Brian McDermott

and then got a phone call within about a week of being on leave from our Sergeant Major.

No mobile phones back then or emails.

He had to landline everybody because you've got to leave your phone number with them just in case.

He said, you've all got to come back.

You've got to go to Iraq.

okay so i remember being getting a phone call off my sister saying you've uh you've got to go back you know your sergeant majors rang up and i immediately thought oh my god what have i got caught doing now i've been found out i've done something wrong and it's no no you've got to go to iraq and i thought well wow that's that's why we joined up i was that excited but then i remember thinking but i'm i'm not tired i'm not exhausted from from being in northern ireland and within

Within 48 hours, we're at RAF Akrituri, which is a place just outside the Middle East, an RAF base.

And I remember we had the winter gear from Northern Ireland still.

That was all wrecked, because when you're in Northern Ireland, we was patrol troops, so you're walking across country all day, nearly every day, physically exhausted.

It's the most physically demanding job I've ever done, and I was only 20.

And I remember having the gear with me at the time and I'm still seeing some tears and cuts, even in your boots.

Your boots get wrecked walking through the country over there.

And I remember thinking, we have no idea where we're going.

I have no idea why we're going here.

Nobody's got any notice.

And there was a level of panic amongst us.

And everybody was thinking, what are we doing?

What's happening?

This kit's going to fall over.

We have what's called the backpack, you know, your day sacks.