HOME after serving six months in Afghanistan, two young volunteers have been awarded for their bravery and say they are ready to do it all again.

Richard Waller, 28, from Maldon, was called up to Afghanistan in November 2010 and served his six months alongside his friend, Aaron Palmer, 23 from South Woodham Ferrers.

Having experienced sweltering temperatures and sleeping in hard metal beds, they have been awarded the Operation Herrick Medal for their bravery and resilience.

Lance Corporal Waller said: "I have been in the TA for seven and a half years and this was the first time I had been called up.

"I actually really enjoyed it and would definitely do it again. In fact, I am thinking of going into the regular Army, as is my fiancée, Sarah Wright.

"Obviously, I missed my family while I was out there but although there were few home comforts I relished the experience.

"One of the scariest moments I can remember is when they set off an alarm when I was out on the runway one night, which suggested that we were going to be attacked.

"I had absolutely no cover and there was nobody around with me so I dived into a ditch and lay there for over an hour on my own. It was pretty daunting.

"There were also some sad bits, like seeing four or five children playing in the gutter.

"We could give them sweets while we were out there but we don't know enough about their culture and so couldn't make their lives any better."

Mr Waller works as a manager at the South Woodham Ferrers McDonald's and had to take time out of work once he was mobilised for 12 months of training and the six months in Afghanistan. Both he and Mr Palmer are part of the national TA, and their base is in Grantham, Lincolnshire.

He said: "We had intensive training at Grantham for 12 months to get us prepared for everything, whether it was physical, relating to our post or mental. I got Aaron to join up about three years ago. He used to work with me in McDonald's, so we had known each other for a while before going out to Afghanistan."

Corporal Palmer is in the second year of a sports science degree at the University of Essex.

He said: "I had been mobilised as a private, which is at the bottom of the ladder but when I got out there I was put in charge of personnel coming from the UK.

"We did four months of working the night shift, which was from 6pm until 8am.

"My girlfriend, Amanda, wasn't too happy when I first went but she got used to it. I loved it out there. It was brilliant.

"I am definitely looking to go again, it was such a different experience. Seeing some of the injured people was a bit shocking and at first attacks on our camp were scary but you got used to it.

"It was nice to meet so many different people from all over the world. We were meeting American and Danish soldiers and infantry from Afghanistan.

"I actually found it really difficult to sleep when I got home because it was so quiet.

"And after I finish university I would like to do sports training alongside the TA."