IT SEEMS barely a day goes by without images of British troops being beamed back home from the theatre of war.

However, it is all too easy to forget that many of these brave men and women are volunteers.

For the past 10 days, Echo reporter Eleanor Gregson has been on a training exercise with the Exeter TA in Cyprus.

There she witnessed for herself the dedication, commitment and professionalism of the reservists.

Volunteers make up almost 25 per cent of the nation's total defence capacity and come from all walks of life.

Over the past few days Eleanor has highlighted the roles of a number of local TA members who may soon be seeing active service.

They included a 32-year-old doctor from Exeter and a 46-year-old former pub owner from Exmouth.

Although from different walks of life and backgrounds, both spoke of the desire to serve their country.

And once on the battlefield they will be expected to carry out the same roles as their full-time counterparts.

That can mean frontline duties and the risk of paying the ultimate price.

But, of course, it is not just the volunteers who make huge sacrifices in their dedication to duty.

Just like regular soldiers, whenever they embark on a mission, they leave behind worried relatives and loved ones.

Most too will have jobs in civvy street which means they require huge support and understanding from their employers.

The role, then, of the TA in the modern military and the esteem in which it is held are crucial.

In one of her dispatches, Eleanor filed a quote that in just three paragraphs so eloquently described not only the risks of being a reservist but also the comradeship.

She was speaking to Lance Corporal Brent Meheux, a former colleague of Exeter rifleman Mark Marshall who was killed when he stepped on an improvised explosive device when out on patrol in February.

Speaking about the tragedy, Lance Corporal Meheux said: "When someone dies, we always have a memorial service and one of the guys was a bugler so he would always play the Last Post.

"The saddest thing is, he wasn't very good at the beginning, but he was by the end.

"When we lose someone, there will always be someone who knows them. Someone will be upset and you give them a cuddle."

Heartfelt words that will resonate with the hundreds of reservists who have been on exercise in the past few weeks, many of whom will soon find out if their services will be required abroad.

To those that are called up to serve in our name, we wish you Godspeed; to those that remain on standby, we salute you.