AN Army medic from East Lancashire has told of his experiences on the front line in Afghanistan dodging bullets and bombs.

Pte Matt Riley, of Oswaldtwistle, is currently serving with the UK Joint Force Medical Group in Afghanistan where he is employed as a Combat Medical Technician.

Patrols have to contend with small arms fire, rocket propelled grenades and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).

His main role is to provide vital pre-hospital care to injured soldiers. They are often the first people on the scene when a soldier is injured on the battlefield and are expected to administer life-saving first aid, sometimes under fire, to keep soldiers alive until they can be evacuated to the field hospital.

Although based in Camp Bastion, Pte Riley has already found himself as an embedded medic on Combat Logistic Patrols all over Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the south of the country.

He has also been serving at a medical centre in the capital Kabul.

The former Norden High School pupil, Rishton, said: “On one patrol, we found two IEDs, and on another I was ‘top cover’ when we were fired at with RPGs.

“I was a little surprised and startled but I managed to carry out the drills I’ve be trained to do and no one was hurt in that incident.”

He said that being in healthcare runs in the Riley family: “I’ve always wanted to be a medic as my mum Helen used to be a nurse at Accrington Victoria.

“However, I never considered a military career until about two years ago. It’s the best thing I’ve done because it gives me the opportunity to do the job I wanted to, play sports and socialise a lot.”