A soldier who stands charged with the involuntary homicide of a colleague yesterday recounted how badly the death had affected him, adding that not a day went by without him remembering what happened.

Lance Bombardier Marvic Peregin, 32, and Lieutenant Christian Vella, 28, are accused of the involuntary homicide of 19-year-old Gunner Matthew Psaila.

The young soldier died three days after he found himself in difficulties during an army training exercise in Chadwick Lakes on February 13, 2009.

The incident occurred when soldiers were making their way through a tunnel in freezing cold water.

Mr Peregin testified that every time he looked at Gnr Psaila’s old locker, he could see the young soldier’s body coming out of the water and every time he drove past the incident area he had flashbacks.

At this point, Gnr Psaila’s father, Anthony, who attends every sitting, broke down in tears and was comforted by his lawyer, Michael Tanti Dougall.

Mr Peregin said his life had been put on hold for four years as the court proceedings continued and his bombardier rank had been suspended pending the outcome of the case.

He explained that planning for the training began about two weeks before the incident when Lt Vella held meetings with the exercise’s instructors to discuss what would happen. Everything from equipment to safety gear and vehicles was discussed, he said.

On the day in question and while at the training area, Lt Vella asked the men whether they had any difficulty swimming but no one replied.

Once divided into smaller groups, the men were asked again by their instructors if they could all swim. One said he could but sometimes found it hard. Mr Peregin said he told this soldier to remain at the back of his group so he could keep an eye on him.

At one point, the group behind them began to panic and people were running around, he said.

He immediately ordered a head count when, all of a sudden, some soldiers started shouting: “Psaila, Psaila”.

The witness said he jumped into the water and, with five other soldiers, swept the area. They pulled Gnr Psaila out of the water and immediately administered first aid. The young soldier was then taken to hospital.

Mr Peregin said “every soldier is trained for every situation, from the cold of Georgia to the heat of Uganda”.

The case continues.