Beckham meets frontline soldiers

David Beckham pays his respects at the memorial cross at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan
12 April 2012

David Beckham greeted soldiers returning from the frontline as he continued his visit to British troops in Afghanistan.

The former England captain met six members of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment as they arrived back in Camp Bastion, weighed down with their weapons, kit and explosive detectors.

Major Simon Walton said: "They obviously didn't realise Beckham was here after being on the frontline for two months. They will go back home on leave on a real high."

Beckham also met 'dogs of war' at the Theatre Military Working Dogs HQ and was "attacked" by a German shepherd called Brit. The footballer, dressed in a well-padded suit with a baseball type helmet, taunted the dog, which then plunged its teeth into his protected back, with no harmful effects.

The base's 51 dogs, including German shepherds, spaniels, Labradors and Belgian shepherds are used to aid operations by searching for explosives, carrying out vehicle searches and acting as guard dogs.

Beckham visited the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) HQ where he was shown how unmanned aircraft, drones, patrolled the skies capturing real-time film of possible enemy movement on the ground. He joined 903 EAW (Expeditionary Air Wing), the team managing Bastion airfield.

RAF firefighters were last week heavily involved in supporting their US counterparts tackling a large fire at the neighbouring US base at Camp Leatherneck.

As Vice President and Ambassador of the World Cup bid 2018, Beckham handed in England's official bid book to Fifa in Zurich and has distributed 'Back the Bid' badges to the troops he met.

Warrant Officer Steve Bowden said: "David's visit has helped us all get in the right frames of mind for the World Cup - he has really made us feel part of the excitement back home.

"It's very easy and understandable that people here get detached from all the day to day events at home and we have thousands of England fans here. We'd all love England to be successful in their bid for the World Cup in 2018 - to see the world's best tournament in our own country."

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