There was story in the Daily Telegraph about a Para getting a VC
VC for Para Budd, one of the Helmand heroes
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 4:04am GMT 14/12/2006
A paratrooper who launched a lone charge on Taliban lines after his platoon was ambushed is expected to be awarded the Victoria Cross today.
Cpl Bryan Budd
The men of 3Bn the Parachute Regiment will be showered with operational honours including the highest award for gallantry that will be given posthumously to Cpl Bryan Budd.
A soldier who rescued injured comrades from a minefield will receive the George Cross, the highest recognition for gallant conduct when not in the face of the enemy.
During some of the most intense fighting experienced by the British Army in the past half century the airborne forces time and again demonstrated exceptional courage in combat that saw more than 500,000 rounds fired and 1,000 Taliban killed over the summer.
The bravery shown by the 3,300 men of the Helmand Task Force, including Royal Engineers, military police, Royal Artillery and infantry will be recognised by a "hatful of medals", military sources said last night.
advertisementIt will be similar to the last major announcement of operational honours when Pte Johnson Beharry received the VC for his actions in saving colleagues while under fire during the deployment of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment to Amarah, Iraq in 2004.
Lt Col Stuart Tootal is expected to be recognised for his leadership of 3 Para battle group when it was deployed to Helmand in May, initially to provide backbone for Afghan security forces and to help in reconstruction efforts.
But instead of rebuilding the country the soldiers found themselves in bloody battles against Taliban insurgents who launched near suicidal assaults in large numbers.
Daily gunfights were fought as the British force pushed into the lawless northern towns of the province to wrest power from the Taliban and opium warlords.
Sangin town experienced some of the most intense fighting that included the extraordinary act of heroism by Cpl Budd, 29.
On Aug 20 he was part of a 24-man patrol from A Company, 3 Para, which was sent to clear a cornfield to protect Royal Engineers working in the area.
The Paras came under fire with several soldiers suffering gunshot wounds. Cpl Budd charged the enemy position while firing with his SA80 rifle on fully automatic. Soon afterwards the enemy's fire dropped off and the soldier's section was able to break away from the contact.
The night before his death Cpl Budd had talked quietly to a military policeman, L/Cpl Matt Carse, about his wife and the joy of becoming a father again after discovering she was pregnant.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph shortly after he returned from Afghanistan in October, L/Cpl Carse said the next time he saw his friend was to help recover the body.
"A patrol had been ambushed with machineguns and there was a Para missing," he said.
"We formed a quick reaction force and with a Para sniper we went out to find him. We ran out through the gates of the platoon house under fire. We took a lot of fire as we got into a cornfield where the soldier was and then we had to fight our way back to the platoon house with Cpl Budd.
"He was one of the best and bravest soldiers I had met — he had taken on the Taliban virtually on his own." Comrades of Cpl Budd, who was due to be promoted to sergeant, said earlier in the tour he had single-handedly stormed a building using hand grenades and his rifle to kill the enemy.
Cpl Budd, from Ripon, North Yorks, had recently rejoined 3 Para after a successful tour with the Parachute Regiment's elite Pathfinder Platoon, which is used to carry out reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines.
As part of the Pathfinders, he served in many operational theatres including the former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, Macedonia, Afghanistan and Iraq during his 10 years' service.
The Ministry of Defence last night requested the media to refrain from naming the soldier in line for the George Cross as his family were unaware of the exact medal until today. But it can be reported that the soldier, without any thought for his own safety, ran to the aid of two comrades injured by exploding mines from an old Soviet minefield.
The paratrooper helped treat their wounds and called for a helicopter which winched them to safety. But he fell victim to another mine and died before he reached hospital. It is likely that he lost out on a VC on a technicality in that his bravery was not " in the face of the enemy" as the medal criteria demands.
A number of other medals will be announced today, including those to honour the bravery of troops in action in Iraq. Several RAF Chinook helicopter pilots, who braved a torrent of gunfire to land supplies and troops in Afghanistan, are also expected to receive medals.
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Para Gets VC
Corporal Bryan Budd awarded the Victoria Cross
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Defen ... aCross.htmCorporal Bryan Budd awarded the Victoria Cross
14 Dec 06
Corporal Bryan Budd, of the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), has been posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for acts of 'inspirational leadership and the greatest valour'. He is only the second recipient of the award in 24 years.
Corporal Budd's wife accepted the award on his behalf, which he received for two separate acts of exceptional valour while deployed in southern Afghanistan in July and August 2006.
Sadly, it was during the second incident, where Corporal Budd led an assault against Taliban fighters, that he lost his life.
Corporal Bryan James Budd photographed on duty in Afghanistan [Picture: MOD]
The full text of his citation explains the incredible acts of bravery that led to Corporal Budd being honoured with a Victoria Cross, which, with the George Cross, ranks as the highest UK award for gallantry:
"During July and August 2006, A Company, 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment were deployed in the District Centre at Sangin. They were constantly under sustained attack from a combination of Taliban small arms, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar and rocket fire.
"On 27 July, whilst on a routine patrol, Corporal Bryan Budd's section identified and engaged two enemy gunmen on the roof of a building in the centre of Sangin. During the ensuing fierce fire-fight, two of Corporal Budd's section were hit. One was seriously injured and collapsed in the open ground, where he remained exposed to enemy fire, with rounds striking the ground around him. Corporal Budd realised that he needed to regain the initiative and that the enemy needed to be driven back so that the casualty could be evacuated.
"Under fire, he personally led the attack on the building where the enemy fire was heaviest, forcing the remaining fighters to flee across an open field where they were successfully engaged. This courageous and prompt action proved decisive in breaking the enemy and was undertaken at great personal risk. Corporal Budd's decisive leadership and conspicuous gallantry allowed his wounded colleague to be evacuated to safety where he subsequently received life-saving treatment.
"A month later, on 20th August, Corporal Budd was leading his section on the right forward flank of a platoon clearance patrol near Sangin District Centre. Another section was advancing with a Land Rover fitted with a .50 calibre heavy machine gun on the patrol's left flank. Pushing through thick vegetation, Corporal Budd identified a number of enemy fighters 30 metres ahead. Undetected, and in an attempt to surprise and destroy the enemy, Corporal Budd, initiated a flanking manoeuvre. However, the enemy spotted the Land Rover on the left flank and the element of surprise was lost for the whole platoon.
"In order to regain the initiative, Corporal Budd decided to assault the enemy and ordered his men to follow him. As they moved forward the section came under a withering fire that incapacitated three of his men. The continued enemy fire and these losses forced the section to take cover. But, Corporal Budd continued the assault on his own, knowing full well the likely consequences of doing so without the close support of his remaining men. He was wounded but continued to move forward, attacking and killing the enemy as he rushed their position.
"Inspired by Corporal Budd's example, the rest of the platoon reorganised and pushed forward their attack, eliminating more of the enemy and eventually forcing their withdrawal. Corporal Budd subsequently died of his wounds, and when his body was later recovered it was found surrounded by three dead Taliban.
"Corporal Budd's conspicuous gallantry during these two engagements saved the lives of many of his colleagues. He acted in the full knowledge that the rest of his men had either been struck down or had been forced to go to ground. His determination to press home a single-handed assault against a superior enemy force despite his wounds stands out as a premeditated act of inspirational leadership and supreme valour. In recognition of this, Corporal Budd is awarded the Victoria Cross."
Lorena Budd (centre), wife of Corporal Bryan Budd, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, listens to the announcement of her
[Picture: Cpl Rob Knight, RLC]
Corporal Bryan Budd's wife, Mrs Lorena Budd, accepted the award at a presentation in the MOD's Main Building, saying:
"Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to say how proud I am to be accepting this incredible award on behalf of my husband, Bryan.
"Bryan, of course, will always be remembered by me as a loving husband and father to our two beautiful daughters, Isabelle and Imogen.
"This exceptional act of valour, and the subsequent award of the Victoria Cross, is representative of the sort of man Bryan was; he was a proud and passionate Parachute Regiment soldier and he was someone who was prepared to make the very highest sacrifice, doing the job he loved, with his comrades and friends in the regiment he loved.
"Today is a day to remember Bryan and I take enormous pride in remembering all his achievements. However, I would now be grateful if me, the girls and our families could be left alone to grieve privately and reflect on our loss at this emotional time.
"On a final note, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Major Bruce Radbourne of the Parachute Regiment for all the help he has provided and also for all the support I have received from all of 3 PARA."
Corporal Bryan James Budd was born on 16 July 1977 and lived in Ripon, North Yorkshire, with his wife Lorena who is a serving soldier in the Adjutant General's Corps.
Corporal Budd had served in the Army for ten years and enjoyed a distinguished career.
Corporal Bryan James Budd [Picture: MOD]
He enlisted into the Parachute Regiment in December 1995, subsequently passing the rigorous selection process for 16 Air Assault Brigade's Pathfinder Platoon, an elite unit specially trained for long range reconnaissance missions. Whilst part of that platoon he served in many operational theatres including Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, Macedonia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
He joined A Company of 3 PARA, in early June 2006 in the middle of Operation HERRICK IV, serving in Helmand Province at a time when the Company was principally concerned with helping the Afghan Government counter a resurgence in Taliban activity centred in and around the town of Sangin.
Living in such a beautiful part of the world, he loved the outdoors and would spend whatever time he could there. He is survived by his wife Lorena and two daughters: Isabelle, aged 2, and Imogen who was born in September 2006.
Last edited by SO19 on Sat 16 Dec, 2006 1:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
[i]‘We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat’ - Queen Victoria, 1899[/i]
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