Soldier who cheated death ‘can’t wait to get back’

A soldier who came within millimetres of losing his life is dying to get back on the front line to support the boys and girls fighting the Taliban.

Lance corporal Ashley Irving lost some of his vision and suffered a fractured skull when a bullet went through his helmet but he is now fit and raring to go, the News and Star reported.

Medics have given him the thumbs up and all he is waiting for now is his paperwork to be processed so he can make his way to Cyprus to join up with the Duke of Lancaster’s 2nd Battalion.

He told the newspaper that all he can think about is standing shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the troops and sealing victory.

"I miss it and I miss the lads. I just feel like I’m not doing anything sitting about at home," he told the newspaper.

Meanwhile, mum Gina Anderson recently told the Bridgwater Mercury that her son Declan’s heroics in Afghanistan have made her very proud.

Posted by Jenny Richards