A heroes' return - troops home after Afghan tour
Well-wishers lined the streets of Maidstone yesterday to welcome Kent soldiers back from Afghanistan.
Around 330 troops from 36 Engineer Regiment marched through the county town in a cold and wet homecoming parade.
Major General Keith Cima presented the men with medals for their sixth-month tour of the dangerous Helmand Province.
The general said that the troops had, “helped to make Afghanistan a better place for her people”.
“You have undergone the fear, the fun and the challenge of operational service,” he added.
“You can look anybody straight in the eye because you have been there and you have done it.
“Is it worth it, what we did in Afghanistan? I’m absolutely, unequivocally clear that the answer to that is ‘yes’.”
Around 500 friends and family of the soldiers watched as the men were given medals at Invicta Park Barracks.
Maj Gen Cima said it was important to spare a thought for the two soldiers from the regiment who died during the tour: – 22-year-old Lance Corporal Jake Alderton and 29-year-old Corporal Ivano ‘Sean’ Violino.
“Good men, good soldiers,” he said. “I know that they won’t be forgotten.”
In December, the regiment was involved in the recapture of the Taliban’s most strategically important stronghold in the region, Musa Qala. They have also helped the Afghan people build new infrastructure such as schools and bridges.
Major David Garner, 39, regimental second in command, told KOS Media that the soldiers had done an “exceptional” job.
He said: “It’s a time of thanksgiving for the safe return of the majority of the regiment, but also, of course, a time of memorial for our two lost colleagues.
“It was very difficult losing them so early on in the tour. It made it very hard for the families back here, but the support provided by the Army to both friends and families has been exceptional.”
The officer said that having Gurkha troops in the regiment had helped when liaising with the Afghan people because of their knowledge of the Pashto language.
After receiving their medals, the troops marched from County Hall, through Maidstone and past the Town Hall, before attending a thanksgiving and commemorative service at All Saints Church. Around 2,000 people lined the route.
There was a reception for the troops, their family and friends at their barracks in the afternoon.
Melanie Larner, from Brompton, near Chatham, is married to one of the soldiers who was on the Afghan tour, Staff Sergeant Scot Larner.
The mother-of-two said: “It’s so important that we’re here to support not only him but the other soldiers who are here and those who haven’t come back.”
The troops are now on leave for six weeks.
Around 550 soldiers from the Canterbury-based Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, the 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, were sent to Afghanistan this month.
Around 330 troops from 36 Engineer Regiment marched through the county town in a cold and wet homecoming parade.
Major General Keith Cima presented the men with medals for their sixth-month tour of the dangerous Helmand Province.
The general said that the troops had, “helped to make Afghanistan a better place for her people”.
“You have undergone the fear, the fun and the challenge of operational service,” he added.
“You can look anybody straight in the eye because you have been there and you have done it.
“Is it worth it, what we did in Afghanistan? I’m absolutely, unequivocally clear that the answer to that is ‘yes’.”
Around 500 friends and family of the soldiers watched as the men were given medals at Invicta Park Barracks.
Maj Gen Cima said it was important to spare a thought for the two soldiers from the regiment who died during the tour: – 22-year-old Lance Corporal Jake Alderton and 29-year-old Corporal Ivano ‘Sean’ Violino.
“Good men, good soldiers,” he said. “I know that they won’t be forgotten.”
In December, the regiment was involved in the recapture of the Taliban’s most strategically important stronghold in the region, Musa Qala. They have also helped the Afghan people build new infrastructure such as schools and bridges.
Major David Garner, 39, regimental second in command, told KOS Media that the soldiers had done an “exceptional” job.
He said: “It’s a time of thanksgiving for the safe return of the majority of the regiment, but also, of course, a time of memorial for our two lost colleagues.
“It was very difficult losing them so early on in the tour. It made it very hard for the families back here, but the support provided by the Army to both friends and families has been exceptional.”
The officer said that having Gurkha troops in the regiment had helped when liaising with the Afghan people because of their knowledge of the Pashto language.
After receiving their medals, the troops marched from County Hall, through Maidstone and past the Town Hall, before attending a thanksgiving and commemorative service at All Saints Church. Around 2,000 people lined the route.
There was a reception for the troops, their family and friends at their barracks in the afternoon.
Melanie Larner, from Brompton, near Chatham, is married to one of the soldiers who was on the Afghan tour, Staff Sergeant Scot Larner.
The mother-of-two said: “It’s so important that we’re here to support not only him but the other soldiers who are here and those who haven’t come back.”
The troops are now on leave for six weeks.
Around 550 soldiers from the Canterbury-based Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, the 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, were sent to Afghanistan this month.
