Secret Afghani Warzone in the UK

NARRATOR: It's been a bloody month in Afghanistan, and
there was more bad news as the Ministry of Defence announced
the deaths of four more British soldiers.
18 British soldiers' lives have been taken this month,
bringing the total to 307.
The news comes on the day that three more troops were
repatriated to the town of Wootton Bassett.
The announcement of yet more deaths has caused the local
population to question how many more people will have to
sacrifice their lives before the conflict ends.

LAWRENCE BEDFORD: You're now in Paghman village.
Beyond Paghman village, you've got the patrol base Mektila,
where the company's operating from.
They've got a platoon forward in Paghman which has taken
over the ANP station.
And there's now going to be a shura, which is going to take
place at about 09:00, about 30 minutes time, where the OC
will come down, have a meeting with the local elder here,
just to see how he can improve the situation
for the local nationals.

NICK COPPERWAITE: Shakar does not have enough soldiers to
protect the village.
So if we work with Shakar, I will put soldiers in the
village because they will give you greater protection.
When they're no longer required, we will move back
across to our base, and leave Shakar here.
But we will do that in discussion between the Malik,
Shakar, and myself.
[MURMURING]
MALE SPEAKER 1: Oh, that's good battlefield-brewed.
You've got to have some.

[EXPLOSIONS]
MALE SPEAKER 2: [INAUDIBLE], is that mortars?
[EXPLOSIONS AND GUNFIRE]
MALE SPEAKER 3: Hey.
MALE SPEAKER 4: It looks like he's got
something under there.
MALE SPEAKER 4: Lift up.
[INAUDIBLE], you stay there.
[SHOUTING AND GUNFIRE]
[EXPLOSION]
[CRYING AND SCREAMING]
MALE SPEAKER 3: --at one, nine, nine, niner, over.
MALE SPEAKER 4: Can you see through both eyes, mate?
MALE SPEAKER 5: We're looking for an [INAUDIBLE], and it's
going to be coming in soon.
Coming
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: [CRYING]
MALE SPEAKER 6: Where's the medic?
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: [CRYING]
FEMALE SPEAKER 2: Basically, we had a local woman come in
with her child and say, help my child, help my child.
She was alive when she came in.
She was obviously upset.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: [CRYING]
FEMALE SPEAKER 2: Unfortunately, her wounds were
very great.
And there was nothing I could do as a class 2 medic.
So I said to the woman, I did all I could do.
I'm sorry, but your child's dead.
There's not much we could've done.
MALE SPEAKER 7: You're a child killer.
FEMALE SPEAKER 2: Cheers.
MALE SPEAKER 7: I'm joking, I'm joking.

WILL HUNT: We're in a place called Stanford
Training Area, STANTA.
We're just heading up to, basically, where B-company's
location is, which is called Fort Mektila.
Because they've changed this area quite recently because of
the way that we've altered our training.
STANTA always used to be where it was set up for Northern
Ireland training.
So there were a lot of mock Northern Ireland-type
buildings and farms.
Over recent years, they've changed it to simulate
Afghanistan.
And actually, this is the first time I've been here
since that change has happened.
That's out in the training area, but as we've come out of
the camp, we overshot the turning.
So we're just going to turn 'round and go back.
Might be in that one, actually, there, right.
Have we gone past Hobson Farm yet?

[INAUDIBLE] ranges on [INAUDIBLE].

ADAM PROUD: We'll be extracted from here to--
well, we're going to do a bit of an arc towards the ward,
and then back to Mektila.
And we'll also take the two dogs.

JASMINE BARON: You could walk out in the street tomorrow and
get hit by a bus and die.
You could die doing anything, really.
I mean, there's much more dangerous
jobs, even, than ours.
I get all the time, I get, oh look at the little girl with
the little dog.
[LAUGH]
Just tell them to stick on the suit and start running.
And they start shutting up a bit.
MONIQUE REYNOLDS: But they father us quite a lot as well.
[INAUDIBLE]
JASMINE BARON: You get looked after, make sure you're OK and
all the rest of it.
And you end up going, yeah, well, I am in the army.
[LAUGHTER]
MONIQUE REYNOLDS: Mother, leave me alone.
JASMINE BARON: You sometimes do have to remind some of them
that you've got the same training as them.
We do all the same stuff.
INTERVIEWER: So you're like lethal weapons?
MONIQUE REYNOLDS: No, I wouldn't go that far.
Maybe our dogs, but not us.
INTERVIEWER: All right.

[EXPLOSIONS]
MALE SPEAKER 8: [INAUDIBLE], body on one.
All right?
You're the fucking sergeant in here.
All right, that's what should happen.
Fucking take responsibility.
Everyone here should be on channel 9, so they can say to
me, engineer 10, no casualties.
All right?
I expect that to fucking happen.
MALE SPEAKER 9: Just give zero radio a check,
mate, before we disappear.

[EXPLOSION]
[SHOUTS AND EXPLOSIONS]
[TROOP CONVERSATIONS]
MALE SPEAKER 10: I'll cover these doors, mate.
MALE SPEAKER 11: All right, keep your fucking eyes open.
[SHOUTING]

[RADIO CHATTER]
MALE SPEAKER 12: [INAUDIBLE] shoot.
MALE SPEAKER 13: That's fucking definitely them, but
you can't see weapons on them now.
MALE SPEAKER 12: Fucking yeah, they're
fucking fair game, then.
MALE SPEAKER 14: See if we can detain them and
bring them in here.
Preferably take them alive.
If they're fighting--
kill them, OK?
[INAUDIBLE] rules of engagement.

GLEN GARDENER: Get out and in as fast as you can.
We need to speed it up here.

Keep your eyes out to the northwest.
They were walking from east to west.

MALE SPEAKER 15: We were in Kosovo, and we went out to
deal with this fucking dead body with the RMPs.
This dead body had been probably
for a couple of weeks.
It was stinking.
Bits kept falling off him because he was that fucking
decomposed.
It was unreal.
He didn't even have a watch to take home.
[LAUGH]
And this other geezer, we had to snap his neck to put him in
his coffin.
Fucking, that was [INAUDIBLE].
MALE SPEAKER 16: He wasn't even dead.
[LAUGHTER]
MALE SPEAKER 15: Yeah, [INAUDIBLE] fucking moaning
like a bitch.
GLEN GARDENER: Mopping up other people.
[INAUDIBLE]
Sarcasm-- the worst form of wit.
I fucking thrive on it.
MALE SPEAKER 15: Suicide bombers, all right mate, don't
lose your head.
Everything's all right.
Fucking brilliant.
What do you do if you find an epileptic in the bath?
GLEN GARDENER: Put your washing in.
MALE SPEAKER 15: Put your washing in.
[LAUGH]
GLEN GARDENER: [INAUDIBLE]
swimming pool.
Maybe we passed [INAUDIBLE].
[LAUGHTER]
MALE SPEAKER 15: What's black and orange, and
looks good on a Muslim?
A Bengal Tiger.
[LAUGHTER]
GLEN GARDENER: Why [INAUDIBLE], sir?
because he's a cunt.
MALE SPEAKER 15: Because he's a cunt.

[EXPLOSIONS AND GUNFIRE]

JOHN DENNIS: This is the Afghan village which was built
about 18 months ago, specifically designed for
training in Afghanistan.
And this is just replicates one of the generic bazaars
that we find in Afghanistan and
throughout the Helmand area.
MALE SPEAKER 16: [SPEAKING PASHTO]
JOHN DENNIS: Just to add more realism, these are people from
Afghanistan who've lived in the country for quite a while.
MALE SPEAKER 16: [SPEAKING PASHTO]
FEMALE SPEAKER 3: [SPEAKING PASHTO]
JOHN DENNIS: I came in here about a year ago before I
deployed to Afghanistan.
And it just gives that touch of realism before you deploy
to theater.
MALE SPEAKER 17: [SPEAKING PASHTO]
MALE SPEAKER 18: Don't let anyone near you.
[MARKETPLACE CONVERSATION]
[EXPLOSION]
[SCREAMING AND CRYING]
GLEN GARDENER: [INAUDIBLE]
your fucking [INAUDIBLE].

That casualty is coming in.
Why would you take three casualties [INAUDIBLE]
he's coming back.
Put him there.
Put him there.
[INAUDIBLE].
If people stop fucking [INAUDIBLE]
things will move a lot smoother and a lot faster.
MALE SPEAKER 19: Tourniquet applied, morphine given, all
the vital signs are checked.
[INAUDIBLE]
It's clear, it's been tied.
His pulse rate is high.

RYAN WHITFIELD: [INAUDIBLE].
Apparently, if you use the patches, they do work.
INTERVIEWER: The patches work?
RYAN WHITFIELD: Yeah, stick them over your eyes and
camouflage your face.
[DRUM FILL]
[INAUDIBLE]
DAVID GOOD: Hello, I'm David.
I work for a company called Amputees in Action.
And this is what I do for a living, is play casualties in
[INAUDIBLE] work, really.
RYAN WHITFIELD: And my name is Ryan.
This is my first job as an OPTAG, a week away.
DAVID GOOD: Well, this scenario--
[INAUDIBLE] is the suicide bomber.
So we were holding our little jobs
RYAN WHITFIELD: It's just based around roleplaying.
DAVID GOOD: And roleplay.
So as soon as the bang goes off, then we'll come out
covered in blood.
And sort of--
RYAN WHITFIELD: The blood bags are ready to explode.
DAVID GOOD: [INAUDIBLE]
RYAN WHITFIELD: It's basically a sock that goes out of our
stump covered with cosmetics.
DAVID GOOD: And we're always researching various injuries
and things and trying to get it more and more realistic.
RYAN WHITFIELD: This is quite a split, but it's not real.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, that's rough.
RYAN WHITFIELD: Cut myself shaving.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, [LAUGH].
DAVID GOOD: These are fairly basic ones, really, but later
on, we'll be doing abdominals and chest injuries and things
like that as well.
RYAN WHITFIELD: Yeah, this is probably one of the best jobs
I've ever had in my life.
I've done sales work before, as an estate agent in a fairly
fake environment.
And this job allows me to use my disability to an advantage.
And I also think, long term, this could be saving lives and
helping out the forces.
I'm a patriotic man, and it's nice to know that I can have
some effect.

BRENT THOM: I think this is the Mark VI helmet.
It's the one you use on tour.
I think we're getting a new one.
I think we're going to something like the Americans
use with the--
it comes down further, beyond the neck.
This is just like basic issue plates.
Basically that, both sides.
These'll stop 7.62.
Difference with us and the Americans is, we use a
smaller-caliber round.
Because we're--
it's just to injure.
I'm not sure why we'd want to just injure
someone shooting at you.
But that's the scope of it.
INTERVIEWER: So the enemy's weapons are trying to kill,
but yours are only trying to injure.
BRENT THOM: Yeah, they use a bigger caliber bullet.
INTERVIEWER: How do you feel about that?
BRENT THOM: Well, I don't know, really.
It doesn't seem fair, does it, to be honest?
If I could get away with injuring someone and not
killing them, then I suppose that'd probably be better.
so--
RICHARD ROBINSON: This is the SAE [INAUDIBLE]
582.
It outshoots most of the weapons of its kind.

INTERVIEWER: Have you been to Afghanistan?
RICHARD ROBINSON: Yeah, I went last time, yeah.
INTERVIEWER: How was it?
RICHARD ROBINSON: Yeah, it was all right.
INTERVIEWER: You didn't love it, didn't hate it?
RICHARD ROBINSON: No.
Didn't really like it too much either.
Just, I don't know, something about it.
It's just not a place you want to be-- getting shot at,
everything like that.
It's just not a nice place.

[EXPLOSION]
[GUNFIRE AND SHOUTING]
BALL BAG: I've always wanted to join the army.
I've got one uncle who's in the army.
But that wasn't why.
I've just always wanted to.
Little boys and guns, I suppose.
This'll be my first tour.
I've wanted to do it because it is what you join up for, no
matter what anyone says.
It is the main part of the job.

It's exciting, but it's scary as well.
We'll see.
Hear about blokes don't come back, and about mates who've
been injured, and stuff like that.

RICHARD DARE: This is me in Afghan.
This is about four minutes before I got hit.
INTERVIEWER: Really?
RICHARD DARE: Yeah.
And this is me after I got hit, about five minutes.
After [INAUDIBLE]
paralyzation and all that.
And then there's me--
and obviously I wasn't in no pain.
INTERVIEWER: Were you thinking, why are these
fuckers taking photographs of me?
RICHARD DARE: No, I gave my mate the camera.
I said do it.
I tried writing it down in my notebook
because I couldn't speak.
And I said, look, once in a lifetime picture.
I mean, just give me the camera.
But I wasn't in no pain, so I had no problems really.
[INAUDIBLE]
I don't get to wear.
I [INAUDIBLE].
The last time I wore it was a photoshoot.
We got woke up, like we did every
morning about half eight.
The Taliban had started chucking mortars at us.
We didn't wait to get [INAUDIBLE]
and then get out on the mortars and start retaliating.
It finished.
About five minutes went by.
Everyone stood down, so I took my body armor off, took my
helmet off.
And [INAUDIBLE]
the translator said that [INAUDIBLE].
And then within two seconds of me going like that--
I didn't even get my hand off the helmet, I got
blown to the side.
It landed about that far and [INAUDIBLE].
Looking around, I couldn't see no blood or
nothing, all right?
And then suddenly, I saw a gushing of blood just flow
down my head, hitting the floor and [INAUDIBLE]
roll down me.
I couldn't speak, couldn't move,
couldn't do nothing, really.
I was [INAUDIBLE]
first of all.
But as I got off the Chinook going to the ambulance, I was
just walking and suddenly just lost the use of my legs.
They said it was adrenaline that kept me going.
I had two shrapnels go through here.
I don't know if you can see the scar there.
[INAUDIBLE]
It cut the artery.
That's where all the blood came from.
I didn't know the extent of that until a few months later.
Because the blast was so close, it shook the brain side
to side, and it killed all the brain cells around the
outside, which give me signal problems.
So that's why I couldn't use certain muscles, and it was
tough to start walking.
Couldn't lift my arm up.
Couldn't speak properly.
Couldn't use my tongue.
[SLURRED AND CHOPPY SPEECH]
RICHARD DARE: Because then, I [INAUDIBLE].
Name and number.
That's it.
I couldn't [INAUDIBLE].

They told me I probably wouldn't walk.
They told me I probably wouldn't do nothing.
But I managed to get--
INTERVIEWER: How old were you when they told you that?
RICHARD DARE: 22.
I mean it was only 5 days after my birthday.
So yeah, 22.
MARION YOUNG: RAF Lyneham is only a town away from us.
What happens is, the bodies get
repatriated to RAF Lyneham.
We're the first town on the way to Oxford.
So the repat bodies come through Wootton Bassett.
And then people line the streets to pay their respects
on the day.
Well, I've got three grown-up sons and none of them in the
armed forces.
I know it sounds a horrible thing to say, but I'm glad
because they would be out in that war now.
That's one of the reasons I started standing out there, is
because I knew that in them coffins was someone's son or
daughter, husband, boyfriend.
And I just wanted to do something to
say that I do care.
But equally I care about all the people that's been lost
their lives in Afghanistan as well-- the Muslims as well.
So, I mean, I just don't feel for our soldiers.
I feel for everybody that's losing their life in this war.
[EXPLOSIONS]
[GUNFIRE]

RICH MURPHY: Hi, my name is Rich Murphy.
I'm a corporal with 2 Para.
INTERVIEWER: What just happened this morning?
RICH MURPHY: Eh, full breakfast, and there was the
cereal as well.
Obviously, there's a mortar attack on at the moment, so
we're a bit postponed.

MALE SPEAKER 21: Avril Lavigne is fit as fuck isn't she?
You're from America.
Avril Lavigne?
INTERVIEWER: If you like 12-year-olds, yeah.
SERGEANT FITZPATRICK: She's fucking rat, mate, I told you.
See, this is three people.
This is three people, now, who've said Avril
Lavigne is turbo rat.
She's horrible.
We do not do Avril Lavigne.
She's like whiskey tango nasty.
INTERVIEWER: What'd you call it?
What was your version?
What?
SERGEANT FITZPATRICK: Turbo rat.
INTERVIEWER: Turbo rats.
SERGEANT FITZPATRICK: Yeah.
Would you stop gobbing your toothpaste outside my RAP?
MALE SPEAKER 21: [LAUGH]
I know it's bad drills.
SERGEANT FITZPATRICK: It is bad drills, get a grip.
INTERVIEWER: So you guys are just waiting for
the wounded in here?
SERGEANT FITZPATRICK: Pretty much, yeah.
A lot of sitting around, unfortunately, but, quite
frankly, I'd rather spend every minute of every day on
tour sitting around being bored.
Because if you're doing your job, it means some poor sod's
having a bad day.
That's never good.
[GUNFIRE]
MALE SPEAKER 22: Get the light, get the light on it.
MALE SPEAKER 23: [INAUDIBLE]
MALE SPEAKER 24: [CRYING IN PAIN]
FEMALE SPEAKER 2: Being a medic's rough.
You see horrible stuff.
It's a shame because you have to see soldiers hurt for you
to do your job.

You get to know them, and then you help them get [INAUDIBLE].
And that's what makes the medics run out under fire and
drag their blokes back in.
MALE SPEAKER 25: Hello, one, zero, bravo,
this is one, nine.
I'm going to send nine line in from this location and then
move to HLS and send it again.
If you're listening blind or not.
It'll be marked by smoke, a yellow smoke.
MALE SPEAKER 26: He's got it on the report.

RICHARD DARE: [INAUDIBLE], an absolute nightmare.
I really did, I was in a restaurant,
and I started panicking.
And I didn't know what to do.
I could see everything around me, but I could
see Afghan on top.
I could see the people just walking around normally, just
enjoying the fireworks and that.
And I was sitting here trying to eat my steak.
And I could see the soldiers around him fighting.
[INAUDIBLE].
It was really strange.
I've never had that before.
It was like I had the urge to get out and fight.
[INAUDIBLE]
And I kept wanting to shout stuff.
I hold it back.
And every time I'm holding it back, it kicks off other
things, and emotions, and go up and down.
And just holding the head, and I didn't know what
to do in the end.
I ate my steak in less than two minutes.
I was just going for it.
I was just getting it all or I just would've
poured my eyes out.
I didn't know what to do.
INTERVIEWER: What was your favorite thing about
being in the army?
RICHARD DARE: Definitely Afghanistan.
Definitely.

I miss the company.
I miss the company of the men.
And I missed all the action.
And I just enjoyed everything, everything I did out there.
As I said, I want to go back.
Even if it means me getting hit again.