A Para who died to save his comrades' lives may be given a posthumous VC. If he does, he'll only be the 2nd person in 24 years to have got one. The last one was Sgt Ian McKay who was killed during the Battle of Mount Longdon during the 1982 Falklands War against Argentina.
Fallen hero set for VC honour
Brave ... Cpl Bryan Budd saved his pals
By TOM NEWTON DUNN
Defence Editor
OCTOBER 16, 2006
HERO Para Cpl Bryan Budd was cut down by a hail of Taliban bullets as he took on a group of the fanatics alone, it was revealed last night.
Full details of his extraordinary actions were described for the first time by a comrade.
And it was confirmed that senior officers want the corporal’s extreme valour to be marked with a posthumous Victoria Cross.
It would be only the second to be awarded in 24 years.
Father-of-two Cpl Budd, 29, saved seven other soldiers with his selfless courage on August 20 in Afghanistan’s lawless Helmand province.
His men were under fire in the notorious northern town of Sangin, where Cpl Budd and the rest of 3 Para’s A Company were based.
They were ordered to hold a small, isolated coalition outpost — dubbed a platoon house — against a vicious daily Taliban onslaught for months.
Recalling the fateful day, the fallen corporal’s comrade said:
We were sent out to protect some engineers who were blowing holes in a compound 500 metres away from the platoon house.
That was so we could cut through the compound quickly and avoid enemy fire when we were out on patrol.
There were three sections of us out, a total of 24 guys, all spread out in a head-high cornfield around the compound.
Bryan was the first to spot about four Taliban approaching, really close to us, only about 50 metres away.
With just hand signals, he led his section in a flanking manoeuvre round to the cornfield’s outskirts to try to cut them off.
But the section was spotted by the enemy before they could get there, and they opened fire on the lads.
Then a load more Taliban behind a wall further back also opened up on the section.
Top honour ... the Victoria Cross
The guys were taking heavy fire from two positions. The enemy were just blatting away, their AK47s above their heads, and rounds were coming in from all over the shop.
One lad got a bullet in the shoulder, and another was shot in the nose.
Everyone was kneeling or lying down, trying to take cover. It was mayhem.
That’s when Bryan made his move. He knew how dangerous it was but he obviously decided it was his responsibility to destroy the threat, because the enemy were cutting us to pieces.
He got up and rushed straight through the corn in the direction of the Taliban just 20 metres away.
We heard Bryan’s rifle open up on the
m on fully automatic mode but that was the last anyone heard of him. All contact was lost with Bryan. Straight afterwards, the enemy’s fire lessened and allowed the rest of his section to withdraw back to safety so the casualties could be treated.
Bryan was declared missing in action and practically the whole company was then sent back to find him.
We went into the cornfield to fight our way forward. Apache and Harrier air support was called in, and after a long fight we beat the Taliban back. About an hour later some of the lads found Bryan's body beside two dead Taliban. It was obvious he was the one who had wasted them but he was obviously hit at the same time — by either them or the fighters behind the wall. He was badly wounded and he had no pulse.
The company sergeant major rushed forward on a quad bike to get him and carried Bryan back to the platoon house. But there was nothing anyone could do for him by then and he was declared dead.
The comrade added: “What Bryan did was amazing. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his men. We believe he should get the ultimate award for it.
“It would be a fitting tribute, and would mean a lot to his wife and kids. But most importantly, he’s earned it.” Senior Para officers believe Cpl Budd deserves the extremely rare VC as his bravery was in the highest traditions of the elite regiment.
Despite other recent reports, Cpl Budd’s VC citation is the only one to go forward for his regiment’s bloody, six-month tour of the Afghan badlands.
A final decision will not be made until early next year.
Confirming the move, an impeccably placed Para source said: “Cpl Budd ticks almost every box needed for a VC.
Order of events ... 1. Engineers blow up walls 2. Taliban approach through fields 3. Cpl Budd and men counter-attack 4. Taliban open fire and wound two 5. Cpl Budd charges at enemy
“We don’t know if he’ll get it as it’s almost impossible to win these days and his family have been warned not to get their hopes up yet.
“But we think his chances are very strong and everyone is keeping their fingers crossed. He is the only soldier we have nominated for the big one.” Cpl Budd, from Ripon, North Yorks, had only just joined A Company as a section commander when he died.
He had been transferred from the Parachute Regiment’s elite reconnaissance unit, the Pathfinders Platoon, in which he served with distinction in Sierra Leone, Macedonia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Softly spoken and generous, he had quickly become a very popular leader, the comrade said.
He added: “All the blokes had huge respect for him.
“That’s not an easy thing to achieve when you’re so new to a tight-knit company. He was a quiet guy but he really opened up when you got to know him. He used to tell us how much he loved the Army and the Parachute Regiment and was going to serve out his full 22 years.”
Cpl Budd’s widow Lorena, 23, was eight months pregnant with their second child when he was killed. She has since given birth to a boy.
The comrade said: “The only thing that meant more to Bryan than the Army was his family. He doted on his two-year-old daughter Isabelle.”
The corporal’s brave action was similar to that of the last soldier to win the top medal posthumously, in the Falklands War 24 years ago. After the Battle of Mount Longdon, another Para, Sgt Ian McKay, was awarded a VC for charging and wiping out an Argentine machine gun position that stalled an attack.
Since then the only VC to be awarded was to Caribbean-born Private Johnson Beharry two years ago.
The Warrior driver saved his platoon by driving through two ambushes in Iraq, suffering life-threatening injuries.
An MoD spokeswoman said last night: “Operational honours and awards for the period April 1 to September 30, 2006 have not yet been considered. We never speculate on bravery awards.”
************************************
Top gongs for true heroes
Hero ... Sgt Ian McKay
Fallen hero set for VC honour
Brave ... Cpl Bryan Budd saved his pals
Defence Editor
OCTOBER 16, 2006
HERO Para Cpl Bryan Budd was cut down by a hail of Taliban bullets as he took on a group of the fanatics alone, it was revealed last night.
Full details of his extraordinary actions were described for the first time by a comrade.
And it was confirmed that senior officers want the corporal’s extreme valour to be marked with a posthumous Victoria Cross.
It would be only the second to be awarded in 24 years.
Father-of-two Cpl Budd, 29, saved seven other soldiers with his selfless courage on August 20 in Afghanistan’s lawless Helmand province.
His men were under fire in the notorious northern town of Sangin, where Cpl Budd and the rest of 3 Para’s A Company were based.
They were ordered to hold a small, isolated coalition outpost — dubbed a platoon house — against a vicious daily Taliban onslaught for months.
Recalling the fateful day, the fallen corporal’s comrade said:
That was so we could cut through the compound quickly and avoid enemy fire when we were out on patrol.
There were three sections of us out, a total of 24 guys, all spread out in a head-high cornfield around the compound.
Bryan was the first to spot about four Taliban approaching, really close to us, only about 50 metres away.
With just hand signals, he led his section in a flanking manoeuvre round to the cornfield’s outskirts to try to cut them off.
But the section was spotted by the enemy before they could get there, and they opened fire on the lads.
Then a load more Taliban behind a wall further back also opened up on the section.
The guys were taking heavy fire from two positions. The enemy were just blatting away, their AK47s above their heads, and rounds were coming in from all over the shop.
One lad got a bullet in the shoulder, and another was shot in the nose.
Everyone was kneeling or lying down, trying to take cover. It was mayhem.
That’s when Bryan made his move. He knew how dangerous it was but he obviously decided it was his responsibility to destroy the threat, because the enemy were cutting us to pieces.
He got up and rushed straight through the corn in the direction of the Taliban just 20 metres away.
We heard Bryan’s rifle open up on the
m on fully automatic mode but that was the last anyone heard of him. All contact was lost with Bryan. Straight afterwards, the enemy’s fire lessened and allowed the rest of his section to withdraw back to safety so the casualties could be treated.
Bryan was declared missing in action and practically the whole company was then sent back to find him.
We went into the cornfield to fight our way forward. Apache and Harrier air support was called in, and after a long fight we beat the Taliban back. About an hour later some of the lads found Bryan's body beside two dead Taliban. It was obvious he was the one who had wasted them but he was obviously hit at the same time — by either them or the fighters behind the wall. He was badly wounded and he had no pulse.
The company sergeant major rushed forward on a quad bike to get him and carried Bryan back to the platoon house. But there was nothing anyone could do for him by then and he was declared dead.
The comrade added: “What Bryan did was amazing. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his men. We believe he should get the ultimate award for it.
“It would be a fitting tribute, and would mean a lot to his wife and kids. But most importantly, he’s earned it.” Senior Para officers believe Cpl Budd deserves the extremely rare VC as his bravery was in the highest traditions of the elite regiment.
Despite other recent reports, Cpl Budd’s VC citation is the only one to go forward for his regiment’s bloody, six-month tour of the Afghan badlands.
A final decision will not be made until early next year.
Confirming the move, an impeccably placed Para source said: “Cpl Budd ticks almost every box needed for a VC.
“We don’t know if he’ll get it as it’s almost impossible to win these days and his family have been warned not to get their hopes up yet.
“But we think his chances are very strong and everyone is keeping their fingers crossed. He is the only soldier we have nominated for the big one.” Cpl Budd, from Ripon, North Yorks, had only just joined A Company as a section commander when he died.
He had been transferred from the Parachute Regiment’s elite reconnaissance unit, the Pathfinders Platoon, in which he served with distinction in Sierra Leone, Macedonia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Softly spoken and generous, he had quickly become a very popular leader, the comrade said.
He added: “All the blokes had huge respect for him.
“That’s not an easy thing to achieve when you’re so new to a tight-knit company. He was a quiet guy but he really opened up when you got to know him. He used to tell us how much he loved the Army and the Parachute Regiment and was going to serve out his full 22 years.”
Cpl Budd’s widow Lorena, 23, was eight months pregnant with their second child when he was killed. She has since given birth to a boy.
The comrade said: “The only thing that meant more to Bryan than the Army was his family. He doted on his two-year-old daughter Isabelle.”
The corporal’s brave action was similar to that of the last soldier to win the top medal posthumously, in the Falklands War 24 years ago. After the Battle of Mount Longdon, another Para, Sgt Ian McKay, was awarded a VC for charging and wiping out an Argentine machine gun position that stalled an attack.
Since then the only VC to be awarded was to Caribbean-born Private Johnson Beharry two years ago.
The Warrior driver saved his platoon by driving through two ambushes in Iraq, suffering life-threatening injuries.
An MoD spokeswoman said last night: “Operational honours and awards for the period April 1 to September 30, 2006 have not yet been considered. We never speculate on bravery awards.”
************************************
Top gongs for true heroes
Hero ... Sgt Ian McKay
THE VC was created by Queen Victoria in January 1856 and is still Britain’s most senior decoration.
Only 1,355 have been given out and only 12 holders are still alive.
Every VC is cast from the bronze of two Russian Crimean War cannon.
Winners, like Falklands hero Sgt Ian McKay, must have saved life and altered a battle’s course.
thesun.co.uk
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