has said he was
unprepared for the hard reality of war. The 29-year-old royal
served two tours of Afghanistan, one in 2007-2008 and a second in 2012-2013. In a powerful column for
The Sunday Times, he said he was
"hit" by the horror of what he had experiencedwhile flying home with injured personnel in February 2008.
"
I had never seen it first-hand," Harry wrote. "By 'it' I mean the injuries that were being sustained largely due to improvised explosive devices (IEDs). "Loss of life is as tragic and devastating as it gets, but to see young lads – much younger than me... missing limbs... was
something I never prepared myself for." Harry has gone on to
dedicate himself to helping injured servicemen and women. Next month, shortly before his 30th birthday, the prince's Paralympic-style
Invictus Gameswill take place in London.
Harry
came up with the concept of the tournamentfor injured service personnel after a 2012 visit to America, where he witnessed the
Warrior Gamesand realised that sport could serve as a great motivation for rehabilitation. "The premise is simple: set yourself a target, take your mind off all the negative thoughts and
concentrate on the challenge in front of you, all while relearning to use your body," he said. Of the
400 wounded men and women representing 14 countriesat the Invictus Games, Harry added, "
They want to put on a show for you. All are in different stages of their rehabilitation, some are Paralympians, others just want to use sport to get their lives back in shape."The Invictus Games will take place in
London's Olympic Parkbetween
10 and 14 September.
