Highest number of Military Crosses awarded since WWII

[Tezcatlipoca]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/ma...ry.afghanistan

Originally Posted by The Guardian

* Audrey Gillan and Richard Norton-Taylor
* The Guardian,
* Friday March 7 2008

· Four posthumous awards among 184 honours
· Thirteen medals for Mercian Regiment


One was a woman pilot who made a decision to fly her helicopter using night vision goggles into the middle of Basra city to save a soldier who would otherwise have died. Another was a Territorial Army soldier in Afghanistan who, despite being seriously injured, provided covering fire for his colleague and in the process was shot again. Yesterday, they were among 184 members of the armed forces to be told they would receive medals for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the highest number of medals listed since the invasion of Iraq five years ago.

The honours, to be awarded by the Queen, include the largest number of Military Crosses to be given since the end of the second world war - 28 - as well as five Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses, five Distinguished Service Orders and three Distinguished Flying Crosses.

The Mercian Regiment, which lost nine men during its six-month tour of Afghanistan last year, was awarded 13 medals, including a posthumous MC for Sergeant Craig Brelsford, who died while trying to retrieve the body of a fallen comrade, Private Johan Botha, lost in no man's land after a ferocious firefight with the Taliban near the town of Garmsir in Helmand.

(snip)

[eddie00001]

I've been reading some of their stories today, really impressive and what a hero really is

[jamiefrost]

Some of the stories leave me speechless Then we get stories of military personnel having abuse shouted at them, makes me sick.

JJ

The abuse business has been a feature of army,RAF and Navy life for years..It's down to gormless louts who are envious of MOD folk with a job,money in their pockets and attractive to local females because of having a job and money to flash around.

They just use the Iraq war as an excuse.

Anyway back on topic..Excellent news.

And hopefully when both wars are finished once and for all our lads(and lasses) it won't be a case of out of mind and forgotten about.

As always a big well done to the lads and lasses they deserve all the recognition they can get and support. As for your second point Incog sorry to say but once they have finished they will be forgotten by the one lot that counts the damn politicians that send them into the mire everytime. Only time a politician remembers the services is when they can benefit from it in some way always been that way always will be.

[cleshe]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

The abuse business has been a feature of army,RAF and Navy life for years..It's down to gormless louts who are envious of MOD folk with a job,money in their pockets and attractive to local females because of having a job and money to flash around.

They just use the Iraq war as an excuse.

Anyway back on topic..Excellent news.

And hopefully when both wars are finished once and for all our lads(and lasses) it won't be a case of out of mind and forgotten about.

It certainly has (abuse that is).Little has changed since Kipling wrote about it.
It's always been, and probably always will :-
"It's Tommy this and Tommy that and throw the beggar out.
But it's savior of his country when the gun's begin to shout."

This country doesn't deserve , and never has, the brave people who do it's dirty but necessary work for it, and get little thanks for so doing.

[lostandconfused]

Ive just been reading heroes by nigel cawthorne, there are some really brave people out there. These people deserve to be looked up at not abuse thrown at them

[Sirius]

Hero's one and all

Doing a job that makes me proud to have served and have a serving member of my family at this time.