He was one of the heroes of the Afghan conflict.
And now brave blind veteran Paul Jacobs is on his way to Huddersfield to begin a massive charity effort.
Rifleman Paul Jacobs, who was blinded while on operations in Afghanistan, has pledged to raise £10,000 for the British charity Blind Veterans UK by taking on the overnight trek across part of Yorkshire.
The man awarded the George Medal for his heroism will be joined by a small team called Paul’s People, who will take it in turns to act as a guide for Paul as they walk from Denby Dale to Sheffield.
Alongside Rifleman Jacobs and Colonel Mike Brooke OBE will be UK Athletics Coach and military wife Camilla Marshall, ophthalmic surgeon and military wife Sarah-Lucie Watson and the chairman of Blind Veterans UK, Timothy Davis.
They are tackling a 100km route from Denby Dale Pie Hall at 9am on Saturday, heading towards Holmfirth. The two day route which sees the group walking through the night then takes in dramatic countryside and the western edge of the Pennines until finally reaching flatter paths to Sheffield and the finish line.
Paul featured in Gareth Malone's Invictus choir — watch below
The money they raise will go towards buying specialist rehabilitation equipment for the charity, including magnification aids, software to aid tablet use and day-to-day gadgets for use in the home.
Paul, 26, was left blind and mentally scarred after an improvised explosive device detonated during a patrol in Sangin Valley, Afghanistan – putting him in a month-long coma.
He said: “Among all of my physical wounds, the biggest scar is on my heart.
“As a soldier, coming to terms with what had happened was so difficult.
“Even as I got back on my feet, the major challenge was a mental one – to overcome the feeling that at 20 years old my life was over and not worth living anymore.”
He is now a widely respected soldier poet and, in 2014, his poem Fallen Saints was chosen by David Dimbleby to close BBC1’s Remembrance Sunday broadcast.
He was also given the honour last year of opening the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance with a moving citation that he wrote for the occasion.
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Rifleman Jacobs will be at a pre-walk event at The Fountain in Inbirchworth on Friday evening, where he and the other walkers are staying.
David Dobson, of The Fountain, said: “The pub is hosting a special event to welcome them to Yorkshire.
“We’d love people to come along on Friday evening to meet the amazing team and to listen to Paul’s stories and to back their efforts.”
