Telford soldier receives military honour
A soldier has a received a military honour for 16 years service to the British Army.
Staff Sergeant Mark Ward from Telford was presented with a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal by the Master Gunner St. James’ Park, Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Gregory at a ceremony in Gütersloh, Germany, where he is currently serving with 26 th Regiment, Royal Artillery, The West Midlands Gunners.
A former pupil of Madeley Court, Mark joined the Army in January 2001 and after completing his basic training joined 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery in Aldershot, earning his parachutist wings.
Mark said: “I had ambitions to become a soldier from about 12 years old and, so far, I have had absolutely no regrets about joining up. The army is definitely the place to be if you enjoy outdoors and working a team. The army has great variety.”
A qualified Physical Training Instructor and a keen sportsman, Mark has had a varied career within the Army.
He said: “On the military side, I deployed on the first ever tour in Iraq as an 18-year-old, which was challenging to say the least. I have been on a six week exercise in Brunei with the Royal Ghurkha Regiment which was exciting.”
Mark served two tours in Afghanistan where he worked with the Afghan National Police and providing important mentoring work.
He added: “On the sporting front, I have represented the Royal Artillery at cross-country, boxing, skiing and football. My new sport is road cycling and I have just been chosen to represent the Royal Artillery.”
26 th Regiment Royal Artillery The West Midland Gunners is equipped with AS-90 self-propelled guns and has deployed on numerous operations in recent times, including Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Regiment will relocate to Tidworth in 2019 as the British military presence in Germany draws to a close.
Mark has been married to Jennifer since 2005 and they have two sons.
