A ROADSIDE bomb in Iraq robbed Liam Haven of his sight in 2008 and the road to recovery was hard, but last week he walked a long way for his injured colleagues.
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The 25-year-old and guide dog Omen had walked most of their 350-kilometre journey from Sydney to the War Memorial by Saturday afternoon.
''My feet are surprisingly fine,'' he said.
''I've got a bit of soreness behind the knee, but you've got to expect that.'' After enlisting in the army just before his 18th birthday, he served in East Timor as well as Iraq where he was struck by shrapnel.
He said the trauma did not hit him at first.
''A few years on, I just crashed,'' he said.
Unlike many injured soldiers, he managed to avoid a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, which medical textbooks describe as a combination of unwanted flashbacks invading the person's mind plus an unwillingness to discuss the traumatic event.
Queanbeyan mayor Tim Overall and other supporters met the soldier, who was walking to raise awareness for Soldier On and was expecting to finish his walk on Monday at Ray Morton Park.
The aim of Soldier On is to make sure wounded soldiers are able to overcome the obstacles posed by their injuries, enjoy happy, fulfilling lives and feel proud about the sacrifices they have made.
