BRAVE soldiers in Bordon who are being deployed to Afghanistan's most dangerous war zones say they are ready to do their job. This month, 110 troops from 10 Close Support Company, based at Bordon's Prince Philip Barracks, will be sent to provide engineering support to 12 Mechanised Brigade in wartorn Helmand Province. Despite daily reports of casualties among the British armed forces already fighting in the Taliban stronghold, one Bordon soldier told The Herald he was prepared to "die for my country doing something I believe in". The company has endured months of intensive engineering training to be able to repair a wide arsenal of state-of-the-art weapons such as pistols, rifles and grenade launchers, some of which have only been in use since December. They have also gone through rigourous fitness tests to prepare them to wear newly-issued, shrapnel- proof body armour containing heavy Kevlar ceramic plates, in desert temperatures. Craftsman Ty Astridge, from Eastbourne, said the company had covered a lot more in the last few months than in a year of basic training. He said: "This training opens your eyes to the amount of fire power we will be working with, and how quick we have got to be to do everything, and do it to a high standard. "We have had more training than other military personnel so we can deal with whatever situation we find ourselves in, whether fixing guns or fighting as soldiers. "In our drills we have run through combat scenarios which have already happened so we feel confident about knowing what to do in any situation. When a mortar lands 20 metres away from you, that's when the training kicks in." He explained that being sent to war is an integral part of a soldiers' duty and that he feels confident placing his life in the hands of others. "I'm happy with the guys going out with me," he said. "We can trust each other; I know they will protect my life and I will protect theirs. "Every job requires you to make sacrifices, and this is the job we signed up to do. I would rather die for my country doing something I believe in than be hit by a bus. "Any worries we have are for our families rather than ourselves because we know what's happening, but our families rely a lot on the news and get very polarised views of what's going on. Craftsman Mark Swords, from Essex, told The Herald that 10CS "look out for each other" and "see each other as a family unit". He added: "We can write, call and email people back home all the time we are out there so if we need to make contact with someone we can. It's not like we are alone out there, and that makes it easier. "There is also a welfare service in case we need someone to talk to, and the option of compassionate leave in case there is an emergency at home." Lance Corporal Dave Stewart, from Burnley, who got married two weeks ago, said he and hs family would be in regular contact with his wife, who is moving to nearby military married quarters. He said: "She doesn't want me to go but I met her after joining the Army so she knew what she was getting into. We both know it's only going to be six months before I can take post-tour leave and we can go on honeymoon."
