Run Fast, Keep Low

Run Fast, Keep Low is something soldiers say to each other before they go on tour. It was also my prayer for my son, serving with 2 Rifles, as he headed off to first Iraq in 2007, then Kosovo in 2008 and finally Afghanistan in 2009. My son suffered a seizure while in Afghanistan in 2009. He never fully recovered and I became his carer. Writing my thoughts as poetry has helped me to cope with the worry of deployment. Later it was an outlet for my feelings as I watched his transition from a fit healthy 18 year old to a disabled war veteran aged just 22. We were told his seizure was caused by combat stress. He was medically discharged from the army in May 2011 having been diagnosed with ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, cognitive dysfunction and chronic short term memory loss. He still has bad days but on the whole he copes well. I am very proud of my son. A raw recruit at 18, a veteran at 22, a hero at any age. Profits from the sale of this book will be split between H4H and SSAFA.