Teen son of soldier killed in Iraq honours dad by joining same regiment
The teenage son of a soldier killed in Iraq has followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the same regiment.
Ethan Cornish has joined 5 Rifles 14 years after his dad died.
Corporal Matthew Cornish, 29, was killed in Basra in 2006 when he was wounded in a mortar attack on his unit’s base.
Ethan, 18, joined his dad’s unit last week and was shown a memorial to his father inside the regiment’s HQ in Bulford, Wilts.
He said: “I chose the regiment because of dad. When something happens, the infantry is called in first.
"It is nerve-racking and there is always going to be that fear. But at the same time, it’s exciting to know you’re doing everyone proud.”
Ethan, from Folkestone, Kent, joined as soon as he turned 16.
After passing a tough assessment, he got into the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorks.
Speaking at the time of her husband’s death Ethan’s mum Abby explained how she broke the news to her son, then just four.