By Andrew Jarret

THE FAMILY of an Arbroath-born Royal Marine seriously injured in a suicide car bomb attack in Afghanistan on Sunday were taken to a military hospital yesterday to be by his bedside.

The Courier understands that one of the victims of the blast was local man Craig McMillan (26), who followed his father’s footsteps into the unit.

Marine McMillan, a former pupil at Arbroath High School, was travelling in a NATO convoy in Kandahar when a suicide bomber attempted to ram his vehicle.

Two other Royal Marines, also from 45 Commando, were injured in the explosion and three Afghans killed.

There was no one at Marine McMillan’s family home yesterday and a neighbour confirmed that his parents, George and Dorothy McMillan, had left that morning along with other family members.

“Craig’s family have been taken away to see him,” said the neighbour, “We understand that he is not in immediate danger and that he should make a full recovery.

“We are all hoping that that is the case.”

It is understood that the young marine’s wife, Rianne (25), and members of her family, have also travelled to be at Craig’s bedside.

The couple married at St Christopher’s Church at RM Condor in April.

Local MP Mike Weir said that his thoughts were with Marine McMillan and the members of his family.

“It is all the more poignant that this is an Arbroath lad, whose father also apparently served with the marines, who has been injured,” he said.

“All the marines from 45 Commando are local in the sense that they belong to the base at Condor, but this young man is especially so.”

Marine McMillan and his colleagues received first-aid at the scene before being evacuated from the immediate area by helicopter. He was then treated at an International Security Assistance Force medical base before being evacuated to the UK.

As an Arbroath-born member of 45 Commando, Marine McMillan has twice appeared in The Courier during features on the elite commando group.

The first occasion was when he was photographed giving instruction to new recruits on an abseiling exercise in Glen Clova as the unit prepared for its first deployment to Afghanistan in November 2001.

He also featured along with fellow Red Lichtie, Marine Matthew Lee, as they boarded HMS Ocean before its departure for the Indian Ocean in February 2002.