Para becomes first living VC recipient of Afghan war

A British paratrooper who ran through heavy fire to single-handedly lead the fight back against a Taliban attack has become the UK's first living recipient of the Victoria Cross from the Afghanistan campaign.
L/Cpl Joshua Leakey has been awarded Britain’s highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy more than 70 years after a relative posthumously won the same medal.
The 27-year-old from Hampshire repeatedly ran through heavy fire with bullets landing all around him on a barren hillside in Helmand province as he tried to rescue colleagues who were pinned down.
David Cameron said L/Cpl Leakey had “epitomised valour with his actions on that hillside in Helmand.”
The Prime Minister said: “When you hear how events unfolded and the intensity of enemy fire, it is difficult to imagine how one wouldn't be frozen to the spot and yet L/Cpl Leakey risked his life to run across that barren hillside not just once, but multiple times, to turn the battle and save the lives of comrades.
And that is why he deserves the highest honour for bravery the nation can give.”
At the announcement of his award at Lancaster House in London L/Cpl Leakey said the extraordinary day had been just “another patrol”.
The soldier, who serves with the elite 1st Bn of the Parachute Regiment supporting special forces missions, said he had not thought of the danger he faced as he raced through the gunfire.
He said: “You don't really think what could happen to yourself, you think 'how is what I'm doing now going to improve the situation?'”
He said his only fear was that he would let down the Parachute Regiment.
The citation for his medal said that in his actions running through heavy fire to man machine guns to fight off the determined and accurate Taliban attack he had shown “gritty leadership” and “prevented considerable loss of life”.
But L/Cpl Leakey said he was only accepting the award on behalf of many other comrades who had fought alongside him that day in August 2013.
He said: “Everything there written [in the citation] says me, me, me. But I definitely feel it’s a team thing. There were blokes who were with me there on the ground right in amongst it and if it was up to me they would be sat here as well.”
He said he now hopes to continue his Army career.
He said: “My big hope is that I can just go back on Monday morning, back to my battalion and say to my platoon ‘Sorry I was away for the last two weeks, what’s next?’ I’m not going to let this become who I am, because it’s not who I am. I am just me.”
L/Cpl Leakey’s second cousin twice removed, Sgt Nigel Gray Leakey, was awarded the VC for fighting in Abyssinia after he was killed storming Italian tanks on foot.
Other operational honours announced yesterday included a Military Cross for Capt William Hall of the Royal Artillery for his bravery during an ambush in Helmand.
Lt Cdr Christopher Gotke was awarded the Air Force Cross for his “extraordinary and instinctive flying skills” landing a historic Sea Fury T20 plane during a display after its engine failed.
Flt Lt Timothy Eddy also received the Air Force Cross for landing his C-17 to rescue civilians in South Sudan despite the fact the runway was blocked by a crashed Boeing 737.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/11435769/Para-becomes-first-living-VC-recipient-of-Afghan-war.html

British Soldiers are the best!

nicko wrote:British Soldiers are the best!

By far the best trained in the world Nicko.