Hero paratrooper Ben Parkinson says he has ‘no reason to be upset’ about his life

Hero paratrooper Ben Parkinson who’s the most severely injured soldier to survive Afghanistan tells GMB he has ‘no reason to be upset’ because it would be a ‘betrayal of the men who saved him’

  • Ben Parkinson is the most seriously injured British soldier from the Afghan war
  • He defied medics expectations to go skydiving and carry the Olympic torch
  • Praised after GMB appearance today where he said he’s decided to ‘live well’ 

Hero paratrooper Ben Parkinson says he has ‘no reason to be upset’ about his time in the army because it would be a ‘betrayal to the men who saved him’. 

The veteran became the most severely injured British soldier to survive the war in Afghanistan after losing both his legs and suffering brain damage when he was blown up in Helmand province in 2006. 

Despite not being expected to survive, Ben from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, defied the odds and went on learn to walk and talk again – before going skydiving, carrying the Olympic torch and receiving an MBE from the Prince of Wales.   

He has detailed his journey in new book Losing the Battle, Winning the War: How We Can All Defy the Odds We’re Given, and appeared on Good Morning Britain today with his mother Diane Dernie. 

Hero paratrooper Ben Parkinson, pictured in early 2006 in Afghanistan, says he has ‘no reason to be upset’ about his time in the army because it would be a ‘betrayal to the men who saved him

He has detailed his journey in new book Losing the Battle, Winning the War: How We Can All Defy the Odds We’re Given, and appeared on Good Morning Britain today with his mother Diane Dernie

He has detailed his journey in new book Losing the Battle, Winning the War: How We Can All Defy the Odds We’re Given, and appeared on Good Morning Britain today with his mother Diane Dernie

Ben, 37, said that he ‘decided to live well’ for the people who risked their lives, with viewers hailing the soldier an ‘inspiration’, praising his ‘positive attitude’ in the face of adversity. 

‘I have no reason to be upset,’ said Ben. ‘Because it would be a betrayal to the men who risked their lives to save me. 

‘They risked their lives to save my life. If I was just a bum who sat down and did nothing, what would be the point? I decided to live well for them.’ 

Because Ben’s memory was affected by his injuries, Ben’s mother Diane helped him write the book by asking his fellow soldiers for their stories of her son during their time in Afghanistan. 

Viewers hailed the soldier an 'inspiration' and a 'wonderful man', praising his 'positive attitude' in the face of adversity

Viewers hailed the soldier an ‘inspiration’ and a ‘wonderful man’, praising his ‘positive attitude’ in the face of adversity 

Several viewers commented on the hero’s brilliant sense of humour after his mother revealed that she was less than impressed by a few of the military stories his pals were sharing. 

She said: ‘Because Ben had so little memory it was a matter of collecting stories and memories from everyone who knew him. Some memories that a mother should never know, thank you the men of 7 Para RHA!’ 

Ben quickly joked: That’s not true, that never happened, they’re just trying to stitch me up.’ 

Diane went on: ‘So it was a matter of collecting memories, discussing them with Ben and then writing them down in his words, and some of it was very painful but I think for all of us it was a great experience.’  

Viewers quickly took to Twitter following their appearance, with one writing: ‘It’s heroes like this absolute amazing man who should be given the wages of what a footballer earns. The world does not make any sense at times. Utmost respect from me.’ 

Because Ben's memory was affected by his injuries, Ben's mother Diane helped him write the book by asking his fellow soldiers for their stories of her son

Because Ben’s memory was affected by his injuries, Ben’s mother Diane helped him write the book by asking his fellow soldiers for their stories of her son

Several viewers commented on the hero's brilliant sense of humour after his mother revealed that she was less than impressed by a few of the military stories his pals were sharing

Several viewers commented on the hero’s brilliant sense of humour after his mother revealed that she was less than impressed by a few of the military stories his pals were sharing

Another wrote: ‘An incredible wonderful, amazing man and an example of the benefit of appreciation and positive attitude. Wish him luck in all future endeavours.’ 

‘What a hero Ben is against all the odds to survive. An inner strength of character. With a cheeky sense of humour,’ said a third. 

Another commented : ‘What a wonderful interview! His sense of humour and words he had to say we’re amazing! A true hero!’  

Ben lost both his legs and suffered 37 other injuries including brain damage when the vehicle he was travelling in was blown up during an operation with the 7th Parachute Royal Horse Artillery in Helmand in 2006.   

Doctors didn’t expect the soldier to survive, and when he pulled through they thought he would communicate using a keyboard and voice synthesizer for the rest of his life. 

But he urged them to carry out surgery to straighten his damaged spine in 2009, risking possible paralysis and underwent a major operation to straighten his back in March the same year. 

The operations brought a huge improvement in the soldier’s lung function and  marked improvement in his ability to walk. 

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