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| Gran heads for Afghan front line | Gran heads for Afghan front line |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| A 50-year-old nurse and grandmother is swapping the hospital ward for a front line medical role in Afghanistan. | A 50-year-old nurse and grandmother is swapping the hospital ward for a front line medical role in Afghanistan. |
| Sonia Briggs, from Haverfordwest, is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force corporal and will work as an accident and emergency nurse in the back of a helicopter. | Sonia Briggs, from Haverfordwest, is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force corporal and will work as an accident and emergency nurse in the back of a helicopter. |
| She has five children and three grandchildren, is head of nursing at Pembrokeshire Local Health Board and has been with the NHS for 20 years. | She has five children and three grandchildren, is head of nursing at Pembrokeshire Local Health Board and has been with the NHS for 20 years. |
| A corporal, she had advanced weapons training ahead of her posting. | A corporal, she had advanced weapons training ahead of her posting. |
| She has had indirect experience of the military through her son Ryan, who has twice served in Iraq as an RAF medic. | |
| She made the decision to join the reserves four years ago. | She made the decision to join the reserves four years ago. |
| "I was getting divorced and being a single parent, although the older children are independent, I just couldn't see anything else other than housework and I thought, I could do something else at the weekends," she said. | "I was getting divorced and being a single parent, although the older children are independent, I just couldn't see anything else other than housework and I thought, I could do something else at the weekends," she said. |
| Cpl Briggs spent a weekend with the Territorial Army, discovered it involved a weekend every month and two weeks a year. | Cpl Briggs spent a weekend with the Territorial Army, discovered it involved a weekend every month and two weeks a year. |
| Life's too short - you see a lot with the military and the NHS, lives cut short Sonia Briggs She decided it was something she could do and on her son's advice, she joined the RAAF. | Life's too short - you see a lot with the military and the NHS, lives cut short Sonia Briggs She decided it was something she could do and on her son's advice, she joined the RAAF. |
| "In preparation, we have had eight weeks pre-deployment training which included weapons training. | "In preparation, we have had eight weeks pre-deployment training which included weapons training. |
| "I've had training in the past but this was more intensive specific training - three weeks Aeromed training and flying live patients. | "I've had training in the past but this was more intensive specific training - three weeks Aeromed training and flying live patients. |
| "I went to the Falklands, Ascension Island and Cyprus. It was very, very rewarding." | "I went to the Falklands, Ascension Island and Cyprus. It was very, very rewarding." |
| She will be dealing with serious casualties, working from the back of a helicopter, and will also accompany wounded soldiers back to the UK flying out of Kandahar. | She will be dealing with serious casualties, working from the back of a helicopter, and will also accompany wounded soldiers back to the UK flying out of Kandahar. |
| "I just thrive on it. I'm always looking for the next challenge," she said. | "I just thrive on it. I'm always looking for the next challenge," she said. |
| "Life's too short - you see a lot with the military and the NHS, lives cut short." | "Life's too short - you see a lot with the military and the NHS, lives cut short." |
| Her family - Sarah, 29, Ryan, 28, Stuart, 26, Simon, 13, and Bobby, 11 - are supportive of her decision. | Her family - Sarah, 29, Ryan, 28, Stuart, 26, Simon, 13, and Bobby, 11 - are supportive of her decision. |
| Her two youngest sons will live with her daughter during her three-month posting. | Her two youngest sons will live with her daughter during her three-month posting. |
| She said: "The boys are ok about it. As soon as I joined I told them I'd be joined up. | She said: "The boys are ok about it. As soon as I joined I told them I'd be joined up. |
| "My son [Ryan] has been called up twice so they know what it's like to have somebody out there. | "My son [Ryan] has been called up twice so they know what it's like to have somebody out there. |
| "They are aware of the stresses and strains." | "They are aware of the stresses and strains." |