Corporal helps fellow soldier after learning he was homeless
Corporal, 42, whose life was saved by fellow soldier following Afghanistan mine blast returns favour 10 years later after learning he was homeless
- Andy Reid was Army corporal when he lost arm and both legs in Afghanistan
- Alex Kemp, then 18, rushed to his aid with tourniquets and dressings in 2009
- Last year, Mr Reid was worried about Mr Kemp and found out he was homeless
- He has since helped him get back on his feet and battle his mental health issues
Andy Reid (left) and Alex Kemp (right), at Mr Kemp’s new house in Buckshaw, Lancashire
A soldier whose life was saved by a teenage comrade has returned the favour by helping the younger man back on his feet after finding him homeless almost a decade later.
Andy Reid, 42, from St Helens, Merseyside, was an Army corporal when he lost an arm and both legs after stepping on a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan, in October 2009.
Alex Kemp, then 18 and a member of Mr Reid’s section in the Yorkshire Regiment’s Third Battalion, rushed to his aid with tourniquets and dressings to stem catastrophic bleeding.
The blast happened while the men were on patrol in Sangin, one of the most dangerous districts of Helmand Province, where one third of all British troops killed in Afghanistan lost their lives.
The eight-man section had forged close friendships with each other after a number of previous bombs claimed the lives of colleagues.
Mr Kemp (second left, back row) and Andy Reid (second right, back row) in Afghanistan
Mr Reid was airlifted to hospital at the main military base at Camp Bastion in Helmand, then flown back to the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Birmingham, and the pair only met again briefly a few months later.
Last year, however, Mr Reid became concerned after spotting a Facebook post from Mr Kemp and got back in touch with him.
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He found out Mr Kemp was homeless as a result of crippling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and had even attempted to take his own life.
He has since helped him get back on his feet and battle his mental health issues, and Mr Kemp is now living in Buckshaw Village, Lancashire.
Mr Reid was concerned after spotting a Facebook post from Mr Kemp and got back in touch
Mr Reid said: ‘The hard work has come from Alex and with the help of others we have just put things in place for him.
‘I saw that Alex had put a post on Facebook and that it didn’t sound right, that he might be struggling, so I got in touch.
‘He told me he wasn’t in a good place, his relationship had broken down, he was homeless.
‘I felt guilty to start with because I thought that I should have checked in on the guys from our section a long time ago, that I should have been able to help him before that. I told him that he need to get his life back on track.’
Mr Reid paid for Mr Kemp to catch a train to Manchester and collected him from the station
Mr Reid paid for young father Mr Kemp, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, to catch a train to Manchester and collected him from the station.
‘He arrived with two carrier bags of belongings. From there we got a plan in place to help him get back on his feet and become self-sufficient,’ he said.
Mr Reid, from St Helens, went on to become an ambassador for Step Forward Homes
Mr Kemp, now 28, said: ‘I came out of the Army in late 2010 after being admitted to the Army hospital due to my mental health.
‘I wanted to be a dad and not a dead hero, I choose to come out so I could be with my child.’
But Mr Kemp said his mental state left him ‘dripping with sweat’ whenever he went out and he ‘didn’t want to speak to people or work’.
He recalled: ‘We had lost a few men in our section and it had been hard to cope with the things I had seen, I lost my grandmother and lost my home, had no job and was struggling to see my daughter.
‘I would get a job and get back on my feet for it to fall apart again and it was just a cycle. I even made an attempt to take my own life and was admitted to hospital.
‘So many people have helped me since, I was able to get a job, I now have a place to stay so that I can have my daughter to visit. I can’t thank them all enough.’
After being medically discharged, Mr Reid went on to become an ex-forces ambassador for recruitment company, Morson International, to help raise mental health awareness and help veterans transition into civilian jobs.
Mr Reid, who has a six-year-old son, William, with his wife Claire, 37, said: ‘I remember seeing the dust around me and that I couldn’t see my legs but it never occurred to me how bad the injuries were. I never even felt any pain.
‘When I was bought out of the coma in hospital I knew straight away that I was a survivor and not a victim, that this would not stop me from living.’
The blast happened while the men were on patrol in Sangin in 2009. Pictured: 3 Troop, W Company, 45 Commando Royal Marines conduct a patrol from Sangin in October 2008
He also went on to become an ambassador for Step Forward Homes, set up by former child actor Chris Perry-Metcalf, 30, and his father, Gary, 55, three years ago and made up of ex-military servicemen. It helps find homes for veterans.
Through Step Forward Homes, Mr Reid was also able to find Mr Kemp a home, which he moved into last August.
He has also now passed his driving test, bought a car and started a new job in railway maintenance.
Mr Kemp is also now able to see his daughter, Millie, 10, and makes weekly visits to a counsellor to help cope with his PTSD.
He said: ‘Everyone has really looked after me. I have everyone’s numbers so that whenever I need them, I’m never alone.’
For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details
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