This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19337914#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Soldier recalls fatal Massereene gun attack | Soldier recalls fatal Massereene gun attack |
(40 minutes later) | |
A soldier who was injured during the Real IRA gun attack at Massereene Army base has spoken about the impact it has had on his life. | A soldier who was injured during the Real IRA gun attack at Massereene Army base has spoken about the impact it has had on his life. |
Marc Fitzpatrick was hit by four bullets during the ambush in Antrim in March 2009. | Marc Fitzpatrick was hit by four bullets during the ambush in Antrim in March 2009. |
In an interview for a BBC programme, Crimewatch Survivors: Caught in the Crossfire, the Welshman described how he has struggled to cope. | |
Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey were killed in the attack. | Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey were killed in the attack. |
Marc, 25, told the programme how the shootings had affected him. | Marc, 25, told the programme how the shootings had affected him. |
"I was like a ghost for the first year or two. I just didn't think I was alive. | "I was like a ghost for the first year or two. I just didn't think I was alive. |
"It was such a mad experience. | "It was such a mad experience. |
"It wasn't so much the physical stuff, it was the mental side of it. Why did I survive and not one of the others?" | "It wasn't so much the physical stuff, it was the mental side of it. Why did I survive and not one of the others?" |
Marc was injured just hours before he was due to fly to Afghanistan with the 38 Engineer Regiment. | Marc was injured just hours before he was due to fly to Afghanistan with the 38 Engineer Regiment. |
One other soldier was injured in the gun attack and two pizza delivery men were seriously wounded. | One other soldier was injured in the gun attack and two pizza delivery men were seriously wounded. |
Marc, who had been in the army for five years at the time of the attack, said he had never experienced such fear in his life. | Marc, who had been in the army for five years at the time of the attack, said he had never experienced such fear in his life. |
He said the sheer horror of that night could have been a reason why he started getting into fights afterwards. | He said the sheer horror of that night could have been a reason why he started getting into fights afterwards. |
"I was very afraid that night. I'm a man, I've never been that afraid before. It took a dent out of my manhood and I quite possibly wanted to prove to myself that I was a man." | "I was very afraid that night. I'm a man, I've never been that afraid before. It took a dent out of my manhood and I quite possibly wanted to prove to myself that I was a man." |
However, the Welsh man is now engaged and beginning to look to the future. | However, the Welsh man is now engaged and beginning to look to the future. |
He has a baby boy, called Blake Pat. The child was given his middle name in memory of Marc's best friend Patrick Azimkar who was killed in the attack. | He has a baby boy, called Blake Pat. The child was given his middle name in memory of Marc's best friend Patrick Azimkar who was killed in the attack. |
"He is lush," Marc said of his little boy. "I do the day feeds. You can't get your head round it until he is actually there. I keep on thinking: 'When are we going to give him back?' But he's here for life." | "He is lush," Marc said of his little boy. "I do the day feeds. You can't get your head round it until he is actually there. I keep on thinking: 'When are we going to give him back?' But he's here for life." |
Marc admits he is "not fully recovered but back on the right path". He is thinking about going to college later this year. | Marc admits he is "not fully recovered but back on the right path". He is thinking about going to college later this year. |
"In the next ten years... I'll be married and (have) a job, just like a normal person," he said. | "In the next ten years... I'll be married and (have) a job, just like a normal person," he said. |
Crimewatch Survivors: Caught in the Crossfire will be shown on BBC One on Thursday at 21:00 BST. | Crimewatch Survivors: Caught in the Crossfire will be shown on BBC One on Thursday at 21:00 BST. |