Fighting dust and heat, these soldiers have the X-Factor...

HEARTS are pumping as the Black Hawk helicopter races through the night over Iraq.
Figures that I can just make out in the black of a cramped chopper cabin are nervously facing forward.

The rotor blades cut through the air as we fly over the settlements of Basra Province.
The pilot, co-pilot and two American side gunners, using night-vision goggles, look out for enemy positions.

It is an eerie and nervous flight for those members of the 9th/12th Lancers on board.

Silently they wait for touchdown at their base by the side of Iraq's busiest port of Umm Qasr – a gateway to the world for the people and commerce of the country.

As the Black Hawk finally lands and the soldiers disembark with their kit and their most important cargo – the post from home – there is audible relief. It's another safe landing.

For the full article click here for the Derbeyshire Evening Telegraph