STEVEN ROBERTSSteven Roberts, who died on 24 March, 2003, aged 33, was an exceptional soldier who died doing the job he loved.Sergeant Roberts, of the 2nd Royal Tank regiment, was killed in a "friendly fire" incident as he tried to quell a riot in the southern city of Az Zubayr.He was married to Samantha and had one child from a previous marriage. Samantha said: "He was a unique man, who was very outgoing and sociable, and was loved by all who met him."The death of Sergeant Roberts, who was not wearing body armour, sparked a heated political debate over the provision of basic equipment to British troops in Iraq .Sergeant Steven Mark Roberts, who was known as "TC", was born and raised in Cornwall. He joined the Army as a Junior Leader in 1986 and quickly reached the rank of Junior Sergeant.During his time with the Junior Leaders, Sergeant Robertsrepresented his regiment in rugby and squash. His love of sport was always evident and he would go on to represent all his regiments in both rugby and squash.He joined the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment in August, 1987, and earned promotion very quickly. By the time the 2nd and 3rd Royal Tank Regiment merged, he was already a Colonel.His Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Piers Harkinson, said: "TC was an all-round professional soldier. A first class tank commander, a strong and affective leader with great depth or character who excelled under pressure. He will be sadly missed by all ranks, past and present, 3rd and 2nd Royal Tank Regiment."Sergeant Roberts undertook tours to Northern Ireland , Cyprus and Canada and spent two years training new recruits at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate .At the time of his death, he was living in Bradford, West Yorkshire , with his wife. She said: "Steve's whole future lay within the Army; it was his life and he was very proud of his job. He was adamant that he was doing the right thing and said that he was doing it for the people back home and the Iraqi people."Prior to his death, Sergeant Roberts had kept an audio diary detailing the build up to the war. In the diary he was critical of the standard of equipment that the soldiers were being given.Only days before his death he had been forced to give up his body armour because an infantry regiment were thought to need the equipment more. A subsequent inquest was told by a pathologist that the body armour would probably have saved his life.Although he travelled all over the world, Sergeant Robertsnever forgot his Cornish heritage. His mother, Marion Chapman, said: "Steve loved Cornwall - this was where he was born and brought up. He always took a Cornish flag with him everywhere. He was the best son anyone could have. He made us laugh, he was the most perfect son ever. All his families and friends will really miss him."
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