North soldier’s pride at mission to Afghanistan

Aug 22 2009 by Kim Carmichael, The Journal

BEARING scars from the shrapnel blasted into his face by a deadly grenade, Corporal Wayne Harrison counts himself lucky to be alive.

It was in Afghanistan’s Helmand province that he was the target of a rocket-propelled weapon fired by Taliban insurgents.

In a split second, the 29-year-old was soaked in blood after being hit in the head. After being rescued and rushed to hospital, he spent weeks recovering after undergoing an operation to save his life.

But for the Tyneside Royal Marine, who returned from his seven-month tour of duty in May, this was a lucky escape compared to the injuries sustained by others working on similar counter-insurgency missions.

Cpl Harrison, of Chirton, North Shields, said: “If it had happened a few years ago it would be serious, but now I just see myself as lucky as people can lose limbs or be killed out there.

“The care I got was fantastic as well. The other lads were around me straight away and the hospital and medics were great.”

In his role as a close combat section commander, Cpl Harrison, who has also served in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and Iraq, is responsible for seven others in the X-Ray Company 45 Commando and has to be ready to give the right order when anything goes wrong.

In the last tour of duty alone, four of his company were killed and another four, including himself, injured.

“It is a huge responsibility. Once you’ve been out there and know that people get killed, it changes you. You see a lot and after that you do mature. We hear a lot about heroes, but for me, the really courageous lads are the ones who go out there and lose limbs then come back to the UK and get on with their lives.”

Brother to 22-year-old Dean and 20-year-old Dale, Cpl Harrison is particularly close to his siblings after their family was struck by tragedy when their father committed suicide on Christmas Day in 1999 and they became estranged from their mother.

“I used to worry about my brothers when I was out there,” he said. “I would think about what would happen to them if anything happened to me.

“But I know they’re good lads and look after each other. They support me being in the Marines because they know that it makes me happy. I’m really proud of them.”

For Cpl Harrison, the most rewarding thing about his job is when he and his colleagues foil Taliban ploys to stash dangerous ammunition.

“We went into a compound, which is basically huts with mud walls where people live, with metal detectors and found rocket-propelled grenade launchers. That’s the most important goal. There’s a lot more satisfaction in that than in killing people because it shows we’re going in and taking their kit away. We’re stopping them where it counts.”

Although he has seen colleagues and friends injured and killed, Cpl Harrison, who married his wife Lynn, 22, on August 1, is determined to continue his mission to serve his country.

“I joined the Royal Marines in May 1988 and have done the job I love since. I’m actually looking forward to going back.

“If I didn’t want to fight for my country, I wouldn’t have joined the military. It’s an honour and I’m proud to serve there.”