Newbury service marks 10 years since British combat operations ended in Afghanistan
A service was held in Newbury to mark 10 years since British combat operations ended in Afghanistan.
Operation Herrick was the codename for British military operations conducted in Afghanistan from 2002 until December 12, 2014.
More than 450 UK Armed Forces personnel died while deployed there, with hundreds left seriously injured.
A small crowd gathered at the town War Memorial on Sunday to its pay respects to the fallen, their families, the veterans and the countless Afghans made homeless by the conflict and who have since come to Britain as refugees. But many are still trapped there.
The service was led by Michael Fava, the parish priest at St Joseph’s Church.
Mr Fava spent almost 25 years as a British Army chaplain, serving all over the world in Germany, Cyprus, Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Kosovo and then Afghanistan.
He was appointed as an honorary chaplain to the Queen in 2017.
Speaking about the event’s significance to him, he told newburytoday: “I was there for some months, and I was the senior chaplain in theatre at the time, which meant a lot of travelling around.
“I was based in Camp Bastion, but used to hitch lifts on helicopters here, there and everywhere.
“It’s been a hugely significant part of my life and my ministry, really.
“It was a gruelling time, but it was, in its way, one of great privilege where you got to be with people at sometimes the most painful and vulnerable times in their life.
“And my admiration for those who serve has never failed to just grow and grow.”
In his role, Mr Fava was also responsible for leading repatriation ceremonies and funerals for service personnel.
And reflecting on the present situation in Afghanistan, he added: “I'm saddened by the way Afghanistan is now.
“But those who gave their lives did make a difference. They helped so many people during those many years when British personnel were serving out there and made a difference for the better.
“We just continue to think of their families now who carry on without them. And I think of the great many who are still living on with terrible, life-changing injuries, where they cope valiantly and make the best of a very different life that they have to lead now.
“We owe them a great debt. And it's right to honour them as often as we can.”
UK forces joined the US-led military invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 in response to the September 11 attacks to destroy the terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The last British and NATO personnel left Afghanistan in 2021.
The Taliban later regained control of Kabul, the country’s capital, and have since created one the world's most serious women's rights crisis.
