A dedicated soldier who is a brother of a late war hero has broken into tears after following his idol’s footsteps and officially becoming a paratrooper.
Fin Doherty from Warwickshire, England, was just six years old when his soldier brother, Private Jeff Doherty, was killed during an ambush in Afghanistan.
Ever since then, Fin has done everything in his power to make his brother proud and follow his footsteps.
Now, 18-year-old Pte Doherty has finally been able to fulfill his promise to his dead brother as he completed his 19-week training and officially received his brother’s beret.
“It means everything to receive his beret. I’ve always wanted to wear his beret so that it gets to see the things he would have done had his career not been cut short,” Doherty, who broke into tears during the ceremony, said in an interview with The Sun.
“Now I’ve got it in my possession and I’ll keep true my promise to him. I stand in front of his grave every time I go and see him and I say ‘I will make your beret see what it should have seen.’ Now it’s with me I’ll do just that.
“I’ve been waiting for this ever since I was six when I found out he had been killed. I’ve earned it in the same way as he did. I’ve worked hard.”
As the young soldier added, his life has turned around after he learned about the tragic passing of his beloved brother.
“No one can take this away from me. Since he died in 2008 this is all I have ever wanted. This is for both of us. Sometimes you sit on your arse end and think what am I doing here. I could be at home, warm in bed. But when I found out that he was killed at the age of six this is all I have ever wanted to do,” Pte Doherty added.
“JJ would probably say he was proud of me if he were here today but he’d still have a bit of crack with me saying ‘you’ve done nothing yet.’
“He’d still be trying to have a laugh but he’d be proud. To wear that maroon cap, there’s no greater pride.”
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Replaced!