Soldier reveals how truck saved his life

Guardsman Stuart Cook, 21, of Telford, survived three landmine blasts, one rocket propelled grenade attack and a heavy machine gun round that was stopped inches from his head by bullet proof glass.

Now he has been branded "The Jinx" by colleagues. The attacks happened as the Welsh Guards attacked the Taliban during fierce fighting near Nad-e-Ali in lawless Helmand province in the summer.

After he was almost shot in the head some soldiers from 1 Platoon, Prince of Wales Company grumbled that Guardsman Cook was "The Jinx" and he was taken off driving duties.

The soldier, who has been in the Army for four years, was in a heavily-armoured Mastiff truck at the time of the attacks.

He said: "When the Grenadier Guards took over from us I prepared a handover on the Mastiff and this Grenadier looked me up and down and said 'We've heard of you, you're the one they call The Jinx. He didn't look too happy'."

Despite his brushes with death, the brave squaddie has volunteered to return to Afghanistan next year.

Guardsman Cook told how the first attack happened after he dropped off a section of troops for a patrol in enemy territory to the south of Nad-e-Ali.

He said: "I was driving in a four-vehicle convoy and had to pass through a bottleneck on the route where three Taliban were hiding in a ditch.

"We didn't see them and as we went past they detonated an improvised explosive device by control wire. The first thing I felt was the pressure wave of the explosion, it was like someone punching you in the chest with both fists at the same time.

"Straight away there was a massive bang and everything went black. We all thought we were dead."

He told how the force of the explosion lifted the 25-tonne vehicle into the air and smashed it down again in a cloud of dust and smoke.

The second attack came during a night-time re-supply mission from Camp Bastion to troops stationed around Nad-e-Ali a few days later.

He was driving the lead vehicle down a heavily mined road when it ran over an improvised explosive device which exploded directly beneath the truck.

He said: "Our wagon was full of soldiers. This IED wasn't as big as the first but it still knocked us all into the roof.

"It's a six-wheel vehicle and the middle set of wheels was badly damaged but after the explosion you could still drive the truck. It made a horrible noise but it still worked.

"We just carried on. None of the lads, either the crew of three or the eight guys in the back, was hurt."

The third attack came as the Mastiff crew surprised an enemy IED team digging in at a junction.

"A fire fight broke out and before we knew it a rocket propelled grenade whooshed in and smacked into the side of the Mastiff," he said.

"It blew up on the outer armour but did not penetrate the main hull wall."

The young Guardsman was almost hit next while trying to grab a quick nap in the cab.He said: "I heard a thud next to my ear and looked round. A .50 calibre heavy machine gun bullet had smacked the glass right by my head."

His next IED strike came while travelling in the back of the vehicle in late June.

Guardsman Cook said the Mastiff wagons had saved a lot of lives in Afghanistan.

By Lisa Rowley