Saying our final goodbyes (From The Northern Echo)

Saying our final goodbyes

3:31pm Monday 5th October 2009 in

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Our last day and we are on duty guarding what was the main gate, now blocked up by Hesco barriers. We are all excited as we hand in our final equipment; pack the last of our bags and move down to the dispatch area ready to go.

As darkness creeps in we load up the transport wagons with our bergans , say our final goodbyes and take a last look at what we called home for the past six months. With that we jump on board and hurtle through the streets of Kabul to the airport. Our replacements are driving and commanding the vehicles now, our tour now felt over.

Late that night we flew by Hercules down to Kandahar where we were to spend two nights on the base. The first day we relaxed and spent most of the day in the tent stripped right down as the air conditioning had stopped working within it. That night we were just about to fall asleep when the air raid sirens went off. Grabbing our body armour and helmet once more we dived to the floor taking cover under whatever we could fine. Soon after the thuds of the rockets splashing down around us came, getting louder as they drew nearer. Luckily for us missing the base and landing in the nearby dessert. The rest of our company arrive with bad news, back in Kabul our replacements had been hit by a road side bomb, severely injuring a number of them and Killing an American soldier that we had worked with over the past six months. That night all of us were feeling down and went to sleep with our own thoughts.