Disabled British soldier carrying the Olympic torch calls for troops out of Afghanistan now .
22 June 2012 Stop the War Coalition Afghanistan and Pakistan ..On the day he is carrying the Olympic torch through Blackpool, Sgt Rick Clement -- who lost both legs in Afghanistan -- is publicly calling on David Cameron to bring all the troops home now.
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In May 2010, British army Sargeant Rick Clement, on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, was seriously injured, following an explosion from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
He lost both his legs, almost his right arm, and suffered massive internal injuries.
On Friday 22 June, at 6pm, Sgt Clement will carry the Olympic Torch along the promenade in Blackpool.
But he is not like the other 7000 people bearing the torch around the towns and cities of Britain on its way to the London Olympics, which take place at the end of July.
For Sgt Clement is publicly calling on prime minister David Cameron to bring the remaining UK troops home from Afghanistan and to end the senseless, bloody occupation which has cost him his legs, and the lives of countless tens of thousands of Afghans and over 400 British soldiers.
The war has raged for more than ten years with little sign of progress. How many more British troops and Afghan civilians will have to die or be seriously injured before the government listens to the British public -- over 70% of which want the occupation to end now?
When Sgt Clement carries the torch between the Queensgate hotel and Derby Road at around 6.15pm, friends and family will be there to support him, holding a banner on his behalf to send a simple message to David Cameron: Bring Our Troops Home.
A local hero in Blackpool, Sgt Clement is now fund-raising to help other injured servicemen and women through his A Soldiers Journey campaign.
After he has carried the Olympic torch there will be a concert in support of Rick, which will take place at Blackpool Football Club, at which the band Shakeys Brother -- pictured here with Sgt Clement and his family -- will perform their anti-war song A Soldiers Tale.
Shakey's Brother wrote ‘A Soldier’s Tale’ having been asked to perform at Aldershot Barracks for 3,000 soldiers who had returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
The feedback from these service men and women formed the basis of the lyrics of the song, which relates the story of a young soldier, who starts to question his role and the reasons for war.
For more information, see: A Soldiers Journey...
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