Corporal Andy Reid was an ordinary soldier, serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. But his life changed for ever on Tuesday 13th October 2009, when he was blown up by a Taliban improvised explosive device (IED). Evacuated to the UK and the specialist military wing of Selly Oak Hospital, it was touch-and-go whether he would survive. He had lost both legs and his right arm, while the index finger of his left hand was almost completely removed. Yet survive he did and less than a month after being blown up, he was reunited with his patrol back in Warminster. From there he went on to have a pair of prosthetic legs fitted at the Defence Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court and this allowed him to go on a world cruise with his fiance Claire in 2010. In the same year he was nominated for and won the Sun's Military Award. In between he has cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats, skydived and made a number of appearances on behalf of service charities. Andy's story demonstrates how, with patience, courage and determination, hope can triumph over despair. But he has two stories to tell.
The first is the story of Corporal Reid, Burma Company, 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment: Infantry Section Commander. Then there is the story of Andy Reid, triple-amputee skydiver, cyclist, charity fundraiser, husband and father. But Andy is acutely aware that for every injured soldier like him, there are many more who have their spirits crushed with despair as they face a lifetime of pain, disability and impairment. Even those who seem to make a full recovery may yet exhibit the true extent of their mental injuries. He is not seeking pity of admiration. But he does want to make sure that we, the general public, know, as much as someone who has not been there or been through it themselves can ever know, what opertations in Afghanistan are like, what happens to those who get injured and what future they might have.