By Jaya Narain
Last updated at 11:53 AM on 27th December 2010
It is a picture that came to symbolise the horror of the Iraq conflict. A British soldier engulfed in flames desperately tries to escape his burning tank.
The ordeal of his comrades trapped below inside the tank can only be imagined.
Five years on, one of those soldiers, who was left facing death from burns to nearly half his body, has completed his rehabilitation and aims to thank the medical staff who helped him – by running 52 marathons in a year.
Targeted by an Iraqi mob: Sgt George Long escapes the Warrior tank. Private Karl Hinett was still inside the vehicle as it blazed
Private Karl Hinett was inside the Warrior which was petrol-bombed by rioters during a raid on an Iraqi jail to free two undercover soldiers.
In the nightmare months that followed, it was the dedication of the doctors and nurses who helped his marathon recovery that inspired him to a new challenge of endurance.
Test of endurance: Private Karl Hinett
Every step of his mission will raise money towards a £3million appeal launched today by The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity to fund a Home For The Brave, a non-medical centre for injured military personnel.
The former soldier, who is funding the challenge using his Army pension, said: ‘These guys have sacrificed so much and I hope people will get behind us.’
Pte Hinett was just 18 when the attack took place on September 19, 2005. The Warrior came under attack from a mob throwing bricks, stones and petrol bombs in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
There were four other soldiers on board – Sgt George Long, 2nd Lieutenant John Cliffe, Lance Corporal Jo McCann and Private Ryon Burton – who all escaped serious injury.
It was Sgt Long who was seen in the horrific image relayed around the world, his body in flames as he jumped from the turret. Pte Hinett was on fire inside the tank.
Seconds after the picture was taken, he wrestled his way out and on to the ground, where he passed out and was taken to hospital. Doctors feared he would die of his burns.
After emerging from an 11-day coma, he endured a series of operations and skin grafts to help heal his wounds.
The former soldier, now 23, said of the attack: ‘I will never forget that day. Looking back at the images it is hard to believe it was me.
‘A riot had broken out and we were the first tank on the scene. A mob quickly formed around our Warrior.’
He remembers quite clearly the horrifying moment he was hit by the petrol bomb.
He said: ‘What hit me first was a really strong smell of petrol. I never saw it coming at all. Then it engulfed my body as I was drenched in petrol.
‘I guess it must have been the shock at first. As soon as I got a grip I started to register the pain. I’ve never felt anything like it... hot, searing agony. I knew if I wanted to live I had to get out.’
The next thing he remembers is catching sight of his injuries while waiting to be airlifted to hospital.
Pte Hinett, from Tipton, West Midlands, who was in the Staffordshire Regiment – now part of the Mercian Regiment – said: ‘My clothing had been burnt off. My skin was gone and I remember I was raw. I held up my hands and saw lots of dead, melted skin.
‘I talked to myself in a self-mocking way and said, “Look what you’ve got yourself into”. I knew I was going to be OK but I also knew it would be a long road to recovery.
‘It’s been a long haul to get to where I am today. But finally I don’t have to go back to hospital after five long years and I am so grateful for what the doctors have done for me.’
He said: ‘I kind of like my scars if that doesn’t sound too weird... they are part of my identity. I’ve accepted that this is what I’m meant to look like.’
In 2007 he set himself the goal of completing a marathon and although his progress was painfully slow he was pleased to complete it.
Now, as a way of expressing his gratitude to the doctors and nurses, he aims to run 52 in one year, covering a total of 1,363miles and starting in Switzerland on New Year’s Day.
No longer in the Army, Pte Hinett hopes to retrain as a firefighter. He said: ‘I have first-hand experience, after all.’
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