Mum of Clayton-le-Moors soldier killed by Taliban backs Afghanistan campaign (From Blackburn Citizen)

Mum of Clayton-le-Moors soldier killed by Taliban backs Afghanistan campaign

6:30pm Saturday 7th November 2009

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THIS week seven British soldiers have died in Afghanistan, sparking a fresh debate about whether our troops should be there. The family of an East Lancashire soldier who was killed in the war-torn country share their feelings 14 months after his death.

“My heart goes out to them and I pray for the soldiers that are still out there every night”, said Mandy Rawstron.

“I do believe it is right that they are still fighting because otherwise my son has died for nothing.”

Mandy’s son Jason was shot dead by a Taliban fighter The bullet went through his eye and he died instantly.

Private Rawstron, 27, nicknamed Suspect because of his mischievous nature by army colleagues, was on routine patrol in the Helmand Prov-ince, Afghanistan, on September 12, 2008.

The former Moorhead High School pupil was just over a month away from coming home at the end of a six-month tour of duty with the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment.

Mandy, of Barnes Street, Clayton-le-Moors, said: “I’m still aware that he died for a reason but I will always feel sad about it no matter what.

“He used to bounce rather than walk and he always had a big beaming smile. He wasn’t argumentative. No-one ever had a bad word to say about him.

“I miss his smile, his laugh and I really just miss him being here.”

On Thursday, Jason’s face appeared amongst hundreds of photographs in the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, which was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh.The faces on crosses aimed to remind the world about soldiers who died in the service of their country in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mandy, 45, is planning to attend a Remembrance Day service at All Saints Church, in Clayton-le-Moors.

She said: “Remembrance Sunday is like a good and bad thing because it reminds you that so many soldiers have died since the First World War, but you can remember those who have sacrificed their lives and it never lets you forget what they have done for us all.”

Following the seven deaths in Afghanistan this week, Prime Minister Gordan Brown gave a pre-Remembrance Day speech in London yesterday morning.

During the speech at the Royal College of Defence Studies , Mr Brown reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to the campaign in Afghanistan.

He said Britain “can not, must not and will not walk away” from the country and the work being done to train local troops and police.

For Mandy the news reports serve as a painful reminder.

She said: “The pain is still the same especially since it’s on the news every day because it brings back all the memories.

“My heart goes out to everyone who is remembering a loved one on Sunday.”

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