'Every moment of every day': Son of soldier killed in Afghanistan remembers his father 11 years on
In his last report for ITV News, Senior Correspondent Paul Davies re-visits the son of a British soldier killed in Afghanistan who describes the enduring pain of the loss of his father
The son of a British soldier who died in the line of duty in Afghanistan has told ITV News that he lives "every moment of every day" in the hope he is making him proud.
In 2010, Sergeant Steven Campbell was killed by a booby trap bomb in Afghanistan.
He was survived by his then 10-year-old son Brandon, who, shortly after the tragedy, spoke to ITV News Senior Correspondent Paul Davies. Five years later, we met Brandon again and heard how his life had changed without his father. Now, we've spoken to him once more.
In that conversation more than a decade ago, Brandon told of his nightly ritual of saying goodnight to his father's ashes.
The cabinet - which still holds a special place in the family home - was also filled with his beloved father's army ornaments, including his cap and belt.
Five years later, we filmed with Brandon again, he told us in his last conversation with his dad he promised he would look after his mum, Lisa, if anything happened to him on tour.
He has kept that promise and honoured it further by looking after his grandparents too.
Brandon, now 21, has caught up with Paul Davies again in Newcastle.
Brandon said that he has joined the County Durham fire service and started a career as a paramedic- choices that he hopes his dad would be proud of.
"I go through my day-to-day life hoping that he is proud of us at every moment of every day," he told ITV News.
"It has not been easy, but it is never going to get easier," Brandon added.
When asked about the "worst times", he described the pain of celebrating birthdays without his father beside him.
"I turned 18 and I had to celebrate that without him. I turned 21 and I had to celebrate that without him," he said.
His comments came as the nation fell silent to honour those who lost their lives in conflict on Armistice Day.
The Afghanistan conflict, which began in 2001, claimed the lives of 457 British personnel.
The insurgent takeover of Afghanistan in the summer, which has seen the dismantling of hard-fought human rights gains over the last two decades, has triggered a lot of painful memories for those who lost loved ones on the frontline.
"The impact that that place has had over my life and my family's life, for it now to be basically going back to what it was is not very easy," Brandon said.