CUMBRIAN veteran Mark Harding knew someone had helped deliver him from the battlefield of Helmand after he was shot in the neck in Afghanistan.
But he didn’t know identity of his rescuer until this week when Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer revealed that he had led the medical extraction mission thirteen years earlier.
The two men were reunited on Tuesday [12th September] after Mark Jenkinson MP invited the Mr Harding to a veterans’ reception at 10 Downing Street – and the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.
Paying tribute to the 47-year-old former solider from Wigton, Mr Mercer described him as an “absolute Hero”.
The Minister revealed that this was the first time he had met Mr Harding since he co-ordinated his CASEVAC [casualty evacuation] 13 years ago on the ground in Helmand.
He said: “[It was] Genuinely astonishing to see Mark doing so well - almost brought me to tears. What a guy. Fundraiser for military charities now. Extraordinary day all those years ago. Funny how the world goes round.
“Mark was one of three soldiers hit with enemy sniper’s bullets whilst we were fighting together in Nad E Ali 13 years ago.
“I was privileged to award him the PM’s Points of Light Award for his fundraising efforts for his fellow veterans since.”
Mark added: “It was overwhelming, and it shows that though we are from different units, we are all brothers really”
He served with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment for 16 years, mostly as a sniper with the Reconnaissance platoon.
His service included operational tours in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2010, while leading a routine patrol in 41west in Afghanistan, Mark was shot by a Taliban sniper.
The 7.62 bullet passed through his neck, shattering his C5 C6, leaving him paralysed from the neck down.
Mark was evacuated back to the UK, where the extent of his injuries became clear.
He was determined to overcome his injuries and learn to walk again.
Mark spent two and a half years undergoing physiotherapy at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court.
His rehabilitation and recovery were gruelling – but he defied the predictions of his doctors through sheer determination.
Mark has been an active fundraiser for military charities including Ambassador for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Scotty’s Little Soldier, and Walking With The Wounded
The veteran was told he would never walk again as a result of his injuries.
However, he proved the doctors wrong and walked from John O'Groats to Lands End 1,000 Miles to raised £30,000 for a charity called Scottys little Soldiers helping young bereaved people who've lost a parents.
During Covid, he challenged himself to row over 3,087 miles on the kayak machine in his back garden – the distance of the Atlantic Ocean from Cumbria to Cape Code.
Managing between 40 and 60 miles each day, he completed his goal in three months, raising over £3,000 for the NHS.
Mark Jenkinson MP, a staunch supporter of veterans, said: “It was an honour to play a small part in getting Mark the recognition he deserves for all his fundraising.
“His determination not to be held back by his injury, and his work to help his fellow veterans not only as an ambassador but as a fundraiser is nothing short of inspirational.
“But the real highlight of Mark’s visit to Number 10 was seeing two veterans – the rescuer and the rescued – reunited after all this time.”
