AN Ipswich politician fighting on the frontline in Afghanistan today told how grateful troops are for the protection afforded by hovering Apache helicopters.

AN Ipswich politician fighting on the frontline in Afghanistan today told how grateful troops are for the protection afforded by hovering Apache helicopters.

Rushmere ward councillor Alasdair Ross has been writing an online blog since he started a tour of duty in Afghanistan last month serving with The Rifles regiment.

In his latest dispatch from the war zone, Mr Ross revealed how he has just finished reading a book about Apaches.

He said it reminded him how much the soldiers on the ground appreciate the presence of the impressive attack helicopters.

The 46-year-old said the book, Apache by Ed Macy, left an impression upon him, particularly one chapter which explained how the principal task of a pilot was to save the “soul of an infantryman”.

Mr Ross, of Lonsdale Road, said: “For us, on the ground here in Sangin, there is no better sight as you make your way back into the base than the sight of two Apache helicopters, sitting above you, covering you in - our friends in the sky.”

He said he also enjoyed reading about tours in Afghanistan, given the relevance to his own situation, as well as hearing about the banter which occurs on such trips.

Mr Ross spent 24 years with the infantry regiment Royal Green Jackets, serving on the frontline in various battle zones including Northern Ireland and Kosovo.

When he retired at 40, he found work at Ipswich School coaching sports and then joined the Labour party, before being elected as a ward councillor last year.

However when, at the age of 46, he got a call to return to duty because of his specialist intelligence and reconnaissance skills, he agreed straight away.

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