Staff from The HALO Trust took part in the dedication of a memorial to British soldiers and civilians who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, today.
The Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial, a sculpture funded through donations and designed by Paul Day, was unveiled by Her Majesty The Queen in Victoria Embankment Gardens in London, honouring British military and non-military personnel, such as aid and charity workers, who served in the countries between 1990 and 2015.
The memorial was dedicated in a service attended by 2,500 guests, which included current and past HALO staff and the family of Tim Goggs and Julian Gregson, former HALO employees. Both men died as a result of injuries sustained in 1992 when they tried to open up a road to an Afghan village that was cut off by mines.
James Cowan, HALO’s CEO, who as a soldier served in both countries, said: “It is a great honour for The HALO Trust to have been invited to witness the dedication ceremony and humbling to have been joined by the families of Tim Goggs and Julian Gregson. And while today was about the service of British nationals in Afghanistan and Iraq, we also recall the dedication and sacrifice of the Afghan nationals who have been injured or killed while making their country a safer place.”
At the event, James Cowan met and spoke with Prince Harry, who notably served on the front-line in Afghanistan and has visited HALO programmes in the past.
Also present were HALO Trustees Paddy Beeley, who worked for HALO in Afghanistan and Jane Davis, who served in Afghanistan both in the British Army and as a member of The HALO medical group, and Tim Cheatle, current member of HALO’s voluntary medical group.
Jasper Harrison, Will Longe, Christian Richmond, Richard Evans, Richard Grindle and David True, ex-HALO staff who served in Afghanistan, and current HALO directors Tim Porter and Calvin Ruysen were also in attendance.
The HALO Trust will hold its own memorial service, remembering those who have fallen and current alumni, in London on 15 December 2017.
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