TA helped me rebuild my life (From Barry And District News)

TA helped me rebuild my life

A COWBRIDGE man who had an accident which left him with a broken back and his confidence shattered, says the Territorial Army helped him rebuild his life.

Gareth Lowe, 31, was involved in a horrific car smash on the Rhoose Road nearly four years ago. He broke his back in two places, ruptured his spleen, pierced his lung and suffered a mass of other major injuries.

At an army presentation evening held in the Barry Memorial Hall on Monday night, he told the News: "Doctors said it would be years before I was on my feet again. And to a man who played professional rugby alongside the likes of Scott Gibbs in Swansea, that was crushing news.

"But I got myself walking and decided I had to get back out there and do something with my life. The accident was a real wake-up call.

"I joined the Territorial Army (TA). Not only did they train me, helping my physical fitness, but they also built my confidence which had been knocked terribly by the accident.

"I found I had a talent for organisation and I was put in charge of logistics. Within two years, I was out in Basra, with the 157 Logistics Support Regiment of the Royal Logistics Corps. It was an amazing experience, and one I would never have had if it wasn't for the TA.

"After we finished our tour of duty, we had a couple of days left before we had to move out. I had met a man who couldn't talk, and who had four young children living in what could not even be classed as a hut. So some colleagues and I arrived at first light, set up a defence barrier, because we were very exposed to attack, and rebuilt that man's home. I'll never forget the look on their faces."

For more information on the army, visit www.army.mod.uk