John Gostick knows only too well the terrible cost of the Afghanistan conflict.

On Sunday, May 25, 2008, he received the devastating news that his son Dale had been killed while serving in Afghanistan.

The first Oxfordshire soldier to die in the conflict, Marine Gostick, from Great Haseley, near Thame, was just a few days short of his 23rd birthday.

But like most of the families of the 382 service men and women who have lost their lives in Afghanistan so far, John Gostick talks about his son’s death with a quiet and dignified pride, not bitterness or anger.

Close to tears, Mr Gostick, 61, said: “Losing Dale was the worst thing that could have happened to us. And there’s not a day goes by I don’t think about him.

“But Dale was proud to be serving his country in Afghanistan. He was a Royal Marine, and our country was at war. Soldiers sign up knowing they could lose their lives.”

Marine Gostick was serving with 3 Troop of the Armoured Support Company Royal Marines when he became the 97th British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan.

His unit was returning to its base when the Viking armoured vehicle he was driving was hit by a roadside bomb at the Sangin crossing of the Helmand River.

His father continued: “Dale’s death, like many others, was a tragedy and one myself and my family will never recover from.

“However, like Dale, I feel we still have a duty to defend and rebuild so the people of Afghanistan can go on to form their own society.

Mr Gostick senior, who is a builder, added: “No one wants this conflict to drag on, but the other young marines I talk to say they feel they are making a difference out there and I think that is important.

“Dale was also there to make a difference and I am very proud of him for that.”

Heather Wood, 31, was enjoying a family Christmas in Morecambe when she learned her husband Charlie had been killed in Afghanistan, Warrant Officer Class 2 Wood, 34, of 23 Pioneer Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, was serving with the counter-IED task force when he was caught in a blast from a hidden bomb in the Khushdal Kalay area of Helmand Province on December 28 last year.

Mrs Wood said: “There is never a good time to hear something so devastating, but it was even more poignant as Charlie absolutely loved Christmas and had even said he hoped that when we started a family, we would have a Christmas baby.

“Now sadly, Christmas will be bittersweet forever.”

Mrs Wood, who accepted the Elizabeth Cross on behalf of her husband in May, added: “It is difficult to see what has changed in ten years, especially as we only hear about the bad news and see the bodies returning. But I know some semblance of life has returned to Afghanistan; children are now going to school and life is being rebuilt and that is why our forces are there.

“The Government will not pull out early because it will not want to lose face and if it did, what would Charlie and the others have died for?

“I am just so proud of Charlie. He was a normal guy who loved normal things like going to the theatre. But he was also brave enough to put on that uniform and go and look for IEDs and for that reason I have enormous respect for what he and the rest of our forces are trying to do.”