ESCAPING insurgent attacks, hunting terror groups and building bridges with a community coming to terms with a tumultuous past, the Iraq war taught Mark Taylor life lessons he never learned at St John's School, Epping.

The former pupil joined the Army three years ago after graduating from Sandhurst Military Acad-emy.

His graduation coincided with the start of hostilities.

After leaving the academy, Mark, 25, was promoted to lieutenant with the First Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment and led a platoon of 24 men on a seven-month tour of Basra.

Remembering his first day in Iraq, he said: "As soon as I left the aircraft the heat struck me like a brick wall. It was hot and bright with the sun beaming off the rocks. It's very rocky out there, not the usual sand dunes you'd expect in the desert."

His platoon was tasked with the search and detention of insurgent groups in the Basra region, and would often support other coalition groups, including the Coldstream guards, in special operations.

"I was expecting it to be non-stop and to be constantly under fire but found we'd spend a lot of time when nothing happened. Then it would explode and the adrenalin would rush."

His tour was part of the military campaign codenamed Operation TELIC, which has involved the largest deployment of British forces since the Second World War.

Iraq is a country that is slowly coming to grips with its painful past and is tentatively looking towards the future.

Insurgent groups continue to surge through the country's borders, bent on revenge against what they consider as a hostile occupying force.

Mark said: "During our time there there was a spike in attacks which offered the biggest threat. The company was told to follow the movements of terror groups. It was a tall order. Their attacks were getting more frequent, especially with roadside bombs. They targeted soldiers but the public were also getting caught up, however we're prepared and equipped to defend them."

The insurgent attacks have been well documented on television and in the national press - with death, defiance and destruction their focus.

However Mark contends the British public are only hearing one side of the story.

"It's really a case of no news is good news' for us. The media reports the catastrophes and you don't hear about the way we're cooperating with the people, building new bridges, and unveiling new police stations. They don't get reported because it's not sexy enough."

On rising discontent among Iraqis Mark said many people welcome coalition forces.

"I simply didn't expect them to be so engaging. They offer us food and water because they want to look after us and because we're looking after them. They have a community spirit which I found quite humbling."

Although Mark returned from Iraq unscathed, he admitted the experience has affected his outlook on life.

"I returned more grateful for the life that I have in the UK having seen the squalid conditions that many families endure in Iraq. I think I've also learnt to relax more and not to be so wound up about everyday things because, at the end of the day, it's not life or death."

Mark is now preparing for a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

He admitted it will offer a very different challenge to that of Iraq and savoured the opportunity to "make a difference".

"I wouldn't change what I'm doing because rarely in a job can you genuinely say that you've had an impact, for the better, on such a large scale. At the end of the day, this is my job and I'm proud of it."