at
:58:31. > :58:40.him, why didn't he duck?" And, "Why didn't he crawl on all fours?" "Why
:58:41. > :58:43.
:58:43. > :58:49.didn't he shoot him first?" It's awful as a parent, it is the - the
:58:49. > :58:55.conversations are those that you shouldn't have to have. I don't
:58:55. > :59:04.remember being five and three. I don't know what their memories of
:59:04. > :59:11.their dad are going to be like. And it's my job to keep his memory
:59:11. > :59:20.alive and not let them forget because he was amazing and he was
:59:20. > :59:24.their dad and they need to know how amazing he was. Steven is the first
:59:24. > :59:28.thing I think about when I wake up every morning and he is the last
:59:28. > :59:34.thing I think about when I go to bed at night. I am fortunate in the
:59:34. > :59:39.fact that I have got two bits of him for the rest of my life and the
:59:39. > :59:45.biggest injustice I could ever do to him would be not to look after
:59:45. > :59:51.them properly. That is what makes me get up in the morning. Like all
:59:51. > :59:59.families of fallen servicemen and women, Kate, Ryan and Callum were
:59:59. > :00:08.awarded the Elizabeth Cross. I am so proud to have that in our
:00:09. > :00:18.possession. All little boys think their dads are heroes, but theirs
:00:19. > :00:24.
:00:24. > :00:27.It's been an absolute privilege to spend time with our Armed Forces
:00:27. > :00:30.out here in Afghanistan. I would like to thank them and everybody
:00:30. > :00:36.else who have shared their experiences with us this week.