Get me back to the battle says hero soldier who lost both legs in Afghanistan blast

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 1st January 2010 | Liz Hull and Neil Sears

[naturalman1975]

A Taliban bomb claimed both his legs, but it couldn’t take away Sapper Gregg Stevenson’s courage.

The 24-year-old stunned doctors by learning to walk on artificial limbs within two weeks.

In February the 6ft 4in former rugby player will return to duty, ten months after the attack.

And yesterday he insisted that his next goal is to go back to Afghanistan when his comrades from the 24 Commando Engineer Regiment return later in the year.

His inspiring story emerged as it was confirmed that a sixth Army bomb disposal expert has been killed while trying to defuse IEDs (improvised explosive devices) like the one which caught the young sapper.

Gregg Stevenson was just a fortnight from returning home after his first tour of duty in Afghanistan when the bomb went off as he was sweeping for mines in Kajaki, Helmand Province.

Since then he has made incredible progress in intensive physiotherapy at Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre in Surrey.

Last summer he went white-water rafting in Colorado and he has also taken up fly fishing and golf.

‘I was lucky that I was so tall because it meant the explosive missed my vital organs,’ said Sapper Stevenson, from Foulridge, Lancashire.

‘Everything has been going really well. I am where I wanted to be in my recovery and the doctors are really pleased with my progress.

‘I am going back to work in February and will be based in the UK for now. My colleagues who I was serving with when I was injured are going on a tour again in about eight months, and I would love to join them – that is my target. I am still capable of doing a job out there.’

[J Edgar]

A brave, heroic warrior - who is still in shock - pray for his physical and full emotional/psychological recover, and may Our Lord guide him to reintegration into civilian life with a peaceful and satisfying life that ends in bestowment of everlasting life with Our Father in Paradise.

I admire and solute all of our young soldiers who are sacrificing so much - I pray that this precious treasure is not wasted by Washington DC Treason, as exemplified by the likes of John F’en Kerry

[rae4palin]

Do we deserve such men?

[ConorMacNessa]

Buckets of Courage! Go Sapper Gregg Stevenson!

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[dsutah]

But he’s British, isn’t he? Not that there’s any problem with that! They surely need a lot of such spirit, just like we do!

[RichInOC]

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Sapper Gregg “Mongo” Stevenson.

Don’t try to blow him up. You’ll only make him mad.

[J Edgar]

I missed that detail - but no matter, he is a courageous warrior doing his best - and Gordon Brown is of the same stripe as John F’en Kerry, namely, a treasonous criminal without conscience or morals - an Islamo-Facist enabler - IMHO