Posted on 03/18/2005 12:19:25 AM PST by Brit_Guy
Soldier wins VC for Iraq bravery A British soldier serving in Iraq who saved 30 members of his unit from an ambush has been awarded the first Victoria Cross for more than 20 years. Pte Johnson Beharry, 25, was struck by enemy fire as he guided a convoy of Warrior fighting vehicles through the town of Al Amarah last May.
A month later he saved more lives in an attack which left him in a coma.
He was one of 140 soldiers honoured for tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia and Africa.
Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said: "These honours and awards recognise the outstanding achievements of these extraordinary men and women and their acts of great courage, bravery and determination."
Pte Beharry, from 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, is still recovering from his injuries and said he was "speechless" when told he was winning the VC.
The award is the first of the medals to be awarded since a posthumous VC given to Lt Col Herbert Jones and Sgt Ian John McKay during the Falklands conflict.
'Doing the job'
It makes him the first living recipient of the VC - the highest award in the British and Commonwealth military - since 1965. The medals are made from the remains of a Russian cannon captured in the 1850s Crimean War.
"When I was told yesterday I thought it was great to have received the award. I was speechless," said Mr Beharry, who was born on the Caribbean island of Grenada but comes from London.
The soldier was at the head of a five-vehicle convoy when it came under attack on 1 May 2004, and guided the column through a mile of enemy ground to drop off wounded comrades at great risk to his own safety, his citation said.
Weeks later, his vehicle was hit by an rocket-propelled grenade round. Despite a head wound, he managed to reverse his Warrior to safety.
"Maybe I was brave, I don't know. I think anyone else could do the same thing," he said.
Mr Beharry is one of only 13 recipients of the award still alive.
"At the time I was just doing the job, I didn't have time for other thoughts," he said of his actions.
"I want to return to service, but I don't know when that will be and I would go back to Iraq if I had to."
The former construction worker, who came to the UK in 1999 and joined the army in 2000, has also served tours in Northern Ireland and in Kosovo.
His citation is an extraordinary story of one man's courage, in the way he risked his life for his colleagues not once, but twice Chief of Defence Staff Sir Mike Jackson
Mr Beharry has had brain surgery for wounds he received in the second enemy action.
Chief of Defence Staff Sir Mike Jackson praised his bravery.
"His citation is an extraordinary story of one man's courage, in the way he risked his life for his colleagues not once, but twice."
Royal Marines reservist Col Paul Anthony Jobbins, 56, of Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, won the George Medal for peacekeeping work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Remarkable gallantry
The retired police fingerprint officer was responsible for control of UN forces in the town of Bukavu, which fell to rebels in June 2004.
The unarmed officer held negotiations with warring factions amid a wave of violence which killed hundreds.
Seven other awards have been made for distinguished service during the Boscastle floods last August, when helicopters were used to rescue 150 people.
Troops of the Black Watch also received citations for their Iraq tour of duty.
If you get your hands on it, please post it here and ping me. Please please please.
"In the early hours of 1 May 2004, the main elements of Beharry’s company moved into the troubled city of Al Amarah where they were tasked to fight through a series of ambushes to extract a foot patrol that was pinned down under sustained insurgent attacks with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades.
Rounding a corner the convoy of six Warriors saw the road ahead was empty of all civilians and traffic; a possible sign of an insurgent ambush. Beharry’s platoon commander in the lead Warrior ordered the platoon to stop and their vehicle was immediately hit by multiple rocket-propelled grenades that rocked the 30 tonne vehicle.
Both the platoon commander and the vehicle’s gunner were incapacitated by the volley of fire and soldiers in the back of the Warrior were injured. The attack had damaged the radio systems leaving Beharry unable to contact his crew or anyone else. Working on his own initiative he shut his driver’s hatch, put the vehicle in gear and shot forward down the street, stopping just short of a barricade. Again they were hammered by rocket-propelled grenade attacks from insurgents in alleys, doorways and rooftops. Explosion after explosion rocked the Warrior causing it to catch fire. Thick, black smoke filled the vehicle. Opening his hatch to clear his view Beharry still had no radio communication and desperately needed to get his crew to safety. Leading the other six Warriors, he rammed his Warrior through the barricade.
With the driver’s hatch still open, through the smoke he could see a projectile heading straight for the vehicle. Grabbing the hatch he rammed it down quickly but the blast of the grenade against the front of the armour tore the hatch out of his hand the force of the blast passing directly over him destroying his armoured periscope in the process. With the hatch up, and now exposed to enemy gunfire, Beharry drove his vehicle as fast as he could through the rest of the ambushed route some 1500 meters long. One bullet struck his helmet and lodged inside it.
Breaking free of the ambush, Beharry saw another Warrior from his company and followed it through the streets to another Coalition outpost that was also under attack followed by the rest of his platoon. Flames still poured from the Warrior as Beharry pulled up outside the outpost. He climbed onto the turret oblivious to the enemy fire and pulled his platoon commander to the safety of a nearby Warrior. He ran back to the vehicle, climbed the turret and pulled out the vehicle’s gunner, carrying him to safety as well and then returned to his vehicle leading the disorientated, shocked soldiers from the back to a safe position. Once again, he climbed back onto his vehicle and drove it into the security of the perimeter of the outpost, denying it to the enemy. Then grabbing the fire extinguishers he put the fire out and climbed into the back of another Warrior where he collapsed from physical and mental exhaustion.
----
The second occurrence took place on 11 June 2004 when Beharry’s Warrior was part of a quick reaction force attempting to cut off a mortar team that had attacked a Coalition Forces base in Al Amarah. Again, his vehicle was the leading Warrior in the platoon. They roared through the dark streets under the cover of night towards the suspected firing point when the Warrior was hit by enemy fire from insurgents on the rooftops.
One rocket-propelled grenade smashed into the armoured front of the vehicle six inches from Beharry’s head causing him serious head injury. Other grenades smashed into the vehicle incapacitating his commander, crew and soldiers in the back.
His vision obscured by blood, Beharry forcefully reversed his Warrior out of the killing zone and the vehicle continued to move until it struck a wall and Beharry lost consciousness. By doing this, he’d enabled other Warriors to come to his rescue and extract his crew safely. His level-headed actions under intense close enemy fire, despite his extremely serious head injury saved the lives of his crew and enabled them to be evacuated to safety.
During this incident Beharry received shoulder and serious head injuries. After treatment at the Shaibah Field Hospital south-west of Basrah, he was evacuated to the Royal College of Defence Medicine (RCDM) in Selly Oak, Birmingham.
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In the face of relentless enemy action, Beharry displayed repeated extreme gallantry and valour despite his serious injuries and the damage to his vehicle. "
(From the UK Ministry of Defense website)
...."Maybe I was brave, I don't know. I think anyone else could do the same thing," he said.......Buy you a beer anytime...God Bless.....
People who have never served in the militay, let alone seen combat, do not understand that the basic motivation for action is the safety and well-being for your buddies, usually at the smallest unit level...
....your life depends on those around you so you protect them.
The bit I love is this: "One bullet struck his helmet and lodged inside it. Breaking free of the ambush, Beharry saw another Warrior from his company and followed it through the streets to another Coalition outpost that was also under attack followed by the rest of his platoon. Flames still poured from the Warrior as Beharry pulled up outside the outpost. He climbed onto the turret oblivious to the enemy fire and pulled his platoon commander to the safety of a nearby Warrior. He ran back to the vehicle, climbed the turret and pulled out the vehicle’s gunner, carrying him to safety as well and then returned to his vehicle leading the disorientated, shocked soldiers from the back to a safe position. Once again, he climbed back onto his vehicle and drove it into the security of the perimeter of the outpost, denying it to the enemy. Then grabbing the fire extinguishers he put the fire out"
I have never been in a sustained contact. We all wonder how we would react. We all dream in our hearts we would do as this lad did. Very, very proud of the British Army today.
Ministry of Defence complete citation:
"Private Beharry carried out two individual acts of great heroism by which he saved the lives of his comrades. Both were in direct face of the enemy, under intense fire, at great personal risk to himself (one leading to him sustaining very serious injuries). His valour is worthy of the highest recognition.
"In the early hours of the 1st May 2004 Beharry’s company was ordered to replenish an isolated Coalition Forces outpost located in the centre of the troubled city of Al Amarah. He was the driver of a platoon commander’s Warrior armoured fighting vehicle. His platoon was the company’s reserve force and was placed on immediate notice to move. As the main elements of his company were moving into the city to carry out the replenishment, they were re-tasked to fight through a series of enemy ambushes in order to extract a foot patrol that had become pinned down under sustained small arms and heavy machine gun fire and improvised explosive device and rocket-propelled grenade attack.
"Beharry’s platoon was tasked over the radio to come to the assistance of the remainder of the company, who were attempting to extract the isolated foot patrol. As his platoon passed a roundabout, en route to the pinned-down patrol, they became aware that the road to the front was empty of all civilians and traffic – an indicator of a potential ambush ahead. The platoon commander ordered the vehicle to halt, so that he could assess the situation. The vehicle was then immediately hit by multiple rocket-propelled grenades. Eyewitnesses report that the vehicle was engulfed in a number of violent explosions, which physically rocked the 30-tonne Warrior.
"As a result of this ferocious initial volley of fire, both the platoon commander and the vehicle’s gunner were incapacitated by concussion and other wounds, and a number of the soldiers in the rear of the vehicle were also wounded. Due to damage sustained in the blast to the vehicle’s radio systems, Beharry had no means of communication with either his turret crew or any of the other Warrior vehicles deployed around him. He did not know if his commander or crewmen were still alive, or how serious their injuries may be. In this confusing and dangerous situation, on his own initiative, he closed his driver’s hatch and moved forward through the ambush position to try to establish some form of communications, halting just short of a barricade placed across the road.
"The vehicle was hit again by sustained rocket-propelled grenade attack from insurgent fighters in the alleyways and on rooftops around his vehicle. Further damage to the Warrior from these explosions caused it to catch fire and fill rapidly with thick, noxious smoke. Beharry opened up his armoured hatch cover to clear his view and orientate himself to the situation. He still had no radio communications and was now acting on his own initiative, as the lead vehicle of a six Warrior convoy in an enemy-controlled area of the city at night. He assessed that his best course of action to save the lives of his crew was to push through, out of the ambush. He drove his Warrior directly through the barricade, not knowing if there were mines or improvised explosive devices placed there to destroy his vehicle. By doing this he was able to lead the remaining five Warriors behind him towards safety.
"As the smoke in his driver’s tunnel cleared, he was just able to make out the shape of another rocket- propelled grenade in flight heading directly towards him. He pulled the heavy armoured hatch down with one hand, whilst still controlling his vehicle with the other. However, the overpressure from the explosion of the rocket wrenched the hatch out of his grip, and the flames and force of the blast passed directly over him, down the driver’s tunnel, further wounding the semi-conscious gunner in the turret. The impact of this rocket destroyed Beharry’s armoured periscope, so he was forced to drive the vehicle through the remainder of the ambushed route, some 1500 metres long, with his hatch opened up and his head exposed to enemy fire, all the time with no communications with any other vehicle. During this long surge through the ambushes the vehicle was again struck by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. While his head remained out of the hatch, to enable him to see the route ahead, he was directly exposed to much of this fire, and was himself hit by a 7.62mm bullet, which penetrated his helmet and remained lodged on its inner surface.
"Despite this harrowing weight of incoming fire Beharry continued to push through the extended ambush, still leading his platoon until he broke clean. He then visually identified another Warrior from his company and followed it through the streets of Al Amarah to the outside of the Cimic House outpost, which was receiving small arms fire from the surrounding area. Once he had brought his vehicle to a halt outside, without thought for his own personal safety, he climbed onto the turret of the still-burning vehicle and, seemingly oblivious to the incoming enemy small arms fire, manhandled his wounded platoon commander out of the turret, off the vehicle and to the safety of a nearby Warrior. He then returned once again to his vehicle and again mounted the exposed turret to lift out the vehicle’s gunner and move him to a position of safety. Exposing himself yet again to enemy fire he returned to the rear of the burning vehicle to lead the disorientated and shocked dismounts and casualties to safety. Remounting his burning vehicle for the third time, he drove it through a complex chicane and into the security of the defended perimeter of the outpost, thus denying it to the enemy. Only at this stage did Beharry pull the fire extinguisher handles, immobilising the engine of the vehicle, dismounted and then moved himself into the relative safety of the back of another Warrior. Once inside Beharry collapsed from the sheer physical and mental exhaustion of his efforts and was subsequently himself evacuated.
"Having returned to duty following medical treatment, on the 11th June 2004 Beharry’s Warrior was part of a quick reaction force tasked to attempt to cut off a mortar team that had attacked a Coalition Force base in Al Amarah. As the lead vehicle of the platoon he was moving rapidly through the dark city streets towards the suspected firing point, when his vehicle was ambushed by the enemy from a series of rooftop positions. During this initial heavy weight of enemy fire, a rocket-propelled grenade detonated on the vehicle’s frontal armour, just six inches from Beharry’s head, resulting in a serious head injury. Other rockets struck the turret and sides of the vehicle, incapacitating his commander and injuring several of the crew.
"With the blood from his head injury obscuring his vision, Beharry managed to continue to control his vehicle, and forcefully reversed the Warrior out of the ambush area. The vehicle continued to move until it struck the wall of a nearby building and came to rest. Beharry then lost consciousness as a result of his wounds. By moving the vehicle out of the enemy’s chosen killing area he enabled other Warrior crews to be able to extract his crew from his vehicle, with a greatly reduced risk from incoming fire. Despite receiving a serious head injury, which later saw him being listed as very seriously injured and in a coma for some time, his level-headed actions in the face of heavy and accurate enemy fire at short range again almost certainly saved the lives of his crew and provided the conditions for their safe evacuation to medical treatment.
"Beharry displayed repeated extreme gallantry and unquestioned valour, despite intense direct attacks, personal injury and damage to his vehicle in the face of relentless enemy action."
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