11:50pm Thursday 3rd February 2011
By Katie Bond
AS yet another fallen hero returns home from the Afghanistan war zone, a local soldier has spoken to the Adver from the front line about the good work the Army are doing .
Sapper David Hansleman, 24, from Cricklade, is currently in Helmand province as a combat engineer as part of 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault), Corps of Royal Engineers.
As a combat engineer, he is responsible for building projects in dangerous locations, such as the construction of defensive positions, the building of bridges and the fortification of compounds while under fire.
He is a specialist heating and plumbing engineer and is also proficient in the techniques of explosive demolition.
David, who is the same age as Private Martin Bell whose repatriation brought Wootton Bassett to a standstill yesterday afternoon, is involved in the construction of Route Trident, a road-building project which aims to give British troops the freedom of movement they need to protect local communities and fight the Taliban.
He said: “This is my second time in Afghanistan and I can definitely see progress since my last visit.
“In particular, the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police have grown in size and capability since I was last here in 2008.
“I enjoy working with good blokes and seeing our achievements. We’re all one team here and we all get a lot out of playing our part.”
David, who attended Farmors School in Fairford, joined the Army in 2005, and returned to the country for his second tour of duty in September.
He said: “I work in a team of 10 men to provide engineer support to the infantry battle groups.
“Most of the work I have carried out has been ‘force support’ engineering – building patrol bases and checkpoints to provide the soldiers protection while they are bringing security to the people of Afghanistan.
“The force protection we provide is very important as it helps keep all of our soldiers safer against attacks from insurgents. The road repairs we are doing help our troops and the local population to be able to move around the area – and this road is special because it is specifically designed to prevent improvised explosive devices from being dug into it.”
Once completed, the road will also kickstart economic and social development in the area, encouraging the Afghan people to reject the Taliban.
In general, British troops in Afghanistan are responsible for driving out the insurgency and improving security for the local population in their area, while at the same time training up their Afghan counterparts who are increasingly taking over responsibility for maintaining security in their own country.
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