At the moment David Etale enlisted in the army, he was a professional football player representing Tusker Football Club in the Kenya Premier League.
A Kenyan police officer, whose family member had recently joined the British Army, reached out to him with the proposal.
Etale remarked that he seized this opportunity due to the specific circumstances he was facing at that time.
“The reason why he told me that was because I was a part time matatu driver and I kept guns for thieves on the side
“The officer was my friend and he knew I was doing that because I was desperate to make money and this was a chance to prove myself,” he said.
The ex-soldier stated that during the period he was in possession of the firearms, he would demand Ksh 35,000 each time criminals required one.
He also mentioned that he was unaware of the dangers he was subjecting himself to.
“I didn’t know the risks because I was young. All I cared about was the money,” he said.
Etale enlisted in the British Army in 2006, a period marked by conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, which created a demand for additional soldiers.
Consequently, the British government permitted individuals from Kenya, along with other Commonwealth nations, to apply for service in the army.
“For me it was quite quickly because in the documents that I sent, they saw that I was a footballer and that meant I was physically fit,” he said.
Following a successful application process, Etale provided several documents, including his medical records and a certificate of Good Conduct.
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He underwent training several months prior to his deployment to Afghanistan, where he would confront the Taliban.
During his time in Afghanistan, Etale served as a frontline soldier and was operating the lead vehicle on the day their convoy was ambushed.
“…there was a lot of fighting with the Taliban. On that fateful day, I woke up at 3 am and couldn’t sleep. I took my Bible and started reading then laid my head to rest until 6 AM,” he recalled.
On that same morning, at approximately 6:30 AM, Etale and his associates were assaulted by the Taliban, leading to intense gunfire that persisted for nearly two hours.
During the course of driving the commander, their vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), an event that resulted in Etale sustaining fatal injuries.
“I ran over an IED about 50 meters from where we were holed up, the next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital in the UK,” he said.
Following the traumatic incident, Etale disclosed that he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and he attempted to take his own life.
“I was put on the suicide watch list because I tried to take my own life twice. This is where you sit down and think and dream about the things you’ve seen in war,” Etale mentioned.
In January 2016, following numerous complications with his leg, medical professionals advised that an amputation be performed.
“I do miss my leg but the most beautiful thing about life is whenever you accept the situation, you can turn it into a positive one. Having realized this I decided to be a motivational speaker as I believed it was my destiny,” he said.
