Standing Tall

Product Description

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 & the specialist military wing of Selly Oak Hospital it was touch-&-go whether he would survive. He had lost both legs & his right arm while the index finger of his left hand was almost completely removed. Yet survive he did & 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 & this allowed him to go on a world cruise with his fiance Claire in 2010. In the same year he was nominated for & won the Sun's Military Award. In between he has cycled from Land's End to John O' Groats skydived & made a number of appearances on behalf of service charities. Andy's story demonstrates how with patience courage & 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 & 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 & 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 & what future they might have.