Lt Col Thorneloe patrols back from the weekly security meeting at the Governor's compound in Nad e-Ali with two Afghan National Army soldiers
I noted this picture in the article and wanted to comment. To me this shows a large part of the difference between being a professional soldier, and just a soldier. Take a look at which troops are ready to immediately respond to an attack and which ones - brave and dedicated though I am sure they are - are going to lose a couple of precious seconds.
Prayers for him and his loved ones.
The British need to create an order of Knighthood exclusively for combat military officers, who are in combat for an extended period, not for those who “just put their toe in”, nor for rear echelon commanders.
In short, a Combat Infantry Knighthood (ideally of St. George, which would bug the hell out of the PC types.) While not a landed title, it would be appropriate that they be presented a sword and a ceremonial shirt of chain mail, to signify they were a “real” Knight.