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Now fallen soldier Kris's name is cast in stone on Basra Memorial Wall
A FALLEN soldier's family made an emotional journey to see a war memorial unveiled.
Corporal Kris O'Neill is among the 179 whose names are inscribed on the Basra Memorial Wall to honour their sacrifice in the six-year conflict in Iraq.
His widow Tina and brother Michael travelled to see it in its new home at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The monument stands just five miles from where they watched him pass out at Whittington Barracks, near Lichfield, in 2000. "He began his Army career here so it's fitting that this is where it has been commemorated," said Michael, 33, of Siddal, Halifax.
"It was a very proud day to be able to come down again. His name is in stone now for all to see."
Kris, a father-of-two, originally from Sowerby, was 27 when he was killed in a roadside blast in 2007.
The original memorial was built by colleagues in the 37 Armoured Engineering Squadron in Basra in 2006. "It was built in their own time, off their own backs, as their own memorial to their fallen comrades," said Michael.
"You can't put into words how appreciative we feel at what this wall represents," he said.
The wall was dismantled and returned to Britain after troops withdrew from Iraq last year.
The service was attended by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, with whom the pair shook hands.
Michael said: "It's cost us a hell of a lot, losing Kris, but now at least Iraq is going to be more stable and democratic. I can't say it was worth it, but something good has come of it."
Kris, a former pupil at Ryburn Valley High, was part of the Royal Army Medical Corps.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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