Sapper Martyn Cotrel (28) and six other soldiers from the Island serving with 21 Engineer Regiment based at Basra Airport wished their families and friends a merry Christmas in the newspaper last Saturday.
His father Francis, a retired electrical technician, said that it was hard for them to imagine what it must be like for their son who was permanently on duty while in Iraq.
‘They sleep with a loaded rifle next to them so it can be used when needed,’ he said.
He and his wife Susan and their daughter Melanie are always delighted when Martyn makes his twice weekly phone call to them.
‘It’s wonderful to pick up the phone and hear his voice,’ he said. They cannot speak to him for long, though, because unlike the American soldiers serving in Iraq their calls are restricted in the time they can have, he said.
