One of the most important jobs on my trip to Helmand Province in Afghanistan in December 2007 was to get messages back to the soldiers’ relatives back in the UK. Here are a couple…

CORPORAL Carl Storr joined 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) straight from school and has not looked back since.

The 30-year-old is currently serving in Helmand Province in Afghanistan and says he is looking forward to getting home to Whitby just after Christmas.

He said: “I’ll get to see the family which will be good. I miss my wife and kids most of all and it’ll be nice to get back to see people in Whitby.”

The former Caedmon School pupil is married to wife Mandy, 32, and their children are seven-year-old Kyle, four-year-old Dalton and three-year-old Samantha.

PRIVATE Shane Johnson joined 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) in 1996 and says he will miss his family over the Christmas period.

The 33-year-old, who now lives in Whitby, said: “I am out here now until the back end of March. It is hard to be away from my family and I miss them.

“They’ve had their Christmas gifts when I was home last week and that made up for being away now. I just wish them a merry Christmas and hope they enjoy the presents.”

He said he hoped to see his wife Lisa, stepdaughter Leah and son Daniel very soon.

Since enlisting he has served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Germany, Canada, Poland as well as Afghanistan.

From The Scarborough Evening News on Monday, December 24, 2007.