Prince Charles visit injured troops
The Prince of Wales paid a morale-boosting visit today to British troops wounded in Afghanistan.
Charles met injured servicemen and women at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, in one of his regular trips to the unit.
It was a welcome boost, said patients and staff, who feel the plight of Britain's wounded military personnel is sometimes forgotten.
The RCDM deals with members of the British Armed Forces who are injured both in and out of action across the world.
However, in what might reflect the tough job facing those in Afghanistan, all those currently receiving treatment there were wounded in the Middle Eastern country.
The Prince met Lance Corporal Jim Taylor, 24, of the Royal Engineers, who was shot in the arm during an operation in the Sangin area of Helmand province on June 1.
The father-of-one, from King's Lynn, Norfolk, was supporting the Black Watch regiment in an operation tackling the opium trade when he was gunned down.
Just three months into his latest tour, he was back in Britain.
Speaking before his meeting with Charles, he said: "I was link man on the radio. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"He wasn't a sniper, just a sharp shooter. He was part of that village complex that was dealing with opium."
The gunshot shattered 3in (8cm) of bone just above the soldier's elbow.
"One of the lads came down, put a dressing on me and called the casualty evacuation team," said L/Cpl Taylor.
"When I got to Bastion (military base) it was like walking into a This Is Your Life scenario. There were 12 or 15 people (medical personnel) waiting for me. Within 10 minutes they had taken my clothes off, filled in the holes and knocked me out for surgery."
Two days later, L/Cpl Taylor was back in Britain and undergoing treatment at the RCDM.
The unit, staffed by military personnel, was handed a contract in 2001 to treat all British military servicemen and women injured while in service. Since then, it has treated 8,500 military inpatients and 38,500 outpatients.
L/Cpl Taylor said: "It helps the lads, having military staff. They are on the same wavelength and have the same sense of humour."
After a five-minute conversation with the soldier, Charles told him: "You are a credit to your platoon."
Of the Prince's visit, L/Cpl Taylor added: "It's good for morale. It just shows people we are here."
Lance Corporal Dave Cox, of Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, is part of the medical team treating the soldier and his comrades.
Of the royal visit, he said: "It proves that someone actually cares and they are not forgotten about.
"You hear about the soldiers who die but you don't hear about the injuries we get here on a daily basis, so this shows people what's going on. It's good for morale but it's also good for raising awareness."
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