St Paul’s Cathedral in London will be the venue for a very special service later today.
More than 300,000 servicemen and women served their country during Operation Bannerman, the codename for military operations in Northern Ireland between 1969 and 2007.
Of these, 793 lost their lives and more than 6,000 were injured, many permanently.
I was proud to have completed two tours of the Province with the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and they were undoubtedly the highlight of my time in uniform.
They were difficult times but I was surrounded by heroes.
With Northern Ireland now largely at peace, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the sacrifices made by those of my colleagues who were not as fortunate as me.
It is also right to salute the bravery and fortitude of their families who had to grieve for their loved ones or care for them when they returned with dreadful wounds.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget but, in this case, I - like everyone else who served there during the dark days of the Troubles - never ever will.
More than 300,000 servicemen and women served their country during Operation Bannerman, the codename for military operations in Northern Ireland between 1969 and 2007.
Of these, 793 lost their lives and more than 6,000 were injured, many permanently.
I was proud to have completed two tours of the Province with the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and they were undoubtedly the highlight of my time in uniform.
They were difficult times but I was surrounded by heroes.
With Northern Ireland now largely at peace, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the sacrifices made by those of my colleagues who were not as fortunate as me.
It is also right to salute the bravery and fortitude of their families who had to grieve for their loved ones or care for them when they returned with dreadful wounds.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget but, in this case, I - like everyone else who served there during the dark days of the Troubles - never ever will.
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