Corporal Jake Hartley was 20 when he died in Afghanistan in 2012, and his mother Nathaliie has struggled to cope ever since
After the withdrawal of US troops, battles between the Taliban and government forces are raging across Afghanistan. But how are the families of British soldiers who died in Afghanistan coping now? The BBC spoke to one soldier's mother.Those were the words of Corporal Jake Hartley to his mum Nathalie in his last letter - the message written by soldiers to be opened in the event of their death.
"He could just walk in a room and if you were feeling sad or down he would just make you laugh," says Nathalie. "He was just a lovely character. And he joked all the time, he could make anybody laugh, he was such a lovable person." Jake first toured Helmand in 2009, before returning to Afghanistan in 2012. His family were incredibly proud, and he loved life in the regiment.
"I still charge his old phone and keep his wallet on the microwave, that's where he plonked them, with money and items like cinema and Blockbusters tickets.
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