He has been shot at and had close friends die during Army service in the last five years.

But the flipside is he gets to visit foreign countries and enjoys great banter with his Army colleagues.

In the first of a two-part focus on modern-day Army life, RICHARD MENNEAR caught up with the Hartlepool soldier who spent eight months fighting on the frontline in Afghanistan.



HE dreamed of being an infantryman.

It was the ultimate ambition of Peter Crowe when he was a young boy.

"I used to watch war movies all the time as a boy and it was my dream to join the Army," recalls Peter, a Lance Corporal.

The 21-year-old former glass collector from Hartlepool achieved that dream when he spent eight months in Afghanistan with the infantry coming face to face with Taliban fighters.

Lance Cpl Crowe, of the 2nd Battallion (Green Howards) of the Yorkshire Regiment, spent months patrolling for suicide bombers and protecting army engineers.

He spent two and half months deep inside the Green Zone, an area near the Helmand Province.

Bullets and rockets whizzed past him, he was severely ill as a result of rations and lived with the constant threat of being attacked.
Despite the realities, Peter doesn't regret joining up.

"The mental and physical demands of being in the Army are really tough but what gets you through is the banter between the lads".

Lance Cpl Crowe, who returned to Hartlepool in April, is also looking to develop his links with the Army Youth Team (AYT) when he eventually leaves the infantry.

He also relishes the precious time he gets to spend with his partner and family.

The former Brierton Community School pupil has had to face the reality of conflict. He has had to come to terms with the death of colleagues and close friends.

The threat of being killed or seriously injured is constant.

Lance Cpl Crowe said: "The worst part is when you hear somebody shout medic, because you don't know who has been hit or how bad it is".

He left school and spent 42 weeks doing Army training at Harrogate.

He then spent nine weeks in Catterick learning combat fighting skills before being dispatched to Chepstow with the Yorkshire Regiment.

Lance Cpl Crowe, who has also served in Bosnia for six months, was sent to Afghanistan in September last year.

He spent two months in Lashkar Gah in southern Afghanistan carrying out roadside patrols.

"You hear a lot about the suicide bombers but you can't stop them. If they are intent on doing it then they will and it's just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"It is an absolute nightmare and you are constantly watching everything".

His platoon was then sent to the Upper Gereshk Valley inside the Green Zone in southern Afghanistan to provide protection for engineers building forward operating bases (FOB).

"We were only supposed to be there for a fortnight but ended up staying for two and half months.

"You are on duty for 12-hour shifts, you don't get much sleep and can only wash using baby wipes.

"The worst part though is late at night, when you're about to go to sleep, and 300 rounds are fired at you by the Taliban."

Lance Cpl Crowe said soldiers react in different ways and the whole experience is like a "strange dream."

"When you start thinking, 'This is really happening,' that's when soldiers get into problems.

"When you hear the snap, crack, snap of the bullets, you either freeze or your training kicks in and you get on with the job.


"The first time I was shot at I started giggling."

Injury or death is a constant threat and Lance Cpl Crowe said: "I didn't see it happen but one of my close mates died".

Corporal Damian Lawrence, 25, of the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, died on patrol in the Helmand Province after stepping on a landmine.

"Damian was one of my good mates and I did a lot of courses with him", said Peter.

"When the officers tell you someone is dead it's the worst feeling in the world. It's just awful and many of the guys cry.

"It certainly gives you a lump in the throat."

The soldier lives in the Dyke House area of Hartlepool, with his partner Emma Moore, 22, eight-week-old son Ashton Crowe, and Emma's daughter, Taylor Higgs, three.

Taylor suffers from the rare genetic disease, Mowat-Wilson syndrome and cerebral palsy, which leaves her unable to walk, talk and eat solid foods.

Peter said: "It feels so good when you step off the plane and come home to see your family for the first time in ages.

"I have a young family and was one of the lucky few to come back at Christmas.

"I enjoyed being home but I found myself getting wound up by kids crying and whinging that they had to queue in shops.

"All they were doing was Christmas shopping and they didn't have a clue about what was happening in the real world."

He served his time in Afghanistan during the winter and conditions varied from extreme heat to freezing cold temperatures.
If the troops weren't dodging bullets they were rushing to the toilet with diarrhoea and vomiting.

Anyone wanting more details on a career in the Army should contact 08457 300 111 or visit www.army.mod.uk