Amputee soldier eyes Army return

A soldier who lost his leg in a Taliban bomb blast in Afghanistan has said he wants to return to the country.

Pte Dean Housley, 25, from Heanor, Derbyshire, was on patrol in Helmand when a bomb exploded under his feet.

He has just returned home after spending a month in hospital at Selly Oak in Birmingham.

Pte Housley said he wants to remain in the Army and travel back to Afghanistan with his regiment following his rehabilitation.

The 25-year-old said: "I heard an explosion. It took a few seconds to sink in that it was me that had been hit. I just remember being in a massive amount of pain, screaming."

I don't regret going to Afghanistan, so if they say I can go back, then I'll go

Pte Dean Housley

Pte Housley is currently using a wheelchair but said he hoped to walk again after being fitted with a prosthetic limb.

He said the injury would not hold him back in life.

"I've always been high spirited about it. It's not stopped me doing anything, I can do everything I used to do before it's just a bit harder," Pte Housley said.

"At the end of my rehab when I get a prosthetic, I'll walk normally and live a normal life.

"I still want to be in the Army. Hopefully I can be deployed and do something. I don't regret going to Afghanistan, so if they say I can go back, then I'll go."

He is one of 20 men from the Mercian regiment who have been seriously injured in Helmand this year.