Lance Corporal
Robert Long
I was out in Afghanistan in 2010, in a surveillance role in 4/73 (Sphinx) Battery, Royal Artillery. I was injured on 8th July, in the early morning. We were on a patrol outside our Forward Operating Base and, a short time into our patrol, my Patrol Commander triggered an IED. This resulted in his death, and seriously injured me and another colleague of mine. I don’t remember the explosion. I remember just falling and everything seemed fine, and then nothing. I was later told that I was immediately casevac’d to Camp Bastion. And then because of the nature of my injuries, and the head injury I sustained, I needed more critical care, so they flew me straight to Birmingham.
I woke up in Birmingham in hospital four days later. I remember hearing my girlfriend’s—now my wife—voice and the doctor approaching. He told me the nature of my injuries: that I was completely blind and I wouldn’t see again. It’s hard to say how I felt, really. I was just coming around so I was quite groggy still and I didn’t really know what was happening. It took a long time for it to settle in. There was just a numbness at first.
I was in Birmingham in Intensive Care for three weeks and then they moved me to a more specialist hospital, Birmingham City Eye Centre. Here they carried out more surgeries on me and I think I was there for another two weeks. I was initially told that I was going to be in hospital for three months, but after five or six weeks of staying in bed and not being able to do much at all in darkness, I just had to get out and start rehabilitating properly. So I pushed the discharge and started my rehabilitation.
I experienced a mix of feelings. I was happy to still be alive and to be with my family back at home. That was a deep feeling for me, because obviously I’d lost a friend and he’d been taken away from his family so I was grateful that I was still here. It took me time to come to terms with the blindness. It’s practical things I find most frustrating, like when I bump into walls or I knock things over.
There is a charity called Blind Veterans UK which has played a major, major part in my life ever since my injury. They’re a specialist charity for ex-servicemen who have lost their eyes in conflict and they’ve been absolutely integral to my rehab. They come and visit me at home, and take me round my area and give me key skills I need for my independence.
The Army have also been really supportive. Just a little while ago they took me out on adventure training with a bunch of other injured guys, under a scheme called “Battle Back”. It helps injured soldiers on their road to recovery. They took us skiing in Bavaria for ten days. It was a really hard challenge but to be back with the guys and people who know what you’re going through and are facing the same challenges in a competitive environment is just really great for me. And skiing is something I thoroughly enjoyed and I want to take up.
Everything’s so good at the moment. I should finish serving some time this year and then college and university is where I want to be. Re-education. Originally I wanted to do Philosophy, but now I’m thinking Philosophy, Politics and Economics, PPE. I think that would be very good for my future.
Since I lost my sight, I’ve married my wife. She’s been my biggest supporter. She’s helped me through everything, every stage, she’s been there with me the whole time. She’s given me everything I need. I’ve definitely got a different perspective on life because of what I’ve gone through, but I wouldn’t be able to put a finger on it and tell you exactly what it is. It’s still a work in progress.