An Angus soldier who has been sent to Afghanistan for the first time has gone straight into the front line in Helmand Province.
Lance Corporal Mark Mclean (24), of 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault), Corps of Royal Engineers, has the task of ensuring military equipment is kept well-maintained.
The Carnoustie man has been trained as a class one fitter and is based at Camp Bastion.
As part of his work he will regularly fly out to front-line locations to repair machinery his colleagues are using to carry out construction tasks.
“Our combat engineers are responsible for building patrol bases and checkpoints to provide other soldiers with protection while they are bringing security to the people of Afghanistan,” he said.
“To do that they need serviceable equipment and that’s where I come in.”I enjoy the variety of my work and the large number of locations I visit as part of my role.”
After attending Carnoustie High, the young soldier joined the army in 2002 and now lives in Seaham, County Durham, with fiancee Jennifer Peel.
He said, “This is my first time in Afghanistan and it’s a really interesting place to work. Everyone works as a team, not just within the engineers but the whole effort here.
“Working with such great people makes everything easier and more fun, even though the work is often tough.”
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user DVIDSHUB.