'Staying alive'

In his latest airmail letter to Olive and Colin Opie, of Park Avenue, Corporal Colin Opie, who is with the 212 Signal Squadron, which is allied to the 1 UK Armoured Division Signal Regiment, said he was now positioned in Iraq.

The letter was written on March 23 and his parents received it last Thursday. He said he had seen one dead body and that he was tired from digging trenches and because of the heat.

Corporal Opie's message to his mum and dad was that he was "fine and coping" and that the couple were "not to worry."

Corporal Opie, whose wife, Emma is also in the Army and based in Germany with their eight-month-old son, Kian, also said he had to wear his NBC Army gear 24-hours a day. He said he hoped that he would be able to take it off soon. His letter said that his troop had followed the Americans into Iraq.

Mrs Opie said that since receiving the letter, she had been sleeping better. "I now know that he is okay and I know where he is, so I have been managing a bit better this week.

"I also think it helps watching the war on the television because this week we seem to be doing well and it doesn't seem like it will last as long as we first thought.

"I know the troops will have to stay over there for a while when it is over, but at least they won't be in any danger anymore."

Corporal Opie's letter also said that he just wanted to "get the job done" and come home.

Mrs Opie said they had not expected to receive any more airmail letters until the war was over.

"It just makes it so much easier for myself and other families when they get a letter because it is just nice to know that they are okay and that they are coping," she said.

Corporal Opie joined the Army ten years ago and was posted to Kuwait about nine weeks ago. During his career, he has been to Bosnia twice as a peacekeeper for the UN, but the Gulf trip is his first active service.

April 11, 2003 10:31