-I wanted to do something when I was younger that was active,
that was involved, and that would be
a massive challenge for myself.
-I'm a Royalist.
I believe very strongly in England and Great Britain.
-It was the inevitability, as the war progressed.
-As the war went on, you became more involved.
Doing their bit as they say.
-Today, there doesn't seem to be an enemy who we can face.
Everything is done by stealth.
The idea of warfare as we knew it, or as I knew it,
bears no resemblance to what these lads
have got to put up with.
-I don't think I've ever viewed it,
and thought there will be a time without war.
Obviously, in an ideal world, that would be a nicety.
However, I think that with the situation we have currently,
it's unlikely to happen for the foreseeable future.
-I never believed there would be no war.
Many people say that it's not war in Iraq
and it's not war in Afghanistan.
My belief is that it is war.
It's a different kind of war.
-I can never see it.
I don't know what it is about mankind.
It's destined to always fight for some reason or other.
-I was out in Iraq last year.
Our primary role was to provide the protection for the Air
Force personnel out there, including, that
is support to the local people.
-So service in Burma in the Far East,
in air sea rescue, and embarkation units.
-Well, what I was doing in the first place
was submarine chasing.
-We came under attack on the base.
And we went out, and we conducted operations to ensure
that those attacks, or the effects of them were minimised.
-In the second Gulf War, I went there
as part of what was then the Rapier
Force, where I deployed a surface to air missile system.
-Soldiers and sailors in the armed forces
are more technically gifted than we were in our day.
-Things have changed.
-We've got women soldiers now.
And they're good soldiers.
I feel respected within the regiment without a doubt,
and within the armed forces as a whole.
I think respect outside of the military
is something that we sometimes struggle with.
-Do I feel respected by Great Britain and its populace?
Not always, no.
Opinion has changed.
-"What would you like for breakfast?"
I said, "Sorry?" -"The gentleman over there paid
for your breakfast".
You could not go wrong.
-When I saw negative press or heard of negative press,
it made me very angry, very angry indeed.
But you just channel that back into the work.
-I think opinions have changed of the armed forces.
I remember when I was younger seeing the armed forces often
in various shows.
There's a lot less of that now.
It's obviously not demanded by the general public as much.
Therefore, it's shown a lot less.
-When I first joined up, we were expected
to parade at the guard room, and prior
to going on any leave in uniform.
In this day and age, it's not encouraged because
of the threat of targeting.
-When you meet someone for the first time,
and you're talking about what you do,
there is a bit of shock at first.
You never really get a cold shoulder, I wouldn't say.
But that's not to say it doesn't happen.
Generally, it's not too bad an experience
when you go through telling someone.
-There have been occasions when I've gone to a shop,
and I've been in uniform or something
like that on the way home from work.
A youngster might take the mickey.
I don't see it as something to take the mickey out of,
being a fighting man.
-Our soldiers, they're trying to keep the peace,
make the world a better place for the inhabitants
of the country they're in.
And yet everything's against them.