can we, as a patrol, could we move to the local village
and have a chat with the head guy that was there?
Just to see what his feelings are like
towards the British forces
and what his feelings are towards it the atmospherics
along the local villages and stuff like that, so.
I'd been in the country then for a good few months,
we'd worked well as a team, as a patrol,
so we kind of knew the area really well.
But to the south of Camp Bastion
there's literally no roads, there's no tracks,
there's no designated routes,
so it's literally pick a route and go on it
as long as you can head to that village
and you're not near any dangerous areas.
It's pretty much drive where you want.
So I said to the driver in the vehicle,
we were the second vehicle of the three vehicle patrol,
"This is where we need to go, let's head off,
"let's go in this direction."
Like I said, there's no tracks there
so there's no specific route to go.
Off we went, and unfortunately the vehicle I was in,
we drove over and initiated an improvised explosive device.
It kind of ejected me clear from the vehicle straight away.
I suffered, obviously, life changing injuries straight away.
I lost my left leg, below the knee.
Because I was ejected from the vehicle
I was found face down with so many numerous injuries.
Fractures all over my body,
my jaw, my chest, my arms,
my ribs, sternum, my hips, my pelvis,
obviously the loss of my left leg,
my lower right leg was fractured in so many places,
and my spine was fractured in 18 places, as well.
