Afghanistan eye-opener for two North East soldiers

Jul 29 2009 The Journal

AFGHANISTAN has been an eye opening experience for two lance corporals from the North East, Jonathan Hume and Kevin Turner.

L Cpl Hume is an advanced gunner and signaller with the Light Dragoons reconnaissance regiment who has already done two tours of Iraq. He was sent to Helmand Province in April from home in Peterlee, County Durham. His colleague L Cpl Turner serves with the same regiment, although he comes from the seaside town of Redcar, East Cleveland.

The 27-year-old Teessider was injured earlier this year when his troop were advancing to Babaji, although it has not been confirmed what it was that hit them.

He said: “It was tough. Obviously it was a shock and nerve-wracking. I didn’t know what to expect. There was just this impact on the side of the wagon and I looked around wanting to make sure everyone was OK.”

After getting to safety, L Cpl Turner was extracted, suffering shrapnel wounds to the leg. “I have been back here for five days now,” he said at a frontline compound in the village of Kay Palay. Mean while, in forward operating Base Price near Gereshk, L Cply Hume finds things “very different” from what he expected.