0:00:04 > 0:00:07Hello, and welcome to Remembrance Week.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09I'm in Camp Bastion,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12the base of British operations here in Afghanistan.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17To mark Remembrance Sunday, we'll be meeting some amazing people
0:00:17 > 0:00:22and reflecting on their stories of bravery, loss and survival.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Men and women that epitomise all it is great about our Armed Forces.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Coming up on today's programme...
0:00:32 > 0:00:37A World War II soldier returns to the beach where he landed on D-Day, 1944,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41and tells his harrowing tale of death and survival.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Once we got out of that landing craft,
0:00:45 > 0:00:51we was to get across here like an Olympic runner.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53A brave pilot from the first Gulf War
0:00:53 > 0:00:56describes his extraordinary tale in enemy hands.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02As all these bullets were bouncing round us,
0:01:02 > 0:01:04John and I were lying next to each other.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Our eyes were like dinner plates and he turned to me and said,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08"Shall we kill ourselves?"
0:01:10 > 0:01:12And we hear the tragic story of a young women who lost
0:01:12 > 0:01:15the love of her life in Afghanistan.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Please just say he's injured.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21That's all I wanted to hear because I could tell it was about Steve.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25And then he shook his head and said that Steve was dead.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37For many veterans, the scars of the battlefields may heal,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39but the memories never leave.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Going back to the place where their comrades fell can be
0:01:42 > 0:01:45an emotional experience, as our next story reveals.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48MUSIC: "LAST POST"
0:01:50 > 0:01:5488-year-old Robert Coupe has come back to Normandy
0:01:54 > 0:01:58to remember his part in D-Day and the Normandy invasion.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06He will never forget those who lost their lives
0:02:06 > 0:02:08and for more than 20 years,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Robert has visited his fallen comrades who now rest here.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18I think of these guys every day without fail.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21They know that I will come
0:02:21 > 0:02:24and I wouldn't let them down.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28They died so that we could live the life that we want,
0:02:28 > 0:02:33not the life that Adolf Hitler had in store for us.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Robert Coupe was just 14 years old when World War II broke out.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45I had reached the age of 18 and that was it.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47I was in the Army then.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53In 1943, as a new recruit,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Robert began his training in the East Lancashire Regiment.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Serving in the infantry, he would be part of the ground troops.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06I thought it would be a bit adventurous.
0:03:06 > 0:03:12There were some good times we had in the Army, like, and that,
0:03:12 > 0:03:17but when we went to war, then you saw the other side of it.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23America, Canada and Britain embarked
0:03:23 > 0:03:26on the greatest amphibious operation ever undertaken.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Cloaked in secrecy and two years in the planning,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36156,000 Allied troops were about to launch an attack
0:03:36 > 0:03:37on the beaches of Normandy.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43For Robert, this was to be his first mission.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48They told you before you went
0:03:48 > 0:03:52what your life expectancy was and if you were
0:03:52 > 0:03:55the ordinary soldier,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59you could go three and a half weeks, possibly a month.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01But you wouldn't get more than that, like.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06This was indeed the zero hour.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09For Winston Churchill, more than almost anyone else,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11as he boards invasion craft
0:04:11 > 0:04:13to bid Godspeed to Allied troops.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17D-Day should have been on the fifth and we were ready to go,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20but the weather was atrocious.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28There was a window of opportunity for 24 hours and that was on the sixth.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Under complete radio silence,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36at twilight came the signal for the dash across the Channel.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41At dawn on the sixth of June, 1944, a huge naval force
0:04:41 > 0:04:45of nearly 7,000 vessels raced across the English Channel.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Their target, five beaches on the Normandy coastline.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Retracing his steps,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Robert remembers the day he landed on Sword Beach.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07It was a massive amount.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11It was the biggest armada that the world had ever seen.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14You didn't know exactly what was going to happen.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Shattering the dawn 90 minutes before H hour,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21the naval bombardment opened up.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29More shell tonnage was expended in one hour than in the entire
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Allied naval campaigns of World War I.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35The Navy's aim was to smash coastal defences,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38giving Allied ground forces the best chance
0:05:38 > 0:05:40of success to storm the beaches.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45The battleships opened up on the beach. The firepower was terrific.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Yes.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Without it, I don't think we'd have made it.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55It gave you confidence,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59and that's what you need in these sort of things, a bit of confidence.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06The Navy had done all they could to weaken the enemy.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11It was now time for Robert to board a landing craft
0:06:11 > 0:06:16and make the final approach to shore to face the enemy.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23You are riding on top of the waves all the time
0:06:23 > 0:06:25and it's more or less going like that.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Every time a wave comes, you're going like that
0:06:29 > 0:06:32and it makes you very seasick.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35After a while, you're retching and retching.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39You're glad to get on some dry land, like, you know,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43never mind the Germans. We'll worry about them later.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Let's get on to some solid ground.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56On Sword Beach, the Germans were waiting for them
0:06:56 > 0:06:59along the coast and in surrounding houses.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02They were ready to attack any man who came ashore.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12I landed somewhere in this area here in the landing craft.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17With it being flat-bottomed, when it finally touches the beach,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20the front comes down and out you go.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Having survived the landing,
0:07:23 > 0:07:29Robert now faced the terrifying run across the beach,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31dodging mines and under constant attack from enemy fire.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37Most important thing was once you got out of the landing craft,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39was to get across here like an Olympic runner.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46You don't hang about, you run hell for leather to get up here.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54The bullets were whistling past you and you could hear them...
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Going...
0:07:57 > 0:08:01And it's like a load of birds chirping.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04And you see people dropping.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Others are rolling about, with stomach wounds
0:08:09 > 0:08:10and all sorts of wounds.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20You would lose three men for every one man that the Germans lost.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Landing on exposed beaches meant a high number of casualties.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39By the end of D-Day,
0:08:39 > 0:08:44as many as 4,400 Allied troops had lost their lives.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46You see some terrible sights.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Then you pick your dead mates up and that,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52and I thought...
0:08:52 > 0:08:58when some of my mates got killed,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02at first, I cried.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Then after, I got hardened.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Well, I was 19.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18And some of them were 18.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19When you think...
0:09:24 > 0:09:25it's...
0:09:28 > 0:09:30They never had a life.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33No.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Poor...
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Many had sacrificed their lives to help the Allies
0:09:51 > 0:09:54succeed in the cross-channel invasion.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00But for Robert, this was only the beginning.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07ORIGINAL VOICE-OVER: 'With the beachhead secure,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10'the infantrymen lost no time in driving onto other objectives.'
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Now they had to fight their way across Normandy.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19A few miles south of the coast was their next target,
0:10:19 > 0:10:20the city of Caen.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29A few miles down the river is Caen,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31and that is the way that we were heading.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37We went in across the fields and minefields and so on,
0:10:37 > 0:10:43but the further you went in, the stiffer the opposition was, like.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49They underestimated the strength of the enemy.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Planned to take only a day,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54capturing Caen dominated the fighting for weeks.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Usually they would lie in the grass
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and then they would suddenly pop up,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08shoot somebody in the back, and that was it.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13By 7th July, a month after D-Day,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17three divisions had fought their way to the outskirts of the city
0:11:17 > 0:11:19waiting for dawn to attack.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24And to help break down the German defences,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Allied bombers launched an aerial strike.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29DISTANT BLASTS
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Morale shot up when we saw the bombers going over.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42We thought, "That's just what they deserve."
0:11:48 > 0:11:54We thought that hardly anybody would be left, but we were wrong.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Adolf Hitler has had his say - victory or death.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02The Germans were fighting back.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10The amount of firepower that they had was very strong,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13especially their artillery,
0:12:13 > 0:12:18and they tried to decimate us so that we couldn't get any further.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24The final hours of battle saw some of the most savage fighting.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28When you're in a situation like that,
0:12:28 > 0:12:33you run short of ammunition on both sides,
0:12:33 > 0:12:38and then you are left to fight
0:12:38 > 0:12:41either with your bayonet or your knife or something.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44It gets pretty close.
0:12:47 > 0:12:53And hand-to-hand fighting, and that's the worst part of it, like.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58The Germans were ordered to stay put,
0:12:58 > 0:13:03and fight to the last man and the last bullet.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05And they did.
0:13:05 > 0:13:11A day after storming the city, Caen was reclaimed by the Allies.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16D-Day and the Normandy invasion had cracked Hitler's fortress.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Two months on, the Allies would march into Germany.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24But victory came at a cost.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45For Robert, this cemetery in Normandy will always be
0:13:45 > 0:13:50a place to remember his comrades from the East Lancashire Regiment.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59They made the supreme sacrifice. These guys are the real heroes.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05I don't regard myself as a hero, but these guys are heroes.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09I don't think they should ever be forgotten.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Robert Coupe is one of the veterans
0:14:16 > 0:14:19that the Heroes Return Programme has helped,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22enabling them to travel back to where they served,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26men and women to whom we pay our respects this Sunday.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33On 2nd August 1990, Saddam Hussein's tanks invaded Kuwait,
0:14:33 > 0:14:37triggering the Gulf War. For one eager young Tornado pilot,
0:14:37 > 0:14:42this was the opportunity to put all of his training into action.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52I can never remember ever not wanting to be a pilot, really.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56You're elated when the Air Force turns around
0:14:56 > 0:14:59and says you have an opportunity to fulfil your childhood dream.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06In 1991, John Peters got his first taste of action
0:15:06 > 0:15:10and what would be the first war to be captured live on television.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14The invasion of Kuwait forced the United Nations
0:15:14 > 0:15:17to issue Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein
0:15:17 > 0:15:21with a deadline to withdraw his troops from Kuwait.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24By January 15th, 1991
0:15:24 > 0:15:27he'd failed to comply.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29This forced a UN-backed Coalition to step in
0:15:29 > 0:15:31and war was declared.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35When it all kicked off,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37there was excitement, actually.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38This was big.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40That was probably the first time
0:15:40 > 0:15:44that any of us, almost including John,
0:15:44 > 0:15:50really thought that they may end up in an actual conflict situation.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53No-one, I think, actually wants to go to war
0:15:53 > 0:15:56but you want to be involved
0:15:56 > 0:16:00and you didn't want to be the one to miss the boat.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04After months of planning, the coalition force gathered to initiate
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Operation Desert Storm.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11The aerial bombardments began on the 17th of January.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13John and his navigator,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Flight Lieutenant John Nichol,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17took off for the first low-level bombing.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19It was day one of the war.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22That day was a weird day,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25because I got a phone call about midnight
0:16:25 > 0:16:28from one of the other girls on the base
0:16:28 > 0:16:30saying, "It's started."
0:16:30 > 0:16:33NEWS REPORT: The time, a quarter to one this morning.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36The location, an airbase somewhere in eastern Saudi Arabia
0:16:36 > 0:16:40and the mission, to bomb strategic targets in Iraq and Kuwait.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42We were all just watching the news.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45We literally sat there until about six in the morning.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50The two Johns were part of 15 Squadron
0:16:50 > 0:16:53flying Tornado jet fighters.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55The twin-engine aircraft was heavily armed
0:16:55 > 0:16:56and ready for battle.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01It was a high/low/high sortie,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04so we went in high-level to drop down low into Iraq,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06to bomb Ar Rumaylah Southwest airfield.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08On the way in, we started
0:17:08 > 0:17:11getting shot at by anti-aircraft guns
0:17:11 > 0:17:12with all the tracer,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15it was like knitting crisscrossing in front of you.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19But when they reached the target, their bombs failed to release.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21They were forced to turn back.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24In that moment,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26you just feel gutted,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29because all that training
0:17:29 > 0:17:33and you think you're a complete failure.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37As they headed back, disaster struck.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39They were hit by a missile.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44And we were sat at the front of this ball of flame.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45It was like being the front of a comet.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52There was only one choice. Eject from the aircraft.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02I remember sitting on the ground in the desert,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04so you've suddenly gone from the front end of the largest
0:18:04 > 0:18:06air offensive in the history of mankind
0:18:06 > 0:18:10and then suddenly you're sitting in the sand.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13And it's just totally quiet.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15The two of them were in hostile territory
0:18:15 > 0:18:17and had to move fast,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20but soon they were spotted by an Iraqi enemy patrol.
0:18:22 > 0:18:2420 soldiers with Kalashnikov machine guns open up
0:18:24 > 0:18:29and we are consumed in this cloud of bullets.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31And as all these bullets were bouncing around this,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34John and I were lying next to each other,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36our eyes like dinner plates and he turned to me
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and said, "Shall we kill ourselves?"
0:18:39 > 0:18:42And I don't know why, in that moment
0:18:42 > 0:18:44I turned to him and I said,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47"No, there's always hope.
0:18:47 > 0:18:48"Why do their job for them?"
0:18:50 > 0:18:52And...
0:18:52 > 0:18:56that was our decision to give ourselves up.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01John and Flight Lieutenant Nichol were bundled into a truck
0:19:01 > 0:19:03and taken to Baghdad.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05The next thing,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07I'm in a room, sat at a chair,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09got a bag on your head, you're handcuffed,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12and you hear a voice going, "Name, rank..."
0:19:12 > 0:19:14and you think, "This is interrogation."
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Then they say, "Are you pilot or navigator?"
0:19:16 > 0:19:20And I started to go, "I cannot..."
0:19:20 > 0:19:22SOUND OF BEATINGS
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Suddenly, you got a baseball bat around your head
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and you're on the floor and that's shocking,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31I've never been hit with a baseball bat,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and then they don't ask you a question for 40 minutes.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37It's five, six men with baseball bats
0:19:37 > 0:19:41and rubber truncheons,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43just beat your body.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45The war raged on.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Coalition forces continued air assaults on Baghdad
0:19:48 > 0:19:50where the prisoners were being held.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55After three days of torture, John was given a choice.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57They put a gun right against your head
0:19:57 > 0:20:00and they pull the hammer back and I just remember
0:20:00 > 0:20:04you can hear the metal against the metal,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06the spring move,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09I could see down the barrel.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11And they say, "You're going on television
0:20:11 > 0:20:14"or you'll never see your wife and children again."
0:20:17 > 0:20:19IRAQI: Do you have a message?
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Toni and Guy, I love you.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37My lowest point was television because I thought
0:20:37 > 0:20:41everyone would think I gave in easily and hadn't fought.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44I thought my kids, my children,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46who wouldn't know me because Guy was two years old
0:20:46 > 0:20:48and my daughter, Toni,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50was six weeks old, I thought...
0:20:52 > 0:20:54the enduring image they'd have of the father was
0:20:54 > 0:20:57he was a weak failure of a man who was a traitor
0:20:57 > 0:21:01because I'd gone on television.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02So that was my lowest point.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10My first reaction was relief
0:21:10 > 0:21:14because that was the first absolute confirmation
0:21:14 > 0:21:18that he had got out of the aircraft safely.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Then my worst fear was
0:21:21 > 0:21:24how long it would go on for.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28I managed to keep a sort of timeline on a piece of card
0:21:28 > 0:21:30that I managed to steal with a pen
0:21:30 > 0:21:33and if I was feeling OK,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36when I crossed something, I filled in the top.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38If I felt bad, I filled in the bottom
0:21:38 > 0:21:40and if I felt OK, I filled in the sides.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44I think I only filled in the bottom part of that once
0:21:44 > 0:21:45in my whole time in captivity.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53After a long, brutal seven weeks, things were about to change.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Suddenly the bombing stopped
0:21:56 > 0:21:58and it goes dead quiet.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00And you're going...
0:22:02 > 0:22:05You can't help but think, "Is the war over?"
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Good evening, the headlines at six o'clock.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12The Gulf War is over
0:22:12 > 0:22:14after 42 days of fighting.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17The successful air attacks
0:22:17 > 0:22:20allowed Coalition troops to complete a ground offensive.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22The Iraqis surrendered.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25On February the 28th,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28President George Bush, Senior announced a ceasefire.
0:22:28 > 0:22:34All United States and Coalition forces will suspend offensive
0:22:34 > 0:22:36combat operations.
0:22:36 > 0:22:37CHEERING
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Helen waited anxiously for news of her husband.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45I suddenly got a phone call at sort of nine o'clock in the morning
0:22:45 > 0:22:47saying, "Helen, you need to watch the news,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49"you need to go and watch the news."
0:22:51 > 0:22:54And Guy just looked up and went, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"
0:22:54 > 0:22:57And there was this rather skinny-looking chap
0:22:57 > 0:22:59in a yellow suit
0:22:59 > 0:23:01with massive hair
0:23:01 > 0:23:04and very obviously John.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06BABY LAUGHS
0:23:06 > 0:23:08NEWS REPORT: Helen Peters was telephoned by her husband
0:23:08 > 0:23:10at three o'clock this morning.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14It was one of those phone calls you don't really know what you
0:23:14 > 0:23:15talked about at the end.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18I just checked that he was OK and it was nice to hear his voice.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19He sounded fine.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23I was quite frightened about that very first meeting
0:23:23 > 0:23:24and how he would be.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26They said,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30"We'll reintroduce you to Helen and the children
0:23:30 > 0:23:34"away from the press's eyes," and I'm pleased they did because...
0:23:36 > 0:23:38erm...
0:23:40 > 0:23:43That's when Guy - I though he wasn't going to remember,
0:23:43 > 0:23:44he's two years old -
0:23:44 > 0:23:49but he suddenly ran along this path going, "Daddy, Daddy!"
0:23:52 > 0:23:56And so that was probably my best experience in the Air Force.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02The only reason I'm sitting here is because all my friends
0:24:02 > 0:24:04did their job.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08And no-one thanks them and seemingly everyone's thanked me.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Steve Hicks died on the Squadron.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16So...
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Kev Weeks died on 16 Squadron.
0:24:21 > 0:24:22You know, erm...
0:24:32 > 0:24:35I feel unbelievably privileged
0:24:35 > 0:24:37to have fulfilled my childhood dream
0:24:37 > 0:24:41and I hope I did my bit.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10At the height of operations here in Afghanistan,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13there were nearly 140 bases outside of Camp Bastion
0:25:13 > 0:25:15under British control.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17But now the processes has well and truly
0:25:17 > 0:25:19begun of bringing our troops home,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21I'm off to Shawqat
0:25:21 > 0:25:22to see how things have changed.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31From Camp Bastion,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33it's only a 26-mile flight,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37but it takes us into a far more dangerous place.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Shawqat is a forward operating base in Helmand Province
0:25:51 > 0:25:54which in the past this has some of the heaviest fighting.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00It can still be a dangerous place
0:26:00 > 0:26:05and the guys need to be on guard for any signs of trouble.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08'Up in the watchtower, or Sanger, as they call it here,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11'they're on constant alert.'
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Hi, lads. You all right? How's it going? Not bad, not bad.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Gethin. Chris.
0:26:16 > 0:26:17How's it going?
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Paul, mate. Nice to see you.
0:26:19 > 0:26:20'Corporal Paul Johnson
0:26:20 > 0:26:23'has served in the Nad-e Ali district before.'
0:26:23 > 0:26:25How's it going?
0:26:25 > 0:26:26Good day. Busy.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I'd call that a thriving community.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Despite the fact you're cutting back,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34you're getting ready to move out of here,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36these Sangers still have to be manned 24/7...
0:26:36 > 0:26:39You always have that 1% chance something will happen.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40You don't want to take that risk.
0:26:40 > 0:26:442010 was a pretty bad time. What did you see at that point?
0:26:44 > 0:26:47It was a totally different world, to be totally honest.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50You were lucky if you got 200 metres away without anything happening.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51200 metres!
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Yeah, that close. As far as we can see here...
0:26:53 > 0:26:57As far as you can see, you can guarantee, nine times out of ten, something was going to happen
0:26:57 > 0:26:59I've lost a few friends out here.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02It's part of the job, isn't it?
0:27:02 > 0:27:06But three friends that I lost,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08just within this AO, this area of interest,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10three friends all in the same area,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13knowing that 600 metres up the road, I lost one good friend.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Are you proud of what you've achieved here
0:27:16 > 0:27:18and do you feel even more than most
0:27:18 > 0:27:22that you want to get the job done here because of what's happened to your friends?
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Somehow, yeah. In a short word, yeah.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28The amount that's changed in three years
0:27:28 > 0:27:31is fantastic, you know.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32It's good to come back.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Three years ago,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38life in Helmand Province was indeed very different.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49We're going to push south through the bazaar,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51until we hit this crossroads...
0:27:51 > 0:27:52To see how much things have changed,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55I'm going on foot patrol to the local market
0:27:55 > 0:27:57and that means a briefing first.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59If we do come under a heavy contact,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01let's just make sure we have the flanks covered
0:28:01 > 0:28:03and we're watching out for that threat.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06We'll then push east along Newquay,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08back in through the southern gate
0:28:08 > 0:28:10and then back into FOB Shawqat.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Let's pay extra attention, not get complacent
0:28:12 > 0:28:15at any time just because were getting towards the end of the tour.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18You remain switched-on. You remain vigilant.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Preparing for a foot patrol around the bazaar.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25This is the point where you get a little bit nervous
0:28:25 > 0:28:29cos things are getting better but you're essentially going out on the ground.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31You've got to have your wits about you.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37A mongoose, a 2-0 mongoose,
0:28:37 > 0:28:38a 2-1 Arthur,
0:28:38 > 0:28:39a four-liner.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42'We need to do the patrol and be back at base swiftly
0:28:42 > 0:28:46'so we don't draw too much attention to ourselves.'
0:28:46 > 0:28:49FOB Shawqat is right in the middle
0:28:49 > 0:28:51of the local bazaar.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56As soon as you step foot out the gate,
0:28:56 > 0:28:59you see the local people going about their work.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03OK, all call signs prepare to move. Let's go.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06From two or three years ago,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08this whole street here would be completely dead.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Now you've got the barber shop on the corner over there.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16Is that the barber shop? Yeah. You've got a bakery there,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19a few general stores along here.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21This is all mechanic shops along here.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23So, you know, trade and business is going well.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26And also, what you probably wouldn't have seen, are the police in here
0:29:26 > 0:29:28patrolling the bazaar daily.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30If anything happens, they deal with it, you know, so...
0:29:30 > 0:29:34So your role has changed completely now. Yeah. It's a support mechanism.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36We're just here showing our presence.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40The Afghans are just getting on with life. A lot of the kids...
0:29:40 > 0:29:42I mean, you see some of them walking around now,
0:29:42 > 0:29:45but they are actually attending school.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Both boys and girls, which is... Really? And the girls as well?
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Yeah, it's just something you wouldn't have seen, you know,
0:29:50 > 0:29:51two, three years ago.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Salaam alaikum. How are you?
0:29:57 > 0:29:58Nice to meet you. Hello.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Seeing so many children on the street is actually quite
0:30:03 > 0:30:07a good indicator that things are relatively safe here
0:30:07 > 0:30:10because they wouldn't put their children in danger.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13This area has been in the news quite a bit,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16and from what I have seen, there are clear signs of change.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19What is different is the amount of stuff they have now.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22There are so many more shops here now than there used to be.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Another thing as well, there's signs, there's advertising.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28You can see the advertising boards up there.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30Things are really developing here, which is great.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34They have been left in peace to get on with their daily business.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40Do the locals now believe that you guys are here to help them
0:30:40 > 0:30:41to get back to a normal life?
0:30:41 > 0:30:45As you can see, there's not really much resentment towards us
0:30:45 > 0:30:48from the locals as we push through. They all seem happy to have a chat.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50There's definitely a big change there.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52I know you've sacrificed a lot from being here.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54In the lead up to Remembrance Day,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58what does that mean to you, having worked in this area for so long?
0:30:58 > 0:31:02It is really sort of humble to be able to finish off the campaign.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05I think everyone on this patrol probably knows someone who has lost
0:31:05 > 0:31:08their life out in Afghanistan, so it is nice to just come out here
0:31:08 > 0:31:11and see that it has all been worth something.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13I think that's the biggest takeaway message,
0:31:13 > 0:31:15that it has been a success and...
0:31:15 > 0:31:18we've done the job we came out here to do. And we're just finishing off
0:31:18 > 0:31:21and we'll be out of here in a month, so, happy days.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Back safe and sound.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28All this success has come at a cost, hasn't it?
0:31:28 > 0:31:30People have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33Here at Shawqat, we've got quite a poignant memorial
0:31:33 > 0:31:38that has been here for quite a while now. And it has got 48 names on it.
0:31:38 > 0:31:39So we have paid a really heavy price here.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44'Today, there's a very special service in Shawqat
0:31:44 > 0:31:46'to honour the fallen.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50'It is a privilege to be here amongst our troops.'
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Battle group. Stand at...ease!
0:31:54 > 0:31:59We prepare to repatriate this war memorial back to our homeland.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03We remember all those who have helped to secure freedom,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05often at great personal cost.
0:32:05 > 0:32:10Those whom we have known and for whom we mourn,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14and especially those named here in this base.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16When you go home...
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Tell them of us and say...
0:32:19 > 0:32:22For your tomorrow We gave our today.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30The memorial that we're going to repatriate today
0:32:30 > 0:32:32is going to go back to the UK
0:32:32 > 0:32:36so that the names of the fallen will be displayed for ever in Britain.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39But what I want to do today is for each and every one of us
0:32:39 > 0:32:42here in 2nd Duke of Lancaster's battle group to make
0:32:42 > 0:32:47a personal commitment to remember all those who gave their lives
0:32:47 > 0:32:51and made the ultimate sacrifice here in Nad-e Ali district.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55CALL TO ATTENTION
0:32:57 > 0:33:00MUSIC: "THE LAST POST"
0:33:21 > 0:33:23The men and women of our armed forces have to say goodbye
0:33:23 > 0:33:26to their loved ones for months on end.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30It's tough but often it can be harder for those waiting at home.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Thea Davies met Stephen Healey
0:33:35 > 0:33:38on a night out in her hometown of Cardiff.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42He tried to tell me that he was a teacher
0:33:42 > 0:33:45until one of his friends came up to me and said he was in the Army.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47I did think a bit like, "Oh, why are you lying?"
0:33:47 > 0:33:49And he was like, "Oh, it's just easier."
0:33:49 > 0:33:51He just kind of laughed it off and, to be honest,
0:33:51 > 0:33:56I was hungry so I wanted to go and get something to eat.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01We exchanged numbers and then the next day, I heard from him,
0:34:01 > 0:34:04and then we started seeing each other, I suppose.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09A former professional footballer, Steve was now
0:34:09 > 0:34:12serving as an infantry soldier with the Royal Welsh.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18Since day one, we clicked. You know, he was just so laid-back.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22He was just always so happy, always had a smile on his face.
0:34:22 > 0:34:23He never really had any worries.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28You know, he loved his, what we call it here in Wales, cwtches,
0:34:28 > 0:34:29which is a hug.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34And, you know, he was just great. He was everything I wanted, really.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37He used to drag me out running or I would drag him out running
0:34:37 > 0:34:40and, yeah, it was perfect.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43We ran together around the bay in Cardiff.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46We were like a perfect match, really.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48We had our little life plan.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51We had got the house and then following tour,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54we were planning to hopefully get married
0:34:54 > 0:34:57and just carry on with life, as everyone does.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02In March 2012, Steve, now a captain,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06prepared for his second tour of Afghanistan. He loved it.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09He absolutely loved it. He loved everything about it.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13And I know that he inside was excited about going.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15But I know he was going to miss the comforts of home.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22Steve and his men were heading to the hostile district of Nahri Saraj
0:35:22 > 0:35:24in the south of Afghanistan.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28Many lives had been lost in that area before Steve's deployment
0:35:28 > 0:35:31and the threat of enemy action was still very real.
0:35:35 > 0:35:41The checkpoint that he was going to, um, the day that he was going,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43an officer was actually killed.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47You do get that element of worry and nervousness but then,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50you know, you don't know what's round the corner. Everyone's like,
0:35:50 > 0:35:54"We'll be fine, everything will be fine, don't worry."
0:35:54 > 0:35:57And that's kind of the attitude we had, really.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00But inside, you'll always be thinking about it.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06Two months into their tour,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09Steve and his group were out on a routine patrol.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13They had left their checkpoint to survey
0:36:13 > 0:36:15the area along a nearby canal.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Steve's Jackal was the lead vehicle in a convoy.
0:36:22 > 0:36:23An engineer wanted to go
0:36:23 > 0:36:29and see another area which was just down from the checkpoint where
0:36:29 > 0:36:33they could potentially build bridges over a canal.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39But, unfortunately, um,
0:36:39 > 0:36:46the insurgents had laid an IED - an improvised explosive device.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51EXPLOSION
0:36:53 > 0:36:59Steve's Jackal drove over it and detonated it.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09I was just putting dinner on and Steve's parents drove
0:37:09 > 0:37:11up to the house.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15I was looking through the window and I thought,
0:37:15 > 0:37:17"Oh, it's a bit odd them coming up."
0:37:18 > 0:37:20When they got out of the car,
0:37:20 > 0:37:22I could see by their faces that something was wrong.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28I remember opening the door and looking at his dad.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Just immediately, I thought, "Please, just say he's injured."
0:37:33 > 0:37:37That's all I wanted to hear, cos I could tell it was about Steve.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41And then he shook his head and said that Steve was dead.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49There was nothing that anyone could have done to prevent what
0:37:49 > 0:37:50happened that day.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56He was pronounced dead on arrival to Bastion.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02There is no way that he would have survived
0:38:02 > 0:38:04any of the injuries that he sustained.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06It was too great.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18The world just changed. I just collapsed into a heap.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27And I just was like, "No, please say you're not...
0:38:28 > 0:38:30"Please say it's not true."
0:38:32 > 0:38:33But it was.
0:38:35 > 0:38:36Sorry.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52Part of me was just hoping, you know, that it was not Steve.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57You just kind of think maybe they've made a mistake.
0:38:57 > 0:39:02Maybe, you know, something's... Maybe there has been a mistake.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08But five days later, Steve's body was brought back home.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15Some of the lads, they were the bearers and...
0:39:17 > 0:39:19And you could see by their faces that they didn't want to do what
0:39:19 > 0:39:21they were about to do.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34I will never forget those images of him being carried out of the plane.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37And I don't think any of us that day will ever forget that.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47This is not what we wanted to see.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51There was nothing any of us could do to change it.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04And he was carried out and put into the hearse
0:40:04 > 0:40:08and then driven round to the chapel of rest, where we got to say...
0:40:09 > 0:40:12..the worst "hello" ever, really, I suppose.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Then we had the funeral.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21He had full military honours which, obviously, he deserved.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30The church was packed inside and out.
0:40:35 > 0:40:36It was, um...
0:40:38 > 0:40:42..yeah, a day that I wouldn't want anyone to go through.
0:40:42 > 0:40:43Present!
0:40:45 > 0:40:46Fire!
0:40:55 > 0:40:58Steve saw the good that was being done out there with the locals
0:40:58 > 0:41:02and he believed in what he was doing and he enjoyed what he was doing.
0:41:06 > 0:41:11He's kind of my inspiration now, really, and my drive to carry on.
0:41:13 > 0:41:19Steve was the 415th member of the UK Armed Forces to die in Afghanistan.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23In the months following his death,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Thea wanted to honour Steve's memory in her own way.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30I don't know how it came to me, but I decided then
0:41:30 > 0:41:37I was going to run 415 miles to honour all fallen soldiers and Steve.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48People were saying, "Oh, I'll enter that with you, if you want."
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Before I knew it, I'd have a running partner nearly with every event
0:41:51 > 0:41:52that I've entered.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02During the past year, Thea has raised almost ?15,000 for charity.
0:42:07 > 0:42:13The last mile that I do will be Steve's mile,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16which will be mile 415.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25In October this year, Thea ran her last mile in honour of Steve.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42I think anything I do, you know, has always been inspired by Steve.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46So he's always going to be with me, whatever I do, really.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51I wanted to do something just to remember an amazing man.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09In tomorrow's programme...
0:43:09 > 0:43:11what happened to a brave merchant seaman
0:43:11 > 0:43:14when a torpedo hit his Arctic convoy?
0:43:15 > 0:43:18When they said, "Abandon ship," the captain said,
0:43:18 > 0:43:20"Go to your lifeboat station, boy, and good luck to you."
0:43:20 > 0:43:22And I said, "Thank you, sir."
0:43:28 > 0:43:31Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd