Marooned in a minefield: Ex-soldier reveals what it was like losing his leg in Afghanistan

As the film Mine is released, an action-thriller following one soldier’s ultimate fight for survival, ex-paratrooper Stuart, now aged 42, relives the day his life was changed forever. 

Marooned in the middle of a minefield, Sergeant Stuart Pearson, part of 3 PARA, could only watch helplessly as one soldier after another was struck by explosives, when he was in Kajaki, Afghanistan, September 6 2006.

On that day, Comrade Lance Corporal Stuart Hale had left their platoon’s base to fire at a Taliban roadblock. 

But as he jumped out a dried-out riverbed, he landed on a mine, losing a leg. 

Stuart, from East Kilbride, was among the colleagues who went to carry him to safety then realised they were stood on an unmarked minefield. 

While Stuart and the others began organising a helicopter rescue, his left foot slipped and there was a second blast, which caused him to lose his leg. 

Stuart said: “We were all prepared for what could happen, but it was just one of things I never thought would happen to me. 

“I didn’t really feel the pain because adrenaline kicked in.

“I’ve spoken to other members of the military who have lost limbs, who said the pain was next to nothing, but I can’t remember it.” 

After the incident, Stuart was flown back to Britain for treatment. 

He was told there was a 90 per cent chance he would lose his right leg too, but the surgeons managed to save it. 

The film Mine is set in a sub-Saharan desert and Sergeant Mike Stevens (Hammer) finds himself stuck in the middle of a mine field after attempting to flee an assassination attempt that goes wrong. 

While the scenario is slightly different to the one Stuart was in, he said it still brought back some memories of a very difficult time. 

Learning to walk again was a big struggle at times for Stuart, but he hasn’t let his disability hold him back. 

As well as completing the London Marathon, he’s walked from Glasgow to the Falkirk Wheel, which is around 22 miles, for the charity Walking with the Wounded, and skydived. 

He’s also been taking part in British military simulation work and hopes to complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. 

When asked what he’s learnt from his experience, Stuart answered: “You’ve always got to remember there’s always someone worse off than you. 

“You’ve just got to get on with it and always look at the positives.” 

Mine is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and to digitally download.

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