A former soldier who once met royalty during a visit to East Staffordshire is bringing tears to many eyes with a moving video of him calling a five-year-old girl a hero.
War veteran Simon Brown sat down for a chat with five-and-a-half year old Tempy Pattinson, where he called her a hero after her fund-raising efforts in a video by Help for Heroes, a charity supporting Armed Forces personnel.
In the video, which has gone viral online, Tempy Pattinson, from Darlington, talks to the war veteran, of Morley in West Yorkshire, after her wish to meet a "real-life" soldier was granted by Help for Heroes.
When the two sat down together to share their stories, they discovered they had very different ideas of what makes someone a hero. "Tiny" Tempy told Mr Brown she had swum 100 metres and completed a triathlon in a bid to give something back to the heroic soldiers who put themselves in danger to keep her safe.
However, Mr Brown told Tempy it was supporters like her who were the real Heroes. The Help for Heroes website states: "In this extraordinary film, Si and Tempy show what it is that makes the bond between Help for Heroes and its supporters so special."
Mr Brown is one of at least 66,000 ex-military personnel with life-changing injuries and illnesses in the UK after he was shot in the face in Basra, Iraq in 2006.
He lost 80 per cent of his sight and had 25 operations to rebuild his shattered face as a result of the attack.
Back in 2009 the now 38-year-old rubbed shoulders with Prince William himself during a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum, in Alrewas. The royal was visiting the centre to launch an £8 million appeal for it to become a world-famous centre for remembrance.
During the visit, the prince was formally invited to become the patron of the National Memorial Arboretum Future Foundations Appeal, which was tasked with raising £8 million to expand the infrastructure and a new education facility, veterans pavilion and a central space for major memorial services.
Mr Brown was invited to met the prince to talk about his time in Iraq and his injuries and was among the many people from different organisations and sectors who had chance to chat with the future king.
