BRAVE troops today received their medals after returning from a busy six months in Afghanistan's notorious Helmand province.

BRAVE troops today received their medals after returning from a busy six months in Afghanistan's notorious Helmand province.

Lieutenant Colonel Dave Wilson MBE led the 360 parading troops in front of an audience of hundreds of serving and retired soldiers, VIP guests, friends and families.

23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) held a medals parade at Rock Barracks, Woodbridge, during which Major General Keith Cima, Governor of the Tower of London, presented the parading soldiers with their Operational Service Medals and opened the new garden of reflection.

The centrepiece of the garden is a bust of the late Lt Col John Rock, a former Royal Engineer who founded the first British Parachute Corps in June 1940 at Winston Churchill's request. The bust in the memorial garden is a symbol of the regiment's proud airborne traditions and of the sacrifices made by soldiers throughout the regiment's history.

23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) are 16 Air Assault Brigade's engineering and infrastructure specialists and were key in preparing and clearing the route for delivery of the Kajaki Dam Turbine in Helmand province as well as managing all the reconstruction and development projects in the Southern Afghan province.