Proud, but with a heavy heart... (From The Northern Echo)

Proud, but with a heavy heart...

12:28pm Wednesday 8th September 2010 in In Depth

INTRODUCTION
by Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, Commanding Officer, 3 Rifles

THE British Army has had a testing time in the sometimes stunning, often inhospitable, wilds of Helmand for some years now.

The Rifles have played their part in this enduring campaign and have risen to meet the challenge every time.

This duty was most recently undertaken by the soldiers of 3 Rifles, many of whom hail from the North-East, where we shall be proudly marching this month.

It is a matter of great pride for the regiment to receive the Freedom of Darlington, Stockton, Sunderland and Wakefield.

While we celebrate marching through these towns and cities, we do so with a heavy heart, remembering our brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

"We lament their passing, but know they look down on us with love and pride and would wish us to celebrate the Rifles' and Army's achievements, of which they, too, were a crucial part"

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson

We are buoyed by their revered memory.

We take inspiration and great pride from their selfless commitment. We lament their passing, but know that they look down on us today with equal love and pride and would wish us to celebrate the Rifles’ and the British Army’s many achievements, of which they, too, were a crucial part.

Neither do we forget their families and loved ones who have lost that which cannot be replaced.

I am deeply proud to have had the privilege of commanding such a large, capable and dedicated band of willing volunteers during this all too frequently tragic, but often uplifting, struggle.

They have put their own comfort and safety aside, remaining utterly focused on our important mission of improving the lot of the ordinary Afghan and bringing stability to this volatile part of the world.

I owe them an immense debt of gratitude, as do our own and the Afghan nations.

We remember, too, the ordinary Afghans of Sangin and Kajaki, who cannot come home from the fighting.

It is for their future and for the stability of that volatile part of the world that the men and women of this battalion, and its Battle Group, and all you who have supported us so faithfully, have endured such hardship.

These efforts have not been in vain. We, like many before us, left the place in a better state than that in which we found it. The parades this week remind us of the great traditions of our regiment and its forebears – great names such as the Durham Light Infantry and King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, among others – that have formed the bedrock of this military success.

These traditions in turn have their roots in the communities that have sustained and supported us so unerringly over the years.

While we parade to celebrate the civic privileges so generously bestowed upon 3 Rifles, we also parade to show our gratitude to our home communities and to reinforce the deep family bonds which are so essential to continued success.