TA medic tells of her time in Afghanistan (From Your Local Guardian)

Croydon Territorial Army medic tells of her time in Afghanistan

7:10am Friday 6th November 2009 in Top Stories By Harry Miller

A territorial medic who served in Afghanistan with the 2 Battalion The Rifles has spoken about her experiences while in the war-torn country.

Lance-corporal Caroline Albery, 26, from Crystal Palace served as a medic at the Regimental Aid Post (RAP) in the town of Sangin, northern Helmand province.

As a medic and triage nurse she saw some of the most horrendous injuries possible and had to make life and death decisions if there was an attack.

The former St Andrews Church of England High school pupil is a member of 7 Battalion, The Rifles, a TA unit, and deployed alongside her regular Army colleagues from 2 Battalion.

She was chief triage nurse on the day 20-year-old Danny Simpson from Shirley was killed along with four colleagues in a double blast just outside the town of Sangin.

Danny and his fellow soldiers were responding to an attack that already claimed the life of another soldier when they were caught in a second blast.

LCpl Albery said: “It was one of the longest days in my life but when you are in that kind of situation you don’t have time to think, your training kicks in.

“We had a few mass casualties while I was out there which everyone dealt with pretty well. You just have to get on with it because people’s lives are at risk.

LCpl Albery spent six months in Afghanistan away from her university course at Warwick University.

She said: “My favourite thing about going to Afghanistan was the time I got to spend so closely with the guys.

“When you live so close to each other and in such a strange situation everyone gets on really well.

“We were a very tight knit group.”

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