Remembering the Fallen: on this day in 2011, Lance Corporal Peter Eustace from 2nd Battalion The Rifles (2 RIFLES) was killed by an improvised explosive device while conducting a joint patrol with his Company and the Afghan National Army. He had joined the army in 2004, and had served in Iraq and previously in Afghanistan, where his attributes of dependability, courage and quickness of mind were recognized, and he passed the JNCO selection cadre with ease. Earning trust and respect, he was considered the ideal choice to become a Mortar Fire Controller, and it was in this role that he deployed again to Afghanistan a month before his death. His comrades remember his ability to find the humour in any situation, and that he was like a big brother, a truly great friend. Captain Mark Endersby said of him: "Lance Corporal Eustace was a Mortarman to the core. He was a giant in personality and character. It was on these broad shoulders that he carried the weight of responsibility for protecting his comrades with the mortar fire he could so accurately deliver. It is a testament to the man that all around him, including members of the Afghan Army, whose trust he had quickly won, were deeply hurt by his loss. I will never forget walking in to the mortar control area and running into the torrent of friendly scouse abuse that anyone, regardless of rank, had to face if they crossed the Mortar Platoon threshold! I left wholly confident that the level of professional knowledge and pride he had would keep our Riflemen protected. I have no doubt that he will continue to watch over us until we are safe and back in Ballykinler." Peter, from Liverpool, was 25 years old.