<
Writing
in the Sunday Times , Harry recalled that after
flying home last year he was so relieved to be reunited with his
family again, and this was when the reality of war hit him. He
added “I had never seen it first hand, by ‘it’ I mean the injuries
that were being sustained largely due to improvised explosive
devices” (IED).
Prince Harry took up a managerial based job in the Army this year
but he stated that one memory still sends shivers down his spine,
the memory of having to use the code ‘Op Vampire’ when returning a
casualty to base. It meant that the injured person in question
would require a lot of blood on their arrival at the Camp Bastion
hospital.
Prince Harry may have been a fully trained member of the Army but
yet he expressed that there were things he definitely wasn’t
prepared for. “Loss of life is as tragic and devastating as it
gets, but to see young lads- much younger than me, wrapped in
plastic and missing limbs, with hundreds of tubes coming out of
them, was something I never prepared myself for.”
It can be assumed that the Prince’s experiences in Afghanistan
inspired him to set up an international sporting event for wounded
service personnel, The Invictus Games. After witnessing a similar
event in the USA, The Warrior Games, Harry became inspired by the
determination and efforts of injured, wounded and sick servicemen
and women and set up the Invictus Games to take place in this
country.
The games will showcase the courage and determination of those who
have been injured whilst serving their country and will see 14
nations come together at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for a
four day multi sport event. The games are fully supported by the
Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince
Harry, and profits from ticket sales will be split between six
different military charities which include the Royal British Legion
and Help for Heroes.
Since the launch of the games back in March, Prince Harry has been
consistent in appealing for the public to get behind the games and
show their support for the injured athletes who have served their
country. Now what better way to say ‘Thank You’ than by going along
to the Invictus Games and cheering on our heroes in a multitude of
events and what’s more, you will be doing your bit for six worthy
causes.
photo credit: DVIDSHUB via photopin cc]]>
