THE wife of a Royal Air Force (RAF) medical aid reservist about to leave for Iraq paid tribute to a Newport couple who were in Iraq as human shields.

Linda Cox is married to reservist Mark, 42, and lives in Claremont, Malpas, Newport. Mrs Cox, who lives in the same street as Sue Kirby, the mother of human shield Helen Williams, said she is proud of Helen and her husband Mark, currently at an Iraqi water treatment plant.

Mrs Cox said: "I'm very proud of them, they have done a fantastic job. They have been there on the frontline doing what they feel is right and trying to protect people. I'm very proud of all of them."

Mr and Mrs Cox have three daughters, and Mr Cox works for Newport Printing Company in Maindee.

The senior aircraftsman will soon be in the thick of the Iraqi conflict with fellow members of the the 4626 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

His job is to pick up wounded troops in need of special care and fly them home and, if necessary, to administer medical care on the frontline.

Though this is his first conflict since becoming a reserve five years ago, he has trained one weekend out of every month and an additional two weeks every year for the dangers he is to face.

Mrs Cox, who works for the Welsh Ambulance Service, told the Argus: "He is trained to near paramedic standard and is also trained for combat.

"The squadron are issued with weapons which is frightening in itself but his main job is to save those in trouble."

Mrs Cox says she and her daughters, Gabrielle, 15, Jenny, 13, and Georgina, 7, are all very proud of Mark.

Mr Cox left his family at the end of January to do six weeks training at the RAF base in Lyneham, Wiltshire and is now based in Cyprus, waiting to leave for the Gulf.

Mrs Cox said: "It has been difficult to stay in touch but I got a text from him last night to say he's missing us and that he's very busy. He said things were starting to happen and that he'd be in Iraq very soon.

"I'm very worried but I know my job is to reassure the girls that he loves them."