Point Man

The true story of a young British private in Afghanistan, who held the most dangerous job in the British Army for nearly two years.

Between 2007 and 2008, twenty-year-old Kenny Meighan was the longest-serving point man in Helmand province. An exceptionally skilful and brave private, he guided his unit through enemy territory, scanning the land for danger, responsible for the safety of the entire patrol. He was lucky to make it home alive.

But in his home town in Essex, prospects are bleak. Jobs are scarce and the civilian community is hostile. His father, still haunted by his own war experiences, is suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, while the government does little to help. As Kenny begins to exhibit some of the symptoms himself, it becomes clear that his struggle is far from over.

Mark Townsend, Home Affairs editor of the Observer, tells Kenny's story, based on his own reportage from the war and extensive interviews with Kenny and his family. Shocking and hard-hitting, Point Man vividly conveys the terror and intensity of the life of an ordinary soldier and the heart-wrenching struggle to adjust to civilian life, while exposing the wider political implications of the war.

Mark Townsend is Home Affairs Editor of the Observer. He has won numerous awards including Press Gazette Specialist Reporter of the Year and British Environmental Journalist of the Year. His reports from Afghanistan, which Point Man is based on, were judged runner-up in the features category of the 2007 Foreign Press Association (FPA) awards. The following year he was part of the Observer team that won an FPA award for their investigation into Iraqi honour-killings. He lives in London.