How soldiers horifically maimed by action in Iraq came through two broken marriages to find happiness together
One soldier miraculously survived being buried alive in a mortar blast and the other had his legs torn from him in a mortar blast
A BRITISH soldier who miraculously survived being buried alive in a mortar blast has fallen in love with a fellow wounded veteran after meeting in hospital.
Corporal Hannah Campbell was given just a one in ten chance of living after being wounded in Iraq in 2007.
Sergeant Rick Clement was flown home from Afghanistan with one leg missing from the hip and the other torn off just below.
He also suffered devastating damage to his genitals and bowel.
The pair met in the same ward of the military wing of Selly Oak Hospital, in Birmingham, after emerging from comas.
Rick, 36, who is now a charity campaigner, : “It’s miraculous either of us is still alive.
“To go through similar life experiences of recovery, acceptance, divorce and then to be reunited, is wonderful. It is as if fate waited until the time was right.”
Hannah was married at the time and Rick was engaged to be married – but neither of their relationships was able to cope with the pressures of their injuries.
They each continued with their rehabilitation separately until Rick sent a message to Hannah in March, telling her: "I’m so pleased to see how well you are doing."
The pair then became romantically involved.
Hannah, 32, added: “The way I see myself and the qualities I look for in a man have changed massively since I was injured.
“At the beginning I hated myself – I didn’t think I would feel sexy again. Then I made peace with the fact that I was different, and it changed the way I thought about a partner too. I wanted someone who was my best friend as well as my lover.”
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The pair finally got to know each other at the Ministry of Defence’s rehabilitation centre, Headley Court.
Rick, who spent two years there, says: “At Headley Court, Hannah did stand out because for a time she was the only female soldier.
“I didn’t see her in a romantic way as I was engaged to be married to Leanne, and Hannah was with her husband Jamie.
“But I do remember she was learning to walk again in high heels during one session, and I said, ‘Are you going out clubbing or are you off to the gym?’ and everyone laughed.
“The lads were always having a joke and Hannah was involved with the banter.”
By the time the couple found themselves single, they were no longer in touch. Instead, both threw themselves on to the dating scene. Hannah tried blind-dating and trawled the internet for a match. Rick went on a string of doomed outings with women who he believes struggled to see past his disability.
His rehabilitation was a life-changing experience.
He added: “Seeing other guys with similar injuries opened my eyes to what I could achieve.
“Over time I learned to drive again, learned to swim and walked on prosthetic legs, although I’ll always need my wheelchair.
“Independence was the one thing I really wanted and I achieved that goal.
“My self-esteem didn’t change a great deal after I was injured as I was so grateful to be alive, and I’ve always had confidence. What was hard was seeing the massive change from others.
“A lot of women didn’t look at me in the way they might have done before. Just being in a wheelchair, without the other injuries, made a difference to them. It wore me down to the point where, before I met Hannah, I had all but given hope of meeting someone.
“I never imagined we would be anything more than mates. But I was delighted to hear back from her and we started keeping in touch. A month later I bought a copy of her book to take with me on a break to Majorca. I sent her a picture of it sticking out of my suitcase saying, ‘I’m taking you on holiday with me.’”
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