July 15, 2010 - by RHQ RIFLES (Regimental Headquarters RIFLES)

Dean Williams 21st Birthday Tweet

CARE FOR CASUALTIES AND THE RIFLES BAND HELP WOUNDED RIFLEMAN CLEBRATE HIS 21ST BIRTHDAY TWO YEARS AFTER HE WAS ASSESSED‘UNLIKELY TO SURVIVE MEDEVAC BY AIR FROM AFGHANISTAN’.

Today a Rifleman, who 2 years ago was assessed as so badly injured that he might not survive the medevac  flight home, celebrated his 21st birthday with his fellow Riflemen and The Band and Bugles of The Rifles at Tedworth House, the newly opened Personnel Assessment and Recovery Centre (PRAC) in Tidworth Garrison, Wiltshire.

On 25 July 2009, the then 19 year old Rifleman Dean Williams of 2 RIFLES, who comes from Devizes in Wiltshire,  sustained severe multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen whilst on patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  Transfused with 75 litres of blood and 75 units of platelets, enough to totally replace his blood at least 10 times, his condition was stabilised at Camp Bastion before he was flown to Germany by USAF C-17, accompanied by a highly skilled US Army medical team using Nova Lung Technology.  Twenty hours after being wounded he found himself flown by helicopter from Ramstein Airbase in Germany to the nearby University of Regensburg Lung Centre.

Subsequently Dean was treated at The Defence Medical Centre at  Selly Oak, Birmingham and Headley Court and after nearly 2 years has become fit enough to be one of the first to attend the recently opened Tedworth House PRAC just in time to celebrate his 21st birthday. 

Colonel Mike Smith (left), in charge of The Rifles Recovery Capability, funded by the Care for Casualties appeal said “Dean’s 21st birthday is so much more than the usually significant milestone and The Rifles wanted to pay a surprise tribute to his courage and endurance so we have baked him a cake and arranged for his regimental band to wish him Happy Birthday with a short concert at Tedworth House.  As their regimental family, we owe it to our fellow Riflemen to show how much we appreciate their sacrifices and let them know we are there for them until they can make it on their own.”