"They want your pen", one of the gunners in our convoy tells me. "There aren't any here."

The bitter irony is that even if I handed them the pen I was using to scribble notes and observations, they would have no paper to write on.

But they want it all the same, because in Afghanistan a pen is a symbol of intelligence and status, regardless of whether the handler can write words with it.

The men ignore the pleas so the children don't expect hand-outs every time they visit, giving boxes of pens to village elders and teachers to do the job of distribution.

Although 3 Squadron's brief is to protect Kandahar Airfield from Taliban rocket attack, a key strand of its work is to win what top brass and politicians call the battle for hearts and minds. In short, to gain consent of the population.

Read more of Jonny's reports from Kandahar:
Our Man in Afghanistan - peterboroughtoday.co.uk/kandahar
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That battle leads the squadron to the mud hut settlements surrounding Kandahar Airfield, where the men meet village chiefs and deliver aid to what are poverty-stricken places.

On my third day in Kandahar, I joined one of 3 Squadron RAF Regiment's four flights on a visit to a village on the north-east margin of its patrol area.

For 45 minutes, we trundled along dusty highways and rutted tracks, until we rolled into Momand, where a channel of raw sewage ran down the centre of the road.

After removing helmets to appear less threatening, the men split into two groups, with half patrolling through the village in search of the "headman", while the other half manned a veterinary clinic for locals to bring their animals for treatment.

En route to the headman's home, Senior Aircraftman (SAC) Matt Amin (22) told me Afghanistan would be his third and final deployment.

"I've enjoyed my time in the RAF Regiment," he said.