Posted on 03/30/2005 5:01:32 PM PST by naturalman1975
A YOUNG British soldier who dragged his wounded platoon commander to safety and rescued 29 other soldiers under enemy fire in Iraq has been awarded the Victoria Cross, finally relieving Queenslander Keith Payne of his 36-year title as the most recent living recipient of the honour.
Private Johnson Gideon Beharry, 25, is now one of just 14 living recipients of the award for exceptional bravery after pushing through an ambush in an armoured vehicle while the turret was on fire, in the town of al-Amarah, north of Basra, on May 1 last year.
Far from being upset at losing his title, former Warrant Officer Second Class Payne was thrilled to hear the tight guidelines for awarding Britain's highest military honour for bravery had been met by the young soldier.
"That is absolutely bloody marvellous," the one-time battalion commander said yesterday from his home in Mackay, north Queensland.
"Bloody oath. That makes me no longer the vice, the brand-newest, I've lost my position of the vice after all these years. Bloody marvellous."
At 71, Mr Payne thought he was getting a bit old to be the baby of the group, and said he could not wait to shake Private Beharry's hand when he travels to London in September for the launch of a book commemorating all Victoria Cross and George Cross winners.
"It will be a cardinal sin if I don't see him there," Mr Payne said. "Of course, he'll have to be there."
Courage and selflessness under fire - by bringing men in peril back to safety - were the hallmarks of the acts of bravery by both Private Beharry and Mr Payne. Private Beharry, a member of the 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, won his VC during one of the most hostile periods experienced by any British unit in southern Iraq after the combat phase of the war was over.
His platoon commander, Lieutenant Richard Deane, lay wounded in the armoured vehicle as Private Beharry stormed through the ambush.
Had he come to a halt, the four Warriors behind him would have been trapped and many would have been killed.
Not satisfied with driving his comrades, all from C Company, through the ambush, Private Beharry dragged his severely wounded platoon commander to safety and rescued other soldiers from their Warriors.
Thirty-six years ago, in the fields of Vietnam's Kontum province, Mr Payne put his life on the line to save 37 colleagues while commanding the 212th Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion.
With the company coming under strong attack from north Vietnamese forces, Mr Payne covered the withdrawal of his local Vietnamese troops before organising them into a defence perimeter.
By now wounded in the hands, upper arm and hip, Mr Payne spent three hours in the dark, scouring the scene for wounded soldiers and bringing them back himself or organising their rescue.
He was afraid, no doubt about it, Mr Payne said yesterday, but the important thing was saving lives.
"That's the good thing about this young fellow, he saved lives and that means a hell of a lot, because once again some people are going to go home to their loved ones," he said.
Although Mr Payne was the last living person to receive the VC, the honour was awarded posthumously to Colonel 'H' Jones and Sergeant Ian Mckay of the Parachute Regiment for action in the Falklands in 1982.
Australia's only other living VC winner is former Private Edward Kenna, of Victoria, who received his honour for fearlessly taking on the gunfire of a Japanese bunker in a battle near Wewak, Papua New Guinea on May 15, 1945.
Congrats to another great Anglo Hero...come to SC and we will treat you right.
Congrats Pvt. Beharry. The Brits aren't just Euroweenies, that's for sure.
Huh? Well you learn something new every day. I never knew that there were British troops in Vietnam during that War.
Payne is Australian - and back during Vietnam, Australians still received the same decorations as British troops. Event today, while Australia has its own system of medals, the Victoria Cross still remains at the top of the scale - nobody is messing with the history behind that medal.
Four Australians won the Victoria Cross in Vietnam. They went to:
Major Peter Badcoe (Posthumous Award). Badcoe was also awarded the US Silver Star twice.
Warrant Officer Class Two Kenneth Payne, of the Australian Army Training Team. He also received the US Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star. Payne survived the war and still lives in Queensland.
Warrant Officer Class Two Rayne Simpson. He also received the US Silver Star and Bronze Star. Simpson survived the war but died of cancer in 1978.
Warrant Officer Class Two Kevin Wheatley (Posthumous Award). The United States awarded him the Silver Star.
Great post!
Well done Private Johnson Gideon Beharry !
You're right, Rose, he is. And doesn't she look thrilled to be holding on to him?
I had a cousin who did two tours of duty, and only found out a couple of years ago what he really did. He was a Search and Rescue pilot like the character Danny Glover played in the movie Bat 21. He flew helicopters, too. Frankly, knowing the casualty rate of those guys, it's a wonder he made it home. He went on to head up the 3rd Armored Division during the Gulf War. He's retired now and just lost his wife last year. Still a great guy.
In total, approximately 50,000 Australians served in the Vietnam War. 520 were killed, 2400 were wounded.
Compared to US forces, the numbers were small, certainly, so they do get missed in quite a lot of the histories.
New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, and the Philippines also sent troops.
Wow. I need to learn more about that.
So true! Sir SuziQ mentioned this during the Dar Rather, Bush National guard memo fiasco. He laughed about the head of CBS news putting down the bloggers in their pajamas, when there are SO many people with such a wide array of knowledge plugged in to the internet every day.
You can't really BS folks around this place because you'll get called on it by someone who either is directly involved in a situation, or has been involved in a similar situation, or KNOWS someone involved in something like it.
We is just a smart buncha folks!
Congratulations Pvt. Beharry, you're made of great stuff.
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