Remembering the Fallen: on this day in 2006, Ranger Anare Draiva, of 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, was killed in Afghanistan when Taliban insurgents attacked his platoon house at Musa Qala in Helmand province. He is remembered as an exemplary soldier who displayed extreme courage in the heat of battle. His father had been a staff-sergeant in the Royal Fiji Military Forces and he was determined to follow in his footsteps, but his father told him to “go higher” and join the British Army. His Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Michael McGovern, spoke of him: "Ranger Draiva was a superb, strong and courageous soldier. He performed brilliantly well in his recent tour of Southern Iraq and was one of the first to volunteer for the tour of Afghanistan. Helmand province is widely recognised as one of the most dangerous and volatile regions in the world. Despite this Ranger Draiva went about his soldiering duties with a smile on his face, his personality undimmed by his inhospitable surroundings. His contribution in Helmand province in extremely challenging conditions has been second to none and those that know Draiva will not be surprised that he was killed in action, in the face of the enemy, defending his comrades and base." Anare, from Suva in Fiji, was 27 years old.