Royal Marines from 40 Commando shared their evening meal with the MPs, from the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, and told them about life on the front line in Helmand Province. James Gray, MP for North Wiltshire, spoke to men from 40 Commando's Alpha Company based at Forward Operating Base Inkerman, which is notorious for seeing action against enemy forces almost every day. He said:
"The lads from Inkerman were very professional and I was struck by how intelligent they were.
"I had a stereotype in my mind of Royal Marines as rough, tough and not particularly smart, but I could not have been more wrong. These men had lived, worked and fought in incredibly difficult conditions and could not have been older than their early 20s, but they were not fazed at all. I was incredibly impressed."
The marines recounted stories of their lives over the past four months, since arriving in Afghanistan, including how they had made the best of the basic conditions at Inkerman and maintained morale with the Corps' famous sense of humour in adversity.
The MPs were speaking to them after the men had come back to Camp Bastion, the UK's main base in Helmand Province, in order to fly home to their families for two weeks of well-earned rest before returning to their colleagues on the front line:
"They described being in fire fights where they were attacked from three sides simultaneously," James Gray continued. "But they didn't brag or glorify anything - they were just calm, collected and extremely professional. Less than 24 hours earlier these men had been on the front line fighting."
The Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme seeks to provide MPs with a knowledge of the Services and their roles, attaching them to units so they can understand military life and be better informed for their work in Parliament. James Gray explained the reason for the visit:
"We want to take part in debates about the Armed Forces, learn about work going on in our Forward Operating Bases in Afghanistan and understand what it is like to live in an operational theatre.
"Talking to the Royal Marines of 40 Commando was the closest I'll ever come to action but it was very informative. I can't praise these men enough."