Loanhead man Peter Macfadyen has been presented with a Lord Lieutenant's Certificate for his service in the Forces.
Peter Macfadyen, 60, has retired after 20 years' service with the Lothian and Borders Army Cadet Force as a Captain.
He received his award from Midlothian's Lord Lieutenant Patrick Prenter.
Educated at Loanhead primary and secondary schools, M
r Macfadyen worked as a miner at Bilston Glen Colliery and the Moat Pit, Roslin, after leaving school aged 15.
He joined the Royal Scots in 1966 and served in the regular Army for 22 years, leaving as a Sergeant Major in 1988.
He served all over the world, including Northern Ireland, the Falklands and Germany.
Mr Macfadyen said: "In The Army you had to get stuck in like everybody else. I was over in Northern Ireland six times, and I was over in the Falklands after the main conflict to clean up and make sure the Argentineans didn't decide to invade again.
"When I retired from the regular army, I was lucky that a vacancy came up in the cadet force.
"The transition went very smoothly, and I'm glad that I was able to keep my army uniform on and hand down my years of experience to the cadets."
During his time with the Army Cadet Force, based at their Broxburn headquarters, Mr Macfadyen was one of six full-time employees working to ensure the smooth running of the 33 detachments across the region, including Loanhead, Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg and Musselburgh.
The Army Cadet Force, which is open to boys and girls aged 13 to 18 years, offers teenagers a range of team building and leadership activities in military training, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and adventure training.
Mr Macfadyen lives in Park Avenue, Loanhead, with his wife Josephine, 60, who was a home help for 20 years.
They have three sons, Paul, Peter and David, and a daughter, Shirley, who recently completed 22 years with the regular Army as a Sergeant Major with the Royal Military Police. They have one grandson Sean, aged 17.
Mr Macfadyen added: "Shirley served in Afghanistan and Iraq as personal security for visiting VIPs.
"She guarded the Prime Minister twice as well as various other people.
"I really feel for the boys and girls in The Army today because the conflicts they face out there are awful compared to what we had to deal with 30 years ago."
On his retirement, Mr Macfadyen and his wife, both keen walkers, are looking to get out and about.
He said: "It is time to catch up with the walking and get back into my fitness regime. I have got plenty of time to relax in the garden and play golf.
"We do a lot of walking together at the weekends and we have done a number of long-distance trails. I am looking forward to retirement and getting some healthy walking done."
The full article contains 494 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
