Episode 3 Remembrance Week

This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday, and all week we will be hairg the

heroic and courageous stories, in honour of the men and women who

have given their lives, both here and in past conflicts around the

world, this is remembrance - This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday,

the Kay - day we honour those who have given their lives for their

country. In the lead up to this National Service of Remembrance, we

hear the real stories of the people who march past the Cenotaph at

Whitehall. Coming up on today's programme, an

RAF firefighter battles the biggest blaze of his life. I can remember

stand standing in the middle of the stand storm, by myself, thinking I

have all my boys and girls here. Brothers, Ernie and Len remember

their adventures as merchant seamen. On the first day the last ships

were sunk. I get manhandled here in Afghanistan. Search through the

hair feeling for anything that shouldn't be there.

Not everyone remembers the Aden emergency, but for one soldier in

particular, it is a conflict he will never forget. In 1961, Brian

Bryson never expected to go to war, let alone return a hero. But aged

just 19 he decided to join the Royal Army Service Corps.

training could be fun, at times, other times it was very serious,

but you had to work hard, marching up and down, trying to be soldiers!

I chose driving rather than infantry. It wasn't just driving a

vehicle, you had to learn how to maintain it, how to strip parts

down, and you drove different vehicles, took your driving test

and that was you. You were then qualified.

In 19678, Brian's regiment was posted - 1967, Brian's regiment was

posted to Aden, known now as Yemen. I remember stepping off the plane

when we got to Aden, very hot, 8.00pm, it was dark. We knew it was

a hot place and in the Middle East, we knew what we were going in for.

The British Government declared that'den would become independent

by 1968. But as our troops began to withdraw, local unrest erupted

between rival factions, as they fought to gain control. You didn't

know the enemy, they didn't have a uniform, they could be down the

side of the road, you didn't know. Under this constant threat, Brian

still had a job to do, which was helping to build new roads, so

local people could transport their goods to market.

We worked with the royal engineers that were there, when they went out,

we would then supply the wagons, ten-en toers to go out with them -

ten tonneers, to go out with them, so when they were blasting through

the rock they would put it on the back of the wagons, we would take

it and dump it somewhere. That was basically what you done, you

finished about 2.00pm, happy days. At night, when the troops relax,

they weren't too bothered about the odd pot shot from the enemy. There

was one night when we were watching a warry film, there was all the

shooting going about, I said the shooting is getting a bit real now,

I said there was bullet holes in the screen. We carried on watching

the film. They were useless shots any way, most of the time. This

would dramatically change when a simple mission went wrong for one

of Brian's comrades. Travelling in convoy Brian and his

team were making their way across open desert. I was walking and I

was maybe 10, 15 yards away, next thing I heard was a big whomph, I

spun round and looked at the Land Rover which was lifted into the air.

The front wheel disappeared over the horizon, never saw that again.

It all went very, very quiet. only person in the vehicle was the

driver, Tony Fenemer, known simply as Brummie. I looked back at the

Land Rover and I thought, where's Brummie. So I don't know, I just

ran to the Land Rover. From the position that he should have been

sitting in, the force of the explosion had put him across the

front of the Land Rover seats. That's when I saw what his injuries

were. Brummie was unconscious, and his left arm was severely damaged.

As the first person on the scene, Brian did all he could to help him.

We carried a first aid kit, bandages, I gave him morphine as

well. You are saving a fellow human being and soldier. The medic came

over, and the two of them they got a stretcher, took him out of the

Land Rover, and then they just took him away. Brummie was airlifted to

hospital, where his arm had to be amputated. It would be great to

think that maybe I did help save his life in that instant. Just a

couple of weeks later, Brian was able to check up on his patient.

And I said what are you going to do, he said, he's going to drive

lorries. I said oh, he said he will have his golden arm, his golden

trigger and he will be driving lorries. That was what he was like.

Beginning of June 1967, that was the last time I ever saw him.

Brummie has still got that cheeky sense of humour, and 44 years on,

he's finally on his way to meet Brian, the man who helped save his

life. Whatever happened, that day, that

week, or two weeks before, has been shut away. Because I don't remember

even the build-up to it. Just that drive through, that is all I

remember. I need the gaps to be Did you get to drive that lorry?

Yes. If it wasn't for you, and what you

are going to tell me. Thank you for surviving. I was determined to

survive. Thank you. I wouldn't have changed it, you were one of mine,

it was a pleasure,s if great to see him again.

I think it is important that the younger generation realise what

Remembrance is all about. It is not just parading with Stards and

laying poppy wreaths, because every pop y... Represents blood, given by

the men and women of this country, in conflicts throughout the years,

we should never, ever forget that. One of the reasons our troops are

in Afghanistan, is to gradually allow the local communities take

responsibility for their own security. One of the ways they are

doing this, is by mentoring the Afghan police.

I'm on my way out of Camp Bastion, to a police headquarters, located

near a village called ping ping - Pinkalay, in Helmand Province.

Today an initiative is nearing completion, that has helped bring

greater security to the local people. This headquarters is the

hub of British army efforts in the area.

Captain Giles Walsh leads a dedicated team of British mentors

who live and work alongside the Afghan police.

Tell me what your role is here? aim of myself and my team is to

provide development to the police, so that when we eventually withdraw

in 2014, they will be able to stand on their own two legs and be self-

sufficient and survive themselves. Since you have been here, how have

you seen this area change for the better? A year ago, there was

fighting in the streets of Pinkalay, and now, the police can walk around,

unarmed, and they are very much central to the local community.

British military have been passing on their expertise to the Afghan

security forces since 2009. One of the most important, yet basic

lessons they teach, is how to conduct an effective search. A lot

of the bomb making equipment is moved in by local, hidden on their

person. We are improving the capability of the police to uncover

these component parts. These hidden components can be anything from a

length of wire, to a battery. Finding them before they can make

their way into a bomb can save lives.

I have been asked to help Lance Corporal James Alldread, and I may

have a little surprise up my sleeve. Just give you a quick demonstration

on how to search someone. Search through his hair, feel through his

scalp for anything you can feel there. Smooth down, not a pat down.

Every crease and fold just be meticulously searched. That is the

top half, now the bottom half, searching there. Obviously we found

something. What is that Just a bit of wire for farming I'm doing.

kind of farming? Sheep warming? Sheep farming with wire. The story

doesn't add up, we take that from him, that will go in plastic bag.

It's training exercises like these that will prepare the Afghan forces

for when the British leave in 2014. These newly trained policemen

operate from ten road side checkpoints. They are critical for

security, preventing the free movement of insurgent fighters and

suicide bombers. There is only one way of finding out what the

checkpoints are really like, that is by going to see them myself.

Which is exactly what I'm going to do now.

As soon as we leave the gates of the compound, which have - which we

have just done, basically anything can happen. For the troops who make

this journey every day, this may seem routine, for me it is deeply

unnerving. It is when you start going off

beyond the realms of the main service routes that it actually

starts to get a bit dicey. We're seen as the outsiders, that we are

always going to be targeted,en to extent. We have arrived at Check

Point Sapan, it is being built to protect the local village and

farming community. Getting out the back of that

vehicle was weird, it is a real sense of reality. It is a real

situation. Everyone here is aware of where they are. Hello. Nice to

meet you. Just the final snagging done today, and should be complete

in ten days. The men based here will search

suspect vehicles and individuals. This is one of many checkpoints

that the Afghan National Police are taking over throughout Helmand

Province. This checkpoint is like a fortress, it is a real statement,

one to the insurgents, to say stay away from us, and secondly, and

most importantly, it is to say to the local people that we are here

for you, and we are going to look out for you and keep you safe and

secure. Whilst we have made good progress,

there is still a significant way to go before they are ready to take

over by themselves. It is very fulfiling just seeing the police

are willing to actually improve themselves and are keen to develop.

Getting medical help to injured troops, in any war zone, is vital,

and it was no different during World War II, when a group of

courageous men and women were risking their lives to get help to

others. And one of these amazing women, was

88-year-old Lillian West, who like her comrades, had one priority.

make sure we would get them back to fight again for their country.

In 1944, RAF nurse Lillian volunteered to join the air

ambulance, which would send her straight into the heart of occupied

Europe. I mean I had never been abroad

before, I had never been out of Wales before. And then to go to

France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, well, well, a young girl of 19, who

was I going to see? A Frenchman? was an extraordinary step for this

ordinary girl from Wales. It is now or never! I have signed, I have to

go, that was it. Went in and got kitted out, got my trousers on, got

my flying jacket, and everything else what I had to do. Lillian and

the crew flew in unmarked Dakotas, flying to the frontline meant they

were always in danger. My, we were shot at, the Germans shot at us. It

was frightening, but there was nothing we could do. We were

thinking, oh my God, if they do a direct hit, what will happen to us

now. They try to fly as level as possible, because of the injured.

Because if you have a Stuka coming after you, you had to dive, and

that was it. With limited medical supplies, the nurses had to care

for the wounded as best they could. That was all we could do. We

escorted them from the battlefield, give them comfort, whatever was

needed, until they reached England. One orderly per plane, that was our

job. With thousands of injured troops needing the aid, the job was

often relentless. We flew night and day, there was nothing for it, you

see. You had to go from England in the morning, four hours, five hours,

to get to Germany, then get loaded and get back, it was eight to ten

hours. We had no parachute, no nothing, we were not allowed to

carry a parachute, because the plane if it went down we had to

stay with the patients. Lillian's first flight across the

channel would be her most memorable. When the pilot delivered unnerving

news. Hold tight, he said, we have a burst tyre, landing. Don't worry,

it's already he says he knows what he was doing, he z but he crash

landed. The plane landed in a French field, thankfully all the

crew were safe. He said, we can't take her back, we will have to wait

for replacements. Lillian was stranded for a week, when she

returned home, her family were surprised. My mother said, it's you

is it. I said, yes, why? She said we had a telegram to say you were

missing presumed dead in France. Oh, I said I'm alive, I said, it's all

right. I said I think I am! wasn't long before Lillian was back

on duty, and caring for critically injured men. Head injuries, chest

injuries, broken arms. Shrapnel through the bodies, you would never

believe what some of our boys went through. You would never believe it.

But Lillian and her comrades also added a personal touch. We used to

write for them, if they wanted a letter, you know, just would you

write a few lines for us, and get them posted or anything like that.

I used to think, if some poor mother's son, or some woman's

husband. You had to feel sorry for them, there is nothing else for it.

Just pray to God that I could get them back safe. This courageous

group became known as the Flying Nigtingales, the first air born

medal evacuation service - air bourne medical evacuation service.

We brought back 100,000 between us all. For Lillian, it is a job she

will always look back on with immense pride. It was a tough job.

But there you are. They were other people had tougher jobs. The boys

had tougher jobs with fighting, weren't they.

I was serving my king and country. If I was young again I would go

back and do the same thing again. Still to come, we join a school

outing, as they visit the hub of remembrance in Edinburgh.

It is important to remember all the people that sacrificed their lives

and still sacrifice their lives today. When a fire starts in the UK,

you pick up the phone and dial 999, out here, in a war zone, in the

middle of the desert, it is not so straight forward. For 34 years,

Steve Bowden has been a Royal Air Force firefighter. An RAF

firefighter is a special breed of individual. We do the same as

civilian firefighters, but the main focus is the rescue of air crew,

that is what we do 24/7. Formed after the Second World War in 1945,

RAF firefighters have been saving lives around the world.

And out in Afghanistan, they work closely with our American allies.

It is a case of helping each other out, because there is only them,

and there is only us, and that's it, there is no 99, nobody will come -

999, nobody will come screaming around the corner in a big red

lorry. In April 2010, Steve was based in Camp Bastion, when a call

came through that would test his nerve and skill to the limit.

particular evening I had my evening meal and was in the Internet cabin

making contact with home, when one of my firefighters came and said

you better come and have a look at this boss.

The fire had started in Camp Leatherneck, an American base,

located a couple of miles outside Camp Bastion. And this is actually

what Steve saw. The plume could be seen for two miles or more. When

you see that A smoke, you know, as they say, it's a goer.

It is a firefighters' worst nightmare, because you have no idea

what you are going in to. After summoning the team, Steve was the

first on the scene. There was an American colleague I touched base

with, who was starting to give information of what was in there.

Which went from dried goods, storage boxes, oxygen cylinders,

petrol, oil and lubricants in containers, and stuff stacked on

top of stuff. Not only is it that way but up as well. A strong wind

was developing quickly, turning the fire into an inferno.

The wind carried it on, and it was just setting fire to everything all

the way along the line. The harsh conditions, that time of year,

don't help because the sun, the climate, the wind, dries everything

out, fabrics, wood, it is all tinter box dry. Soofr an arriving,

they faced a main prob - soon after arriving, they faced a major

problem, the water supply ran out. It is not the best time in my life,

dealing with a fire and you have nothing to do. The danger was

mounting as the fire was raging out of control. By then people were

coming up and tapping me on theer saying, by the way, we have this in

there as well, and you might want to know there is fuel on there as

well, there is a little fuel farm here. All of this is going on while

you are standing there with no water.

Finally water arrived from nearby sources. But the danger to our

troops on the ground was becoming an alarming reality.

We had to make sure people were getting away for their own safety,

it was becoming blatantly obvious there was a lot of stuff in there

dangerous. Tyres going up and down in the air, as with the

firefighters, and the oxygen cylinders, exploding, going up in

the air. You have no idea where they are going to land, that is

frightening. Whilst the fuel out of the 45 gallon drums will have gone,

the 45 gallon drum weighs a lot, if that hits you on the no nogin you

know about it. 45 minutes later another catastrophy struck.

60knot duststorm came through the whole area. You couldn't see your

hand in front of your face. The wind then changed and some of the

accommodation, which our American colleagues were in, is tented

accommodation, that started to catch fire as well, people had to

be evacuated. Areas that weren't on fire, sort of got themselves

involved in the fire by mother nature. That wind, was taking all

the embers across Leatherneck and Bastion, it became too dangerous to

do anything, we withdrew, that was not an easy decision for any of us

to take. There is certainly a moment when I knew it was beating

us. You think, what now? What will they give me now, what's next. To

have no water, a sandstorm, limited resources, I mean, three of your

worst nightmares. But with the fire now covering the area of three

football pitches, Steve had even bigger concerns. I can remember

standing in the middle of the sandstorm, by myself, thinking I

don't know if I have all my boys and girls here.

We actually really got control of it, I guess, about 11.30, midnight.

It is still going like a good'un, it is raging, but we have it where

we want it. You just can't imagine You just couldn't imagine that 16

hours we were here fighting this fire. Against all odds, Steve, his

38 RAF firefighters and their American colleagues, tackled the

blaze without a single loss of life. The team work between, not only my

own firefighters, but the United States marine firefighters,

outstanding, we don't see it as them and us, it is us. That is what

enabled us to win that fight. Wherever you are in the world,

whatever nationality, a firefighter is a firefighter, I'm just one of

them. In the clear light of day, the

extent of the devastation was obvious. And the actions of Steve

and his team didn't go unnoticed by the general of the American marine

cops. We could have had catastrophic loss of life, because

of the way you fought that fire, we lost nobody. I can buy new things,

but I can't buy new people. There is no doubt the efforts of Steve

and his team - there is no doubt the efforts of Steve and his team

that night saved people. I have been a firefighter for 45 years,

that fire at Camp Leatherneck was the biggest, and it is the biggest

the fire force has fought in its history. On returning home Steve

was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal. I wear it with, not just for

those 38 people, but the fire service as a whole, past and

present. During the Second World War, it

wasn't just the Royal Navy patrolling the oceans, there was

another group of courageous seamen, without whom Britain would have

struggled to survive. Brothers Len and Ernie, grew up

around the Bristol docks, and it sparked a lifelong love of the

ocean. A friend went off to sea, and he

came back, and he had a lovely plastic belt, red, yellow and black,

he said he bought it in America, I wanted to get one of those, I threw

my job in and went on to the Norwegian ship, at 15, in 141.

Len decided to join the war effort, and signed up with the Norwegian

Merchant Navy, which, alongside ships from other nations, supplied

Britain with vital goods during the war. The Merchant Navy brought all

supplies of everything, fuel, gasoline, food, ammunition,

whatever was needed, was brought to this country by the Merchant Navy.

But for a boy who had never left home before, Len's first experience

at sea was hard. We settled early, so the family never saw me go. I

went to the lifeboat that evening, and cried my eyes out, I was home

sick, I felt sick and I had a hole in my sock. What was in front of us

I never knew, I never knew what the sea could be like, on the North

Atlantic, and all those huge seas. The biggest seas we had seen was on

the beach. Len soon found his sea legs and returned three months

later with a different look. I had a stetson hat, a big jacket, and

lumber Jack boots, I had. And 15 years of age, I must have looked

real stupid! It wasn't long before Ernie followed in his brother's

footsteps. The conditions were tough. Our first trip it was

horrendous ways, there was valleys and mountains. The ship would dive

down into the valley, stick in, and then go up on to the wave and down

we would go again. That went on for three weeks. My first job was an

officers' mess boy, I had to be up at 5.30am, and take coffee to the

bridge, and take the coffee down, and then I would have to help with

the breakfast, help with the galley, they were hard times, but we

survived. That is why Norwegian captains always ask for Bristol

boys, because we were tough and very efficient in what we done. We

didn't cause much trouble. Although they carried essential

cargo, Merchant Navy ships had little protection against the enemy.

We didn't realise what it was like at sea, people don't know, they

knew nothing about the Merchant Navy. We had naval ships, they were

there to protect us, they had the speed and the guns, we had one old

gun on the stern, from the First World War, and one gunner, I

suppose the merchant seamen were supposed to help with that. As they

sailed unprotected through the Atlantic, the convoys were subject

to the huge risk of attack from German u boats. You would have to

go through - U-boats. You would have to go through three or four

lines of U-boats, they were in an arc. That was all that worried

Churchill, in the battle for the Atlantic. One thing would bring

home the constant danger they faced every time they set sail. In 1942

we were sailing on our own through the Gulf of Mexico, because the

Americans wouldn't do escorts. a couple of weeks into their three-

month voyage, they were torpedoed. I went across the bridge, and I

bumped my head, back on the wheel, they stayed on the wheel. Ernie was

in the cabin down below. It was about 6.00am. 5.00am. Time dims

your memory. I remember a great big explosion, next thing I was thrown

out of my top bunk, and on my mate in the bottom bunk ofg was on top

of me, we had bleeding from the ears and nose. Order prevailed and

we took off with the submarine chasing us for one hour. As we are

getting close to the Mississippi Delta they gave up. Crossing the

waters was treacherous, on the up side, they were seeing the world.

Going into New York and seeing all the skyscrapers, we had never seen

those before, and walking through Manhatten, into times Syntagma

Sqare, and seeing the Camel Cigarette advert blowing out great

terrific. New Orleans, that was a good time. I remember getting a

great big piece of water mellon, five cents, I had never seen it

before, it was great. You had to sit on the long tables with this

water mellon round our ears, chewing away, beautiful.

And travelling around the globe meant the temptation to bring home

souvenirs was too great for Len. bought chairs back from Africa, a

monkey back, and carpets from india, all the stuff I used to buy. One I

am I had a whole tea chest full of food, and a Christmas cake from New

York. Granddad had some of the cake it was too rich for him, nearly

killed him. But like all merchant seamen, Len and Ernie were away for

months on end, coming home was always special for their mother.

She rushed down, and give us a cuddle. We didn't realise how much

she missed us, a mother's love is so much in that. Especially if your

two youngest sons and that. After we came back after being torpedos,

she said thank God, you are not going back again are you? We said,

yes, we are. Despite the crucial role the Merchant Navy played

during the war, its work was widely overlooked. We had the biggest

Merchant Navy at the beginning of the war, from the first day to the

last day, ships were sunk. I think the last ship was torpedoed about

10.45am. Over 2,000 merchant ships were lost, the Navy lost 200. Life

as a merchant seaman was rough. People did not appreciate it, we

just had one little badge, the officers had their uniform,

otherwise you were not known, they thought you were stragglers, sort

of thing, not doing your part. But we had some terrible experiences,

and lost a lot of friends, lots of friends. 30,000 merchant seamen

lost their lives, but without their contribution, Britain may never

have won the war. For Len and Ernie, their team as sea farers will

always have faegs time in their hearts. I Sir - a special time in

their hearts. I Sir come-and-a-half gailted the world, beautiful ship,

beautiful comrades. I enjoyed every day of it, even cold, wet, tired,

wonderful life. The poppy is the ultimate symbol of

remembrance, and there is a group of veterans who work throughout the

year to make their own personal contribution.

The Lady Haig Poppy Factory in Edinburgh was established in 1946,

and employed veterans of the British Armed Forces. Lady Haig

decided to set up the factory to provide Scottish poppies for

Scottish families. She started off with four men in a hut, by 1928 she

was employing over 100 men. factory's founder put her own

personal mark on what has become an iconic symbol of remembrance.

Because lady Hague designed the original pop - Lady Haig designed

the original poppies, her design was slightly different from down

south. We have tried to continue that design difference over the

generations. It is four-leafed rather than three, it is crimped

rather than smoothed, it is a brighter material and doesn't have

the green leaf the English one does. Uniquely the factory gives ex-

servicemen and women, some of whom are disabled, the chance to work.

It is incredibly important to offer employment to people that have worn

uniform for their country, and made sacrifices themselves, and have

struggled to find employment. has been part of the team for over

five years, and for him, the factory is much more than just a

place of work: I love the job, I love it, I know that every poppy I

make could be a pound. For the war heros and things like

that. Lots of the equipment we use is very old and quite basic, it is

deliberately quite old and basic, because we want to employ as many

ex-servicemen as we possibly could, we could automate processes, that

would mean getting rid of the people we employ, that is not what

we want to do. It is actually an old printing press, which I believe

is between 100 and 150 years old. Andy operates one of the oldest

machines in the factory, cutting hundreds of silk petals every day.

I think the best thing about working here is the camaraderie, it

is very much like a family. It is an excellent place to work. It is

almost like therapy. Colin operates the petal crimping machine, and has

worked at the factory for two years. Having served with the 3rd

Battalion The Rifles, he finds himself with a new set of comrades.

People sell you the service sense of humour is different, and a lot

of us here wouldn't be in open employment, working here gets you

out of the house, gets you working, brings home a wage, plus you have

good fun with the guys as well. Every wreath and every poppy we

make is made by hand. And every one is made with great care and a great

eye for quality. The factory is open all year round to ensure they

are able to meet the demands for the annual Scottish Poppy Appeal.

We make 5.1 million poppies a year, we make about 28,000-long stemmed

poppies. 10,000 wreaths a year. We also make the wooden crosses that

people plant in the Garden of Remembrance each year. The factory

opens its doors to visitors, which includes hundreds of schoolchildren.

The veterans enjoy sharing their war stories, as well as teaching

them the importance of the poppy. think it is really important that

the children come here to visit the factory for a number of reasons.

They need to learn a little about the horrors of the First World War,

and that history needs to be kept alive. Touring the factory and

meeting the veterans is a real eye- opener for the younger generation.

It is fun coming to the Poppy Factory, because we come down and

get to make loads of poppies. enjoyed making all those poppies,

and also meeting all the ex- servicemen. They have been selling

us some stories about why they are here and how things work and

everything, it is really interesting.

My favourite part about coming here is probably listening to the

stories and making poppies. It is important for the children to come

round, and can see men who have actually been in wars, like Ireland,

and Afghanistan, even, and you have got to keep rembering. It is

important to remember all the people that sacrificed their lives

and still sacrifice their lives today to help give us the free

country we have. I really did enjoy today, coming and learning about

what they have to do, and what really the poppy means to Scotland

and Britain. Remembrance means to me that eventhough people are still

fighting today, and people have died, that just to remember them,

because they have been fighting for the country and they are really

important. Poppy Scotland, the charity mind the Poppy Factory,

uses the funds raised to give money back to the Armed Forces community.

Poppy Scotland will help absolutely anybody who is a member of the

Armed Forces community. It could be somebody coming back from

Afghanistan, a World War II veteran, their family and one of their

dependants. We are making a difference to individuals who

otherwise would be left aside. Poppy Scotland is there to support

them whatever and whenever that need may be. Thanks to the

generosity of the public, 2010 was a record-breaking year for the

Scottish Poppy Appeal. This year we raised �2.34 million. It is the

first time we have raised over �2 million through the tins. That

allows us to improve somebody's quality of life. Every pound you

are putting into the poppy tin to buy a Scottish poppy, that poppy is

hand made in Scotland by a Scottish veteran. I'm incredibly proud of

being involved in the factory, it is a unique organisation, and we

are a real power for good in the sector in which we operate.

It is fantastic and happy place to work, it does terrific good work.

I really do enjoy it. I have never been so happy in a long time.

definitely like a family, there is no getting away from that. It is

lovely. I'm very, very proud of it, very proud. I hope it goes on