ALMOST six years after Private Josefa Lewaicei was killed in action in Iraq, his partner and only child, 13-year-old daughter Anna-Marie, have been given an opportunity of a lifetime. A chance to live in the United Kingdom.
Private Lewaicei had promised the mother of his child, Faizia Khan, that they would marry as soon as his five-year stint with the British Army was up before leaving for England in 2000.
He returned to Fiji only once to repeat the vow to the love of his life. Ms Khan said she believes that despite his untimely demise "Joe" has kept his promise.
"He came in 2003 and asked me to wait. He said that when he returned we would settle down and move to England because of the many opportunities that were available for our daughter," she said.
"Even though I still miss him today, I am thankful for the opportunity that has been given to my daughter because of him.
"Even though he is not with us physically, I believe he is watching out for our family and fulfilling the promise he had made."
According to British Army support officer, retired Major Jim Hall, this is the first time that the British military has undertaken to move the family of a deceased foreign soldier from their homeland to settle in the United Kingdom.
Private Josefa Lewaicei, who was with the Royal Anglican Regiment, was killed in a roadside bombing north of Basra, along with 19-year-old fellow rifleman, Adam Morris, in May 2006.
Private Lewaicei joined the 2nd Battalion of the Anglicans in 2002 and had served in Afghanistan and Northern Ireland before being deployed to Iraq.
Major Jim Hall said "this type of assistance is normally offered to deceased soldiers' families that are residing in the UK".
"However, in this instance, we felt that it was beneficial for Anne-Marie because of the opportunity to receive a great education.While we understand that we are going to remove her from her homeland and rich cultural heritage - we are comforted in the knowledge that the education and ensuing opportunities that will be provided her will be of the highest standard," he said.
Getting mother and daughter to England was no easy task. From the time that Ms Khan had applied for assistance under the Royal Anglian Charity Benevolent Fund in 2010 until confirmation of acceptance more recently, life has been a frenetic flurry of activity.
"The British Army flew us to England in June and showed us the school that Anne-Marie would be attending. They put us up in a really nice hotel, right next door to the Royal Hospital School in Ipswich and opposite the base of my former partner's regiment the Royal Anglian. She spent two days at the school because they wanted to see how she would adapt to boarding life and they were pleasantly surprised with her proficiency in English.
"We did not hear anything when we got back until last week when Major Hall told us to pack up and be ready to leave for England next week." Anna-Marie says she has plans to become a Naval lawyer after completing studies in England.