Soldier returns to front line - despite losing leg

May 6 2008 The Journal

A COMMANDO from the North East who lost his leg in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan will return to active duty, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

Anthony Makin, 21, is believed to be just the second amputee to return to front line service in the country.

The soldier, from Benwell in Newcastle, suffered horrific injuries when a blast tore through his convoy in southern Helmand Province just after Christmas in 2006. A six-inch shard of shrapnel pierced his right foot in the explosion and his left thigh was shattered.

Doctors were forced to amputate his right leg below the knee and he was fitted with a prosthetic limb and sent for an intensive rehabilitation programme at the MoD’s Headley Court centre in Surrey.

But now he has returned to 3 Commando Brigade of 29 Commando Royal Artillery with a promotion to Lance Bombardier, and expects to serve with his regiment on their next tour of duty in October this year.

L Bmdr Makin said that he had returned to his hobbies of judo and football after his injury and has completed a seven-week outdoor survival course in the jungles of Belize.

He said: “It’s been tough but I’ve got there in the end. I’ve had final medical checks and I’m basically just as fit as any other soldier now.” He said he was determined to return to the war zone, in part to avenge the death of his fellow soldier L Bmdr James Dwyer, 22, who was killed after taking the full force of the explosion when their vehicle drove over an anti-tank mine on December 27, 2006.

L Bmdr Makin said he was looking forward to returning to Afghanistan.

“I can’t wait to get back out there and get amongst the action again. I’m back to tip-top fitness.”

He added: “I knew what the risks were. It’s really what you join up for, so you can’t really complain if things go wrong.”

He will serve side-by-side with his brother Paul, 20, who is training with the same regiment.

Defence Secretary Des Browne praised the soldier’s determination. He said: “L Bmdr Makin is a fine example of the bravery and selfless commitment the British armed forces demonstrate daily. His personal battle to overcome his injuries is outstanding and it is clear that the treatment he received from the staff at Headley Court has been first-class, enabling him to carry on with the job he loves, and does so well.”

Earlier this year Corporal Stuart Hale, from the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, returned to active service wearing a camouflage prosthesis, less than two years after his leg was blown off.

The 26-year-old was one of several soldiers injured after being caught in an unmarked minefield near the Kajaki Dam in Helmand Province on September 6, 2006.

£24m boost for centre

THE armed forces rehabilitation centre Headley Court will get a £24m cash injection to improve facilities for injured personnel, it will be announced today.

Defence Secretary Des Browne is due to confirm the huge investment in future healthcare plans when he meets patients during a visit to the unit near Leatherhead, Surrey.

The cash is expected to go towards improvements including a new accommodation block, bigger prosthetic limb workshop and a neurological lab.

The facility currently cares for 180 military patients and in the past three years has increased the number of beds available for "complex trauma" patients from 18 to 66.

It also has one of the most advanced prosthetic workshops in the UK, which has dealt with 50 patients who have lost limbs, including the first woman, since it opened in June 2006. Latest advances include a "bionic hand" fitted to an Army captain injured in Afghanistan and a false leg controlled by Bluetooth technology.

The centre has had an influx of patients in recent years due to the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Prince Harry was reunited with one of the injured servicemen who shared his return flight from his tour of duty in Afghanistan when he visited Headley Court with brother William two weeks ago.