Sgt RICK
CLEMENT
Double Amputee, Afghanistan War Hero, Inspirational
Speaker
Did you see the former soldier who lost his
legs during the war in Afghanistan has walked in public for the first time at a Remembrance Sunday service?
It was the inspirational Sgt Rick Clement who stepped on a bomb during the conflict in 2010.
Despite medics saying he may never walk again, he used his prosthetic legs to lay a wreath at Blackpool cenotaph.
He said: "I took my first three steps and there was a wave of emotion -
something I've not experienced that much, well ever, before."
He completed the Great Manchester Swim
earlier this year and was also photographed by the Canadian singer Bryan Adams, with the images appearing in an exhibition on wounded servicemen and women.
Sgt Rick Clement share his remarkable and inspirational story at the North West Expo:
On the 27th May 2010 whilst serving as an Infantry Platoon Sergeant in
Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment my life was thrown into turmoil.
It was on a routine foot patrol that I
stepped on a pressure plate I.E.D. (Improvised explosive device). Thanks to the excellent training and quick thinking of my lads I was given emergency first aid and evacuated back to camp Bastion
before being flown back to the UK.
It was a miracle I even survived or rather a
credit to all the medics from on the ground, the ones on the Helicopter that picked me up and those back at camp Bastion.
Once I awoke 3 weeks later in hospital I
found out that I had lost both my legs suffering extremely high amputations and that my genitals had also been severely damaged. I got through these dark times with the support of my family and in
particular my parents. Over the next few months I gradually became stronger and more independent so I was moved to the rehabilitation unit in Headley Court. Here they start to build up your
strength and look at the use of Prosthetic limbs. After a year of trying I decided that it was not possible at that time for me to use prosthetics because of how high my amputations were. I had
however achieved many things such as being back driving, swimming and gaining a lot of independence back.
I am still ongoing with operations and physio
and have started my journey to walk again with the help of some new technology and the Preston Mobility Rehab Centre and feel good about my life and future. I know there are still many things I can
achieve which brings me to why I started this charity.
Now I’m much more mobile and able I felt it
was time to give something back to those who have helped us. I want to make sure that the help needed is there for everyone whether it be someone suffering from PTSD or physical injuries etc. or even
a member of their family.
We aim to complete a number of fundraising
activities every year, I’ve already been to Australia and done a sponsored shark dive where I was in a cage up front and close with jaws himself the Great White
Shark.
Thank you for reading this, I look forward to meeting you all on the 26th November!
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