'Friendly fire' may have killed VC Paratrooper
By Laura Clout and Thomas Harding
Last Updated: 9:01am GMT 16/02/2007
A paratrooper who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross may have been killed by other British soldiers in a 'friendly fire’ incident, it was disclosed last night.
Corporal Bryan Budd was shot in Afghanistan after he single-handedly charged a position held by Taliban insurgents, allowing his comrades to withdraw to safety.
Cpl Budd’s widow, who is due to collect his medal from the Queen next month, has reportedly received an official warning that he was probably killed by shots from his own comrades.
Lorena Budd, a clerk with the Royal Artillery, was said to be totally devastated at the news.
Military sources told the Sun newspaper that there is no question of Cpl Budd’s VC being withdrawn or downgraded if friendly fire is proven.
When Cpl Budd, of the of the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, was killed in the south western province of Helmand last August, Mrs Budd was pregnant with their second daughter Imogen, a sister to two-year-old Isabelle.
In a statement after his death, Mrs Budd, 23, paid tribute to her husband, saying: “He was a proud and passionate Parachute Regiment soldier and he was someone who was prepared to make the very highest sacrifice to save the lives of others.”
Cpl Budd’s Victoria Cross citation read: “Twice he behaved with extraordinary gallantry but his single-handed action on the second occasion and his determination, though wounded, to push on against a superior enemy force stands out as a premeditated act of inspirational leadership and supreme valour.”
A month before he was killed, Cpl Budd led a patrol in which two of his men were injured by roof-top gunmen. One collapsed in the open and bullets began to rake the ground around him.
The corporal stormed into the building “where the enemy fire was heaviest” and forced the insurgents away.
“Cpl Budd’s decisive leadership and conspicuous gallantry allowed his wounded colleague to be evacuated to safety where he subsequently received life-saving treatment,” his citation said.
The Ministry of Defence today refused to confirm how the corporal died.
"Cpl Budd's death is currently the subject of a routine service police investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further," a spokesman said.
whatever the outcome, what are the sun implying? is it front page news? does it take away anything he or any of his comrades have done ? no it does not, i dare say people are still grieving, so why the fxxk put this piece of unfabricated crap on the front page. the sun should apologise to the family.
Even if it was 'friendly fire' that killed Budd, what does that take away from the guy?? Anyone who's been in that situation will know, that for this to happen, the fighting must have been so intense and confusing that a mistake was made...besides to get caught in the back like that, he must of been right on top of the enemy position, getting stuck in. True Warrior.
Thats why its worth the effort to join the Para Reg...you've got blokes like Cpl Budd watching your back.
Now he may have been hit by 5.56 rounds, but just which side fired them is some thing else. The Taliban have been found to be using Armalite Rifles and some French weapons [which all use the 5.56 round] abandoned when their truck broke down. Having found the 5.56 bullets in this brave soldier it has given the press some more good headlines to help their sales.
Exactly. What the newspapers have failed to point out that the 5.56 round is available anywhere, so they put 2 & 2 together and came up with 5.56. Idiots.
Remember, knowledge is power, unless you forget it all.
