Brigadier 'to do the impossible'

The Royal Marines' commander in Afghanistan, Brigadier Roger Lane, has had many opportunities to demonstrate his single-minded resolve during a 30-year career in the Armed Forces.

He entered the Royal Marines in September 1972 and has also been deployed in Cyprus. While at 42 Commando he underwent Arctic warfare training and spent seven winters in the frozen wastes of northern Norway.

He still swears by the annual 10-week posting spent on high mountains inside the Arctic Circle, saying: "Norway is so unforgiving because it's such an extreme environment. If you give up, you die."

He was awarded the OBE in 1993 and promoted to brigadier in 1999. He took a leading role in Operation Sharp Sword II in Oman last year, the military exercise which acted as a dry run for action in Afghanistan.

Brigadier Lane is noted for his popularity among his men and is fiercely proud of the traditions of the Royal Marines.

Last summer he personally received the new corps colours from the Duke of Edinburgh at a parade in Plymouth. In his speech of thanks he said: "A Royal Marine commando is always expected to achieve the impossible."