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Royal Marine Simon Jones was serving with 45 Commando in Afghanistan and was five months into his tour when he was injured.
Simon was on a routine foot patrol on 18th February 2009. He was acting as point man in the section which involves being the lead man in the patrol, searching for IEDs and clearing a safe route. Simon and his section commander had gone ahead and were in a field when the IED went off. His section commander lost both legs and Simon suffered blast injuries to his legs, arms, back and backside. ‘I was knocked unconscious for a couple of minutes and when I came around, the pain really hit. The rest of the guys were further behind so we were the only 2 injured. They were able to respond very quickly’ says Simon. ‘They secured an area for the Medical Emergency Response Team to land with the helicopter and pick us both up. We were taken to Camp Bastion to be flown immediately back to the UK’ remembers Simon.
With just one month left of the tour, Simon’s section had yet to suffer any casualties. In the Forward Operating Base where 45 Commando were stationed, there were two other sections which had both been hit. ‘We expected something to happen. I had said to a friend only the week before I was injured that it was only a matter of time before we had a casualty so I wasn’t surprised when it happened to me.’
After a month in {Selly Oak}, Simon moved to Headley Court. ‘Headley Court was great. We had a few trips out which were fun but it was mainly the camaraderie of the place. We were all there going through the same experience. We could all help each other.’
Moving on
A particular achievement for Simon was taking part in the Khumbu Challenge in 2010 which, each year sees teams of injured Royal Marines tackle the Himalayan Mountains to reach Everest Base Camp. This is organised by the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund and supported by the Help for Heroes Quick Reaction Fund. ‘This was a real achievement for me and a big step along my road to recovery. I was going through the mill a bit both professionally and personally and to have this challenge, something to work towards, was very important.’
Simon’s partner is a member of the H4H Band of Sisters, a way for H4H to keep in touch with the loved ones of the wounded, ‘it’s fantastic for her, knowing that she can talk to others who are going through the same thing because I think she felt quite isolated at times. She loved the goodies that she was sent too!’
Simon, who is also a member of the H4H Band of Brothers, adds ‘Help for Heroes is great, the lengths the team go to help us is amazing. I know that whatever the future holds for me, they will be there as a life line, to help support me however I might need.’
