soldier Michael Scott had a surprise waiting for him when he returned home from Iraq.

For his family had decorated the outside of their Main Street, Cross Hills, home with red and white welcome home balloons.

"We wanted to do something special so he could understand how much we have missed him," said his proud mum Janice.

Michael, 19, a paratrooper with 3 Para, left for Iraq in mid February and was one of the first foot soldiers to enter the southern city of Basra during the conflict

"We encountered a little bit of trouble but most of the people ran off," said Michael, a former pupil of Holy Family School, Keighley.

The battalion was also sent to patrol the Rumeila oilfields for two weeks.

"We had to carry out some ambushes to take out enemy pockets, but there wasn't a lot of opposition," he recalled.

Their final task was to police a town near Al Amarah in the aftermath of the war. "We tried to restore law and order," he said.

Now safely back home, Michael plays down his war experiences, describing them as "all right".

"I didn't really know what to expect. We were shot at by snipers, but they didn't get close," he joked.

And that is something his family will be very pleased about.

His mum said: "It has been a difficult time. It was very painful watching the news reports and I have cried loads over the past few months.

"But you have no control of your children's lives. Michael has always wanted to be a soldier -- it was his lifelong ambition."

After completing a training course at Harrogate's Foundation College at the age of 17, Michael joined the Paras and has seen service in Northern Ireland and the Falklands.

He returned to his unit in Colchester on Monday.