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Leeds teenager to follow hero brother
The schoolboy brother of hero Leeds soldier David Kirkness has bravely pledged to follow him into the Army.
Lance Corporal Kirkness died last December trying to stop a suicide bomber blowing up a busy marketplace in Afghanistan.
But despite losing his beloved "best mate", Chris Kirkness says he will enlist in the Army next year – as soon as he turns 16.
And he will join the same regiment that David served in, 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
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Chris, who lives with his parents in Morley, said: "I know some people might find it a bit strange, but it's what I've always wanted to do.
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"We said that if David stayed in the Rifles then I would join him."
He said he was not worried about the potential danger, adding: "You sign up to do a job. You have to live your life, don't you?"
The brothers' mum Maggie said she was "petrified" at the thought of Chris also being harmed but said she wouldn't stand in his way.
She said: "They had it planned that Chris would join him in The Rifles – they both wanted that.
"I will be petrified but I will also be proud of him, like I am of David."
David Kirkness was hailed a hero after he selflessly acted to stop Taliban terrorists from detonating improvised explosives in a town in Helmand province.
It is thought he and fallen colleague Rifleman James Brown may have saved scores of lives.
Since his death, his home town of Morley have paid tribute to him with a series of events and memorials.
A plaque was this week unveiled at Morley High School, where he was a pupil, and his name has been added to the town's cenotaph. Last week, the local council announced it would name a new housing development in his honour.
On the anniversary of his death on December 15, a firework filled with his ashes will be set off over Morley Town Hall.
He will also be remembered at Leeds City Council's Festival of Remembrance at Morley Town Hall on Friday, November 12 at 7.30pm.
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Weather for Leeds
Friday 25 May 2012
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Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
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