Another day, another funeral for a British serviceman killed in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, 21-year-old Royal Marine Commando Jason Mackie was laid to rest in Bampton.

The soldier was killed when the armoured vehicle in which he was travelling hit an explosive device in Helmand Province.

Whatever individual opinions of our soldiers’ presence in Afghanistan, this is the very real, human face of the conflict.

Mourners gathered at St Mary’s Church to pay their last respects to a son, a brother and a fiance.

Jason Mackie’s older brother Richard, also a Royal Marine, read a eulogy in which he paid tribute to his sibling’s lust for life and told mourners to remember not what he died for, but what he lived for.

Jason’s proud fiancee, Victoria Baynes, 22, said his wicked sense of humour was something she would remember most — and said memories were carrying her through this most unimaginable of times.

The dedication and pride these soldiers take in the course of their duties is undeniable.

Jason Mackie was one of those soldiers, but one who paid the ultimate sacrifice.