A DOCTOR who was on one of the last flights out of Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover in August will be laying a wreath on Remembrance Day.
Lieutenant Colonel Ben Caesar, who lives in Fiveways, spent the final hours of his time in Afghanistan trying to save lives before flying to Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
The 49-year-old will now be part of the Remembrance Day service at the War Memorial in the Old Steine, Brighton, as he will be laying down a wreath on behalf of the University hospitals Sussex NHS foundation trust.
Ben works at the Royal Sussex County Hospital when he is not deployed with the Army as an orthopaedic consultant.
This laying of the wreath will be something he will be honoured to do, according to his wife, Regina Tingle.
The 41-year-old told the Argus: "I think for him this year, in particular, it holds a lot of meaning because he was just deployed in Afghanistan for Operation Pitting.
"He has been involved in missions with the UN and been in places that I will never know as they are not really on the world stage.
"But this year with it being so close to the evacuation of Afghanistan, it is a really powerful moment and a huge honour to represent all those who have come before him."
Regina is looking forward to seeing Ben doing something that is part of his military life as she does not get to see him a lot of the time due to his work commitments.
She said: "I think it will be really emotional, and I will feel a huge honour being able to be part of that.
"To be able to witness a tiny bit of his life is an honour as I don't see him when he is operating when he is at the hospital or on the frontline.
"I can only imagine what goes on and have the stories that he tells me, so I think seeing him doing something that is so public and also private in a way is something that is really special."
This year's Remembrance Sunday falls on the second Sunday of November, which is tomorrow.
Services and parades will be held across the country to remember and honour those who lost their lives in World War 1 and following conflicts.
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