Joey’s Taliban tours

ACTION man . . . Cpl Joey Etchells on duty in Afghanistan for the third time

A Mossley soldier has undertaken triple tours tackling the Taliban in Afghanistan — and now faces a fourth.

Cpl Joey Etchells (22) is currently serving as an Infantry Section Commander in Sangin, in Helmand Province, where he is responsible for leading eight men on the frontline.

Joey attended Mossley Hollins High School where he developed a taste for sport and running.

At 16, he joined his local regiment, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and at 18, Joey was deployed to Northern Ireland where he patrolled the streets of Belfast and worked on public order during the infamous marching season.

Joey was then posted to Cyprus with the battalion on standby and was deployed twice to Afghanistan, first in 2006 to the town of Now Zad in Helmand province, where Joey and the men of A Company endured 107 days under fire, the longest period since the Korean War.

He later redeployed to the capital Kabul.

He said: “You really develop as a soldier when tested on a tough op.

“The young guys out here with us now are changing and growing so much people won’t recognise them when they come home.

“You have to change so you can cope with the stresses of being away from home.”

In complete contrast, his regiment was given the privilege of standing guard for the Queen outside Buckingham and St James’s palaces.

Now Joey has been deployed to Afghanistan for a third time, serving in Sangin as a section commander.

He said: “It’s a great job and a big responsibility to have out here, but I really enjoy it. I can’t see myself ever wanting to do anything else.”

On his return from Afghanistan, Joey will again take his place outside the Royal palaces, before the battalion moves to Germany in the summer of 2010, where Joey can expect a fourth tour of Afghanistan.

Despite the hard work, he has been able to pursue his love of running and also tried his hand at sailing on a trip around the Caribbean.