Rescue hero in line for gallantry award
By Thomas Harding in Helmand province
09/06/2007
The Telegraph
L/Cpl 'Teddy' Ruecker braved a barrage of bullets to save a comrade
"I didn't really think at the time. I just did it," he said.
What 20-year-old L/Cpl Ruecker did could now lead to him receiving the military's highest decoration, the Victoria Cross.
His company commander described his actions as "outstanding heroism" but there was no indication of the drama to come when the unit left the British base in the town of Sangin in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
An intelligence briefing said there was very little threat of enemy attack but within two minutes the column of Viking armoured vehicles found itself under an intense barrage while trapped in a strip of land 30ft wide overlooked by high, thick-walled compounds.
From the parapets Taliban fighters bombarded the 100 men of B Company, the Royal Anglians with rocket-propelled grenades, AK47 gunfire and a well-positioned 12.7mm DshK heavy machinegun. In the crosshairs of this maelstrom was the Viking of L/Cpl Ruecker.
When an RPG round detonated on the rear cabin it ignited the cans of diesel stored on the roof. Cpl Dean Bailey, who was standing in the turret, was engulfed in flames that also poured into the cramped interior, threatening the half-dozen soldiers inside. With 30lb of plastic explosive on board there was no choice but to abandon the vehicle.
L/Cpl Ruecker was the first man out and sprinted down an alley to find cover. But he ran into a Taliban fighter who was apparently delighting in the successful attack.
"Luckily for me he wasn't concentrating on the battle," the trained sniper told The Daily Telegraph yesterday. "He was carrying an AK47 so I drew my pistol and killed him, emptying my magazine of 13 rounds from 10 yards away."
L/Cpl Ruecker then attempted to get into another Viking but it was full and it was then he realised that Cpl Bailey was missing.
Looking back at the blazing Viking he realised that his comrade was still inside and at any moment the flames could ignite the plastic explosive.
As he watched, another three RPG rounds hit the vehicle.
The Viking after it had been destroyed to stop it falling into enemy hands
It took just a second for the soldier to decide to return to the burning wreck. "I was scared s***less," he said. "When I got to the Viking I could not see much because of the thick black smoke. I found Deano lying on the floor very badly injured and barely conscious."
The corporal had taken the brunt of an RPG round that had torn off most of his left arm. He also took a bullet in the chest and head after throwing off his burning body armour and was suffering a collapsed lung.
"I made a quick assessment and realised I had to get him the hell out of there. I grabbed hold of Deano by his one good arm and began dragging him along the ground shouting everything was going to be fine."
The soldier then braved a furious barrage of bullets and rockets as he dragged his friend to a nearby Viking.
A medic helped him get Cpl Bailey inside the vehicle but L/Cpl Ruecker's ordeal was not over yet as he had to run another 100 yards to another Viking because there was no room. When he made it his colleagues began checking him for a wound because he was covered in his friend's blood.
"I then went into a little bit of shock and smoked about 20 cigarettes in five minutes," he said.
"I did not think it was brave - I just did it. I knew I had to get him out."
Considering the firepower employed by their attackers it was remarkable that none of the Royal Anglians was killed although three were seriously injured. During the encounter, 11 Taliban were killed by the patrol and another nine died under air attacks.
Cpl Bailey was taken to Camp Bastion, where surgeons operated for more than seven hours to save his life. He regained consciousness only earlier this week.
In just over two months L/Cpl has been involved in 20 firefights in which it has been confirmed that he shot dead seven Taliban and probably accounted for up to a score.
"I don't feel anything about it, to be honest," he said yesterday after returning to Camp Bastion from another combat mission. "That's what you do, that's your job. It's like fixing a car for a mechanic."
He admitted that the Sangin incident had "changed me a bit". He had become quieter and more introspective. "The blokes always ask if I am OK and tell me that they are proud of me and I am a brave lad," he added.
Although the soldier, from Norfolk, had explained to his father what had happened he told his mother only that "it had got a bit hairy".
Major Mick Aston, the commander of B Company, said: "The battle was one of the most intense experiences of my life. We had small arms fire, RPGs and armour-piercing rounds going off. It was like something out of the movies.
"It's difficult to describe how intense that whole action was but the guys who were there will never forget it and Teddy Ruecker's outstanding bravery was witnessed by the whole company.
"This soldier was completely selfless in his actions which were made all the more poignant that he was going to the aid of one of his best mates."
Major Aston said he would write a citation for the soldier following his actions on May 17. "I have not decided yet whether it will be for one of the highest awards if not the highest," he said.
The last award of a VC was posthumously made to Cpl Bryan Budd, of 3Bn the Parachute Regiment, who made a solo assault on a Taliban position last year also in Sangin.
READERS' COMMENTS
L/Cpl Ruecker's actions deserve him no less than the Victoria Cross... In this day and age when our Government has totally lost the plot it is a blessing to know that our Brave Soldiers fighting for each other and Queen and Country (certainly not this pathetic excuse of a Government!) are doing so with the Pride, Courage and Professionalism that has always been the British Soldier... You simply just cannot find a better Soldier Worldwide and that's a fact, the Great British public should come forward and let their thanks and admiration (of what our boys and girls are doing in their name as volunteers, hence allowing them to go along with their daily civilian lives) be known...
Today I am truly proud to be British, make no mistake, our Servicemen are currently fighting a War on two Fronts...
Well Done L/Cpl Ruecker and Thank You and all British Servicemen from this former serviceman...
Posted by AL Smith on June 9, 2007 9:38 AM
--------------------------------
Well done this soldier.
It makes your heart sing to know that there are some youngsters out there who lay their lives on the line for their comrades.
Military service should be compulsary at some time for all males.
Civvies just do not know what a period of military service does for one's character and that is why we have a problem on the streets of Great Britain.
Posted by David on June 9, 2007 8:44 AM
-------------------------------
In these days when we are fed an almost constant stream of articles that make one despair of the worthlessness of today's 'youf' I for one am proud to know that Britain is still breeding real men worthy of the epithet Hero.
Posted by David Hawk on June 9, 2007 8:19 AM
-------------------------------
This lad's actions, and those of his mates, demostrate how domninant the Spirit of Britain's youth still is despite the gutless actions of the low life who get their cowardly kicks ridiculing the memories, actions and Memorials of his forebears under the shield of darkness.
Well done and stay safe.
Posted by Dave Rees on June 9, 2007 6:22 AM
--------------------------------
Congratulations and much thanks for the impressive efforts of L/CPL Ruecker!
I was in Iraq at the beginning of the current conflict and had the pleasure of working and living with British Sailors and Marines. Truly impressive!
I'm also impressed that a major publication would run a story such as this! Here in the USA, you don't see much about our military, except body counts. The American public isn't very involved in this war.
They are mainly spectators and are seldom interested unless it helps their particular brand of politics.
You Brits have us beat in the integrity department.
Posted by Joe Talbot on June 9, 2007 6:19 AM
******************************************************
Brave and British
09/06/2007
The Telegraph
Anyone seeking a more profound understanding of what it truly means to be British need look no further than the gripping tale we publish today from the front line of the war in Afghanistan, of how a young corporal in the British Army saved the life of a badly injured colleague under fire.
Lance Corporal Oliver "Teddy" Ruecker, of B Company, the Royal Anglians, was on patrol in the bitterly contested town of Sangin when he and his companions were ambushed by a group of heavily armed Taliban.
After his Viking armoured vehicle took a direct hit, L/Cpl Ruecker rescued a badly injured colleague while a furious onslaught of bullets passed inches from his face.
"That's what you do, that's your job," he phlegmatically explained when the ordeal was over. "It's like fixing a car for a mechanic."
For much of the public, the British Army's military offensive in the southern province of Helmand has become the forgotten war.
But as Thomas Harding, our defence correspondent, has shown in his exclusive series of front-line dispatches over the past 10 days, incredible feats of courage and bravery are being performed on an almost daily basis as our young Servicemen and women put their lives on the line for Queen and country.
As in most wars, the majority of our casualties are barely out of their teens. Many of them come from deprived backgrounds and, had they not volunteered to serve, would probably have ended up, like so many of their peers, wasting their lives in petty criminal activity or worse.
But, when placed in situations of unimaginable danger - as happens almost daily in the bitter war to subjugate the Taliban in Afghanistan - where all they have to rely upon is their innate sense of courage and duty, these brave young soldiers never fail to do their country and their comrades proud.
This is the quintessence of Britishness.
telegraph.co.uk
By Thomas Harding in Helmand province
09/06/2007
The Telegraph
L/Cpl 'Teddy' Ruecker braved a barrage of bullets to save a comrade
"I didn't really think at the time. I just did it," he said.
What 20-year-old L/Cpl Ruecker did could now lead to him receiving the military's highest decoration, the Victoria Cross.
His company commander described his actions as "outstanding heroism" but there was no indication of the drama to come when the unit left the British base in the town of Sangin in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
An intelligence briefing said there was very little threat of enemy attack but within two minutes the column of Viking armoured vehicles found itself under an intense barrage while trapped in a strip of land 30ft wide overlooked by high, thick-walled compounds.
From the parapets Taliban fighters bombarded the 100 men of B Company, the Royal Anglians with rocket-propelled grenades, AK47 gunfire and a well-positioned 12.7mm DshK heavy machinegun. In the crosshairs of this maelstrom was the Viking of L/Cpl Ruecker.
When an RPG round detonated on the rear cabin it ignited the cans of diesel stored on the roof. Cpl Dean Bailey, who was standing in the turret, was engulfed in flames that also poured into the cramped interior, threatening the half-dozen soldiers inside. With 30lb of plastic explosive on board there was no choice but to abandon the vehicle.
L/Cpl Ruecker was the first man out and sprinted down an alley to find cover. But he ran into a Taliban fighter who was apparently delighting in the successful attack.
"Luckily for me he wasn't concentrating on the battle," the trained sniper told The Daily Telegraph yesterday. "He was carrying an AK47 so I drew my pistol and killed him, emptying my magazine of 13 rounds from 10 yards away."
L/Cpl Ruecker then attempted to get into another Viking but it was full and it was then he realised that Cpl Bailey was missing.
Looking back at the blazing Viking he realised that his comrade was still inside and at any moment the flames could ignite the plastic explosive.
As he watched, another three RPG rounds hit the vehicle.
The Viking after it had been destroyed to stop it falling into enemy hands
It took just a second for the soldier to decide to return to the burning wreck. "I was scared s***less," he said. "When I got to the Viking I could not see much because of the thick black smoke. I found Deano lying on the floor very badly injured and barely conscious."
The corporal had taken the brunt of an RPG round that had torn off most of his left arm. He also took a bullet in the chest and head after throwing off his burning body armour and was suffering a collapsed lung.
"I made a quick assessment and realised I had to get him the hell out of there. I grabbed hold of Deano by his one good arm and began dragging him along the ground shouting everything was going to be fine."
The soldier then braved a furious barrage of bullets and rockets as he dragged his friend to a nearby Viking.
A medic helped him get Cpl Bailey inside the vehicle but L/Cpl Ruecker's ordeal was not over yet as he had to run another 100 yards to another Viking because there was no room. When he made it his colleagues began checking him for a wound because he was covered in his friend's blood.
"I then went into a little bit of shock and smoked about 20 cigarettes in five minutes," he said.
"I did not think it was brave - I just did it. I knew I had to get him out."
Considering the firepower employed by their attackers it was remarkable that none of the Royal Anglians was killed although three were seriously injured. During the encounter, 11 Taliban were killed by the patrol and another nine died under air attacks.
Cpl Bailey was taken to Camp Bastion, where surgeons operated for more than seven hours to save his life. He regained consciousness only earlier this week.
In just over two months L/Cpl has been involved in 20 firefights in which it has been confirmed that he shot dead seven Taliban and probably accounted for up to a score.
"I don't feel anything about it, to be honest," he said yesterday after returning to Camp Bastion from another combat mission. "That's what you do, that's your job. It's like fixing a car for a mechanic."
He admitted that the Sangin incident had "changed me a bit". He had become quieter and more introspective. "The blokes always ask if I am OK and tell me that they are proud of me and I am a brave lad," he added.
Although the soldier, from Norfolk, had explained to his father what had happened he told his mother only that "it had got a bit hairy".
Major Mick Aston, the commander of B Company, said: "The battle was one of the most intense experiences of my life. We had small arms fire, RPGs and armour-piercing rounds going off. It was like something out of the movies.
"It's difficult to describe how intense that whole action was but the guys who were there will never forget it and Teddy Ruecker's outstanding bravery was witnessed by the whole company.
"This soldier was completely selfless in his actions which were made all the more poignant that he was going to the aid of one of his best mates."
Major Aston said he would write a citation for the soldier following his actions on May 17. "I have not decided yet whether it will be for one of the highest awards if not the highest," he said.
The last award of a VC was posthumously made to Cpl Bryan Budd, of 3Bn the Parachute Regiment, who made a solo assault on a Taliban position last year also in Sangin.
READERS' COMMENTS
L/Cpl Ruecker's actions deserve him no less than the Victoria Cross... In this day and age when our Government has totally lost the plot it is a blessing to know that our Brave Soldiers fighting for each other and Queen and Country (certainly not this pathetic excuse of a Government!) are doing so with the Pride, Courage and Professionalism that has always been the British Soldier... You simply just cannot find a better Soldier Worldwide and that's a fact, the Great British public should come forward and let their thanks and admiration (of what our boys and girls are doing in their name as volunteers, hence allowing them to go along with their daily civilian lives) be known...
Today I am truly proud to be British, make no mistake, our Servicemen are currently fighting a War on two Fronts...
Well Done L/Cpl Ruecker and Thank You and all British Servicemen from this former serviceman...
Posted by AL Smith on June 9, 2007 9:38 AM
--------------------------------
Well done this soldier.
It makes your heart sing to know that there are some youngsters out there who lay their lives on the line for their comrades.
Military service should be compulsary at some time for all males.
Civvies just do not know what a period of military service does for one's character and that is why we have a problem on the streets of Great Britain.
Posted by David on June 9, 2007 8:44 AM
-------------------------------
In these days when we are fed an almost constant stream of articles that make one despair of the worthlessness of today's 'youf' I for one am proud to know that Britain is still breeding real men worthy of the epithet Hero.
Posted by David Hawk on June 9, 2007 8:19 AM
-------------------------------
This lad's actions, and those of his mates, demostrate how domninant the Spirit of Britain's youth still is despite the gutless actions of the low life who get their cowardly kicks ridiculing the memories, actions and Memorials of his forebears under the shield of darkness.
Well done and stay safe.
Posted by Dave Rees on June 9, 2007 6:22 AM
--------------------------------
Congratulations and much thanks for the impressive efforts of L/CPL Ruecker!
I was in Iraq at the beginning of the current conflict and had the pleasure of working and living with British Sailors and Marines. Truly impressive!
I'm also impressed that a major publication would run a story such as this! Here in the USA, you don't see much about our military, except body counts. The American public isn't very involved in this war.
They are mainly spectators and are seldom interested unless it helps their particular brand of politics.
You Brits have us beat in the integrity department.
Posted by Joe Talbot on June 9, 2007 6:19 AM
******************************************************
Brave and British
09/06/2007
The Telegraph
Anyone seeking a more profound understanding of what it truly means to be British need look no further than the gripping tale we publish today from the front line of the war in Afghanistan, of how a young corporal in the British Army saved the life of a badly injured colleague under fire.
Lance Corporal Oliver "Teddy" Ruecker, of B Company, the Royal Anglians, was on patrol in the bitterly contested town of Sangin when he and his companions were ambushed by a group of heavily armed Taliban.
After his Viking armoured vehicle took a direct hit, L/Cpl Ruecker rescued a badly injured colleague while a furious onslaught of bullets passed inches from his face.
"That's what you do, that's your job," he phlegmatically explained when the ordeal was over. "It's like fixing a car for a mechanic."
For much of the public, the British Army's military offensive in the southern province of Helmand has become the forgotten war.
But as Thomas Harding, our defence correspondent, has shown in his exclusive series of front-line dispatches over the past 10 days, incredible feats of courage and bravery are being performed on an almost daily basis as our young Servicemen and women put their lives on the line for Queen and country.
As in most wars, the majority of our casualties are barely out of their teens. Many of them come from deprived backgrounds and, had they not volunteered to serve, would probably have ended up, like so many of their peers, wasting their lives in petty criminal activity or worse.
But, when placed in situations of unimaginable danger - as happens almost daily in the bitter war to subjugate the Taliban in Afghanistan - where all they have to rely upon is their innate sense of courage and duty, these brave young soldiers never fail to do their country and their comrades proud.
This is the quintessence of Britishness.
telegraph.co.uk