A COWDENBEATH soldier, who has recently returned from OPERATION SHADER in Iraq, marched to Parliament alongside fellow soldiers, marking the participation of Army personnel deployed on operations, overseas commitments and homeland resilience tasks.

British soldiers are constantly employed at home and across the globe and currently there are nearly 3,000 troops deployed on operations.

Cpl Kevin Murphy, 37, of the 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, was thanked for his service alongside about 120 other soldiers representing units who have recently been deployed.

Kevin, who is an infantry soldier and driver has spent six months in Iraq, working alongside soldiers from the USA, and Denmark, training the Iraqi security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga in a training and mentoring role.

Said Kevin: “I was doing the training for the soldiers heading out to Iraq, making sure they were all qualified to drive Mastiff vehicles and then, on deployment, I was assisting with running the operations room, as I’m also a communications instructor and I deal with all the radio equipment.

"In this role, I was working side-by-side with our American colleagues on Al Assad Air Base. We also had Danes with us too, doing security and guarding the base, so it was quite a varied tour."

He added: “It was really good to get picked to come on the march and it is a great chance to let the MPs see what we do face to face”

Soldiers and officers from all backgrounds and with job roles ranging from engineering and logistics, to medical, bomb disposal and infantry soldiers, took part in the march, giving an overview of the number and variety of operations that the Army has been on over the last year, in over 55 countries.

Following the march from Wellington Barracks to Parliament the troops were hosted at a reception on the Palace of Westminster terrace.

During the years of Operation Herrick in Afghanistan and Telic in Iraq, the lead brigade would march to Parliament following their return from deployment, and the soldiers would be met on the steps and thanked for their service.