by Gerry Warren
gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk

A soldier from Sturry has twice miraculously escaped injury after the vehicle he was travelling in was blown up by roadside bombs in Afghanistan.

Private Liam Horgan, 19, who is serving in Helmand Province, had already seen one of his friends killed and another seriously injured in a previous incident.

In the latest attack, he was travelling in a re-supply convoy when the bomb went off and the horror was witnessed by his own older brother, James who was watching from inside the base.

Liam said: “There was a massive boom and I was thrown up off my seat. I couldn’t see anything because of the dust and I thought 'well, this is it’. I feared I’d had it because it’s so rare to be blown up twice and get away with it.

“I felt myself come down but couldn’t feel anything else because I was so shook up. Then I could start to see around me as the dust settled and realised I was OK.”

James, 21, said: “I was actually watching as the convey was coming into my base. The route was supposed to be cleared but they obviously missed one IED.

“I just knew he was in the vehicle straight away and I thought he’d had it. I’ve thought about him all the time over here because I felt I had a big influence of him joining the army. So if anything happened to him, I would blame myself.

“When the vehicle was towed in and he got out, I breathed a big sigh of relief.”

The pair, who are both former students of Canterbury High School, are serving with the the 2nd Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Regiment and have completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan. They have 'brother in arms’ tattoed in Latin on their arms. Their parents, James and Beverly Horgan still live in Sturry.

They are soon to be joined in the forces by their younger brother, Danny but they are now returning to the UK to take on an entirely different role.
In a move away from tradition, the infantry soldiers have picked up the mantle of guarding the Queen from the Guards regiments while they are deployed elsewhere.

Their Commanding Officer, Lt Col Adam Crawley, said: “The soldiers will have to get used to a completely different duty from war and swap the enemy fire for flash bulbs in London.

“It is public duties and they will have to be smart but will be able to show off their Afghanistan medals while on parade in front of Buckingham Palace.”
But the pair are scheduled to go back to Afghanistan.