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Greenronnie wrote:

Paratrooper01 wrote:we are all heroes

Have a word with youself!!!

Your a hero aswell gr...

Paratrooper01 wrote:Your a hero aswell gr...

Am I fcuk! I'm just one of the blokes who did his job.

paratroper01 said

We have already been "beefed up" with hat units. We had 1 Royal Irish who are still in Musa Qu'leh (stag on losers!!!) and then we had 2nd Bn Royal Fusiliers who came to stag on in Now Zad and of course the Gurkhas who were in Now Zad and they did force protection of camp bastion (again, stag on losers!!!)

Yeah and you left us behind fast enough and didnt give the marines any J2. ONLY MESSING.

I would'nt say the Fusiliers are just stagging on in Now Zad, there getting ponded every day for the last few months with mortas, RPG's small arms and Chinese Rockets and have been for ages. I was there for afew weeks with them. We gave it back good and proper though. Our Troop alone (12 men) killed over 30 Taliban in just 1 week. The Fusliers Mortas Platoon must be the best in the Army now because they have fired hundreds of them.

Anyway glad your back safe, we are back very soon but the Royal Irish and Fusiliers have been stitched up proper there out for another month at least

HCR wrote:The Fusliers Mortas Platoon must be the best in the Army now because they have fired hundreds of them.

Sorry but i cant agree here. 3 Para mortars have been in theatre from the start of the tour and have fire thousands and thousands of 81mm rounds over the 6 months. they will be on a target in seconds.

I was in Now Zad when the Fusiliers came down to take over from 3 para FSG's and their mortars were a discrace. They could not even put an illum mission up without lighting up the whole DC, and it took them 18, yes 18 illum rounds to get one where we wanted it!

We did not let them fire HE very often as we couln't trust them. All firemissions had to go through the OC in the DC, whereas when 3 para FSG's were on the hill they would just fire and get smack on target first time.

Also stories from my mate who was in Now Zad when the fusiliers were there of them falling asleep in the sangers on stag and all sorts. I dont rate them atall.

There's some speculation that the late Cpl Bryan Budd may be put forward for the VC.

THE SUN - 16/10/06

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.

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 them 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.”


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.

Reading what he did makes your hair stand on end.

Not meaning to detract from Cpl Budd's worthiness for the VC, but i feel that the nco who tried to get his patrol out of that minefield despite the efforts of Ops planning to blow them up with a Chinook (the downdraught set off mines), is a strong candidate too.

If there was a case for an award for the bravery of a battalion, then 3 Para 'tick all the boxes'.

I took part in a charity raising event for Bri's kids the other week, did a display with the Red Devils plus tandems. His wife Lorena was there, poor woman. I just wish we could have done more for her. It won't bring my mate back, but will be a fitting tribute to him if he was awarded the VC for his actions.

BigStevie wrote:Not meaning to detract from Cpl Budd's worthiness for the VC, but i feel that the nco who tried to get his patrol out of that minefield despite the efforts of Ops planning to blow them up with a Chinook (the downdraught set off mines), is a strong candidate too.

If there was a case for an award for the bravery of a battalion, then 3 Para 'tick all the boxes'.

Mark did a good job, however I know he will not get a VC but another, sorry but cannot say on the open forum. Pity the MOD could not send more appropriate Halo and stop relaying on the yanks for support.

Paratrooper01 You took what I said the wrong way. I was just mentioning that they aint just sitting there stagging on like you said. There in the thick of it. Like we were, as well as the Gurkus and Royal Irish but there was no press for us. In fact most people only think your lads were there. Its not nice when you spend months getting shot at, mortard and RPG'd and see your friends killed and all the press care about are the Paras. But it was your battle group and thats what happens. It would of been the same if it was our Battlegroup.

Anyway I think theres afew lads from our Squadron who could say some bad things about 3Para Mortars from TELIC1.

Not me personally but one of our Troops were Mortared twice by your lads. 3 Para were later BANNED from calling in Firemissions aswell because you kept brining it on yourselfs. So your not perfect no one is.
Belive it or NOT Im not trying to start a argument here.

Its that we are still here surrounded by bloody RM's and Navy and there worse than the Guards for Camp bullshit, and you should here them slagging you boys off. But hey dont tell any of the Bootnecks on here what I just said

Jealousy is a nasty thing...thats all i will say Ref Royal's slagging.

I heard they ran away from their first contact, leaving the Afghan army to fight on their own Not the "Elite" soldiers we are all made to believe they are.

HCR i have served with you guys in both Sangin and NowZad and i think you were a great asset to everyone on the ground with your presence and firepower. Unfortunatly i wasn't in Telic 1, but the 3 para medic in Sangin had 7.62 from a Spartan landing around him during a contact. Strange thing is the troop commander was SO confident he had slotted lots of taliban, yet he didnt know he was brassing up friendlies!

There was a brilliant article in the Kent on Sunday recently welcoming the RGR home to Folkstone, but i agree they should have had more coverage out there, so too with yourselves and the Fusiliers.

banned from calling in fire missions get f###### real.

the royal marines ran away?i think thats quite a misleading comment??How do you know?were you there?
Not having a dig, just find it hard to beleive that they actually ran away!?

Mates of mine in my platoon were listening to the radio when it was all happening, so i think its quite a good source of information, dont you?

Paratrooper01 anybody can listen to a radio and twist items around to their own satisfaction,as far as I'm concerned there have been no reports of that action and I do not believe for one minute that it ever happened.
Is this a case of throwing ones teddy out of the pram,I think its about time some of you grew up and stopped trying to score points.And for your information I have been around, I have been in various campaigns too many for my liking,manyof my friends never made it back.so there you go, think before you engage.Aye jr