Episode 16: Op Telic, 15 years on

Five days before the end of his second tour in Iraq, Ben’s patrol was struck by an IED.

As the driver of the lead vehicle, Ben was badly injured in the explosion - injuries that would change his life forever. 

Ben served with the 3rd Battalion Rifles during Operation Telic. Over more than eight years of operations in Iraq, 179 British personnel lost their lives, and many thousands more returned home with life-changing injuries. Ben was one of them.

To mark the 15-year anniversary of the end of Operation Telic, he shares his story.

Read more about Ben's story

25 February 2007. Five days before the end of his second tour.

Ben's patrol had been out around Basra, crossing from daylight into dusk. The threat had been growing: the days felt calmer, but the nights were dangerous. They were driving down the dual carriageway toward Az Zubayr when the IED detonated. Ben was driving the lead vehicle.

His instinct was to keep moving.

Despite critical injuries, he pushed the vehicle forward, knowing there could be a second attack. He drove until the vehicle struck a lorry and flipped onto its side. His section pulled him clear under continued gunfire. Ben remembers touching his own face – and realising the full extent of his injuries.

The injuries he sustained were catastrophic.

The blast tore his door open. Shrapnel ripped through his arm and leg. Three fragments entered his skull. His right eye was destroyed instantly. His left eye was severely damaged. One fragment stopped just short of his brain. Another missed his jugular by millimetres.

The road to recovery was long and complex.

Ben was evacuated by Merlin helicopter to the American field hospital at Balad, then to Ramstein in Germany, and finally back to the UK. The surgery to rebuild his skull took fourteen hours. The case ended up in the British Medical Journal.

It was only when back in the UK, that Ben learned that he had lost both of his eyes. He said:

"I think I was upset for about 20 seconds. I thought, I'll not be able to drive, I'll not be able to play computer games. And then I just thought — there's nothing you can do about it now, is there? It's just the way it is."

"If it hadn't been me, it would've been one of my mates. And there's no way I would ever have wanted my mates to have what I had. I was glad it was me and not my mates. And that's simply it."

The impact of our support

When Ben was ready to rebuild his independence, he came to us.

With a baby on the way, he wanted to learn the skills he needed for family life. During rehabilitation stays, he learned to cook, manage daily routines and use accessible equipment. His time with us also gave his wife space to rest from her caring role.

The impact was life-changing. By 2018, Ben had returned to snowboarding. In 2020 he won gold in a major European blind gated slalom competition. Today he works with gaming companies to improve accessibility for players with sight loss.

Fifteen years on from his injury, Ben is an independent father, athlete and advocate.