James Bond actor Daniel Craig visits British troops in Afghanistan

USPA News - English actor Daniel Craig, who has starred as the legendary British secret agent James Bond since 2006, on Sunday made a surprise visit to southern Afghanistan where he met with British service members who are serving at Camp Bastion. Craig visited the roughly 800 soldiers, sailors and airmen when they were about to watch "Skyfall," the latest and twenty-third film the 007 franchise has produced since 1962. The actor received a tour of Camp Bastion, located in southern Afghanistan`s Helmand province, and met with a number of soldiers.

Craig was also able to see some training events and received a demonstration of a Foxhound vehicle from Force Master Driver Warrant Officer Class 1 Rob Ingham. "We get quite a lot of visitors here, but having James Bond was special," he said. "He seemed to be pretty comfortable in the driving seat." After the vehicle demonstration, the 44-year-old actor moved to the Heavy Weapons Range where he was given the opportunity to fire some of the machine guns that British forces use as part of their mission with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). There are currently nearly 105,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, including some 9,500 British service members. Craig later also met with staff members and patients at Bastion Role 3 Hospital. "It was really good morale for everyone - it`s a decent thing for him to take time to come out and visit everyone here," said Private Scott Craggs, a Combat Medical Technician serving with 3 Medical Regiment. His final stop was a practical demonstration of Counter Improvised Explosive Device searching techniques, and he was given the opportunity to use detectors to search for buried training devices. "His interest in the work of the EOD and Search Task Force is really appreciated," said Warrant Officer (Second Class) Paul Ward, Squadron Sergeant Major. "Our training is critical to keeping Afghans and our own soldiers safe." Sgt Dave Hammond, who was able to watch "Skyfall," praised the latest Bond film. "It was like a return to the old James Bonds. There was a bit of humor and some spectacular effects," he said. "It was great to be able to see the film here and to have James Bond himself to introduce it was brilliant!" Private Shane Awbery, who is from Doncaster and also had a ticket to watch the Bond film, added: "It was great morale and the atmosphere in the tent when we were watching the film was buzzing. The film was really good too - and I liked it that he answered our questions." The 007 franchise is the longest running in film history with twenty-three films produced since 1962. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli took over the franchise from Albert R `Cubby` Broccoli in 1995 and have produced recent movies such as `Casino Royale`, `Quantum of Solace,` and `Skyfall.`.