'My life was in danger but I never feared'

He adds: "I'll tell you what I tell everyone - I don't know where my bullets land. I have no interest in killing anybody, anyone I was shooting at was trying to kill me."

Mr McVeigh came back from a seven-month tour in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as a TA soldier for the Chertsey branch, at the beginning of October and is settling back into his job as a managing consultant in London, a job he says is more stressful than fighting in the middle-east.

The Lance Corporal for the 94th signal squadron, who has been a member of the TA for two and a half years, said: "To go from my job in the city to a job where I don't have to think, is good. It is stressful, but more physically stressful than mentally."

And he is not kidding.

Doing 14km patrols in 45ºC - 50ºC heat while carrying up to 50kg of weight on his back in the form of body armour, water, ammunition, weapons and protective equipment sounds no easy task, and when you factor in the lack of air conditioning and being the target of attacks by the Taleban, it is clear why our boys deserve our thanks for the job they do.

And this is never more important than on Remembrance Sunday, which Mr McVeigh spent in a parade with his squadron in Windsor.

He said: "It's a very important day, it's not just about the world wars it's about all the wars we have fought, including Northern Ireland and the Falklands.

"It's about respecting all those who have died."

Mr McVeigh, originally from Northern Ireland and now lives in Guildford, said of TA soldiers: "They are people who want to serve their country and I don't think many people realise that. Every one of them knows what it will be like and wants to do a tour.

"There's not a lot of difference between regular soldiers and TA soldiers, it's not like the Taleban know the difference.

"There have been times when my life was in danger, but I don't fear for my life. That's not bravado, it's purely a case of my training kicking in."

He adds: "The camaraderie among the soldiers makes it all worthwhile. These guys are from all over the place, they are construction workers and one was a car salesmen - he was very good for morale."

Mr McVeigh's work includes patrols, starting from 3am, to interact with the locals and let the Taleban know they are in the area.

He said: "The locals have to be careful about being seen as being too friendly, the Taleban have informants and sympathisers everywhere."

But being a soldier in Afghanistan is not all about shooting and fire fights, as the Lance Corporal said he had been in many contacts with the Taleban where he never discharged his weapon, saying it is down to finding out where to shoot before engaging an enemy.

He said: "If we can't see them we don't fire. If we shoot an area, there could be a family hiding there, who just want to keep their heads down."