The modest Pte Johnson Beharry: ‘I wasn't thinking about a medal’Posted on 04/28/2005 5:45:38 AM PDT by tjwmason
Even as the Queen reached up to pin Britain's ultimate award for valour on the khaki tunic of Pte Johnson Beharry yesterday, he was thinking not of himself but of others.
Her Majesty had not awarded the Victoria Cross to a living recipient for 40 years. "You're very special," she told the 25-year-old Grenadan, who twice came close to death while saving the lives of colleagues during ambushes in Iraq last year.
The modest Pte Johnson Beharry: ‘I wasn't thinking about a medal’
But as the young soldier stood, ramrod straight, to receive this most prestigious of military honours at Buckingham Palace, his thoughts were with the comrades with whom he had fought in Iraq and who were with him again yesterday, receiving gallantry medals of their own.
"I was just thinking about everyone else who had helped me," said Pte Beharry, of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, following the investiture ceremony. "Because I didn't do it by myself, and I am happy that these guys are here with me today to see me receive it."
Such selflessness was typical of Pte Beharry, said Gen Sir Michael Jackson, the army's Chief of Staff, who was "by the happiest of coincidences" receiving the honour of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. "I hope others will look at young Beharry, what he did, the way in which he risked all.
"And I hope they think about what that means. Not 'Me, Me, Me' all the time, but 'Us'.
"What he displayed was raw courage and determination. You have seen the citation. Those words, when you put your imagination to work… they really tell you what he did, risking his life for his comrades and other members of his team."
Pte Beharry's wife wants Will Smith to play him in a film version
As the lengthy citation was read aloud in the palace ballroom by Lord Luce, the Queen's Lord Chamberlain, the deep scars still visible on Pte Beharry's temple provided palpable proof of his bravery.
Twice the former painter and decorator, who left the Caribbean island of Grenada at the age of 20 to join the British Army, saved others while under attack.
On May 1, he was at the head of a five-vehicle convoy when it came under attack in the town of al-Amarah. Despite his own vehicle being ablaze, with his hatch open, his head exposed to enemy fire and with a bullet lodged in his helmet, he guided the column through a mile of enemy ground.
Then he dragged his badly wounded colleagues out of the vehicles before collapsing from exhaustion.
One month later, his vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade round yet, despite a serious head wound, he managed to reverse his Warrior armoured vehicle to safety before collapsing in a coma, from which his 23-year-old wife, Lynthia, was told he had only a 50:50 chance of recovering.
"When I hear what I did, I can't really believe it was me," he said as he posed outside the Palace with his VC - one of only 14 living holders of the medal.
"Having the medal is great. But when I did it, I didn't do it for a medal. I wasn't thinking about a medal.
"I didn't know what I was thinking. I just did it. And now, looking back on it, if I hadn't done it, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself today, knowing that I could have helped other soldiers not to die.
"The Queen said it was not very often she gets to give this honour, and she was very happy today."
Pte Beharry's was the first VC awarded since Lt Col H Jones and Sgt Ian McKay received posthumous awards after the Falklands War. And Gen Jackson said it was a day the likes of which the Army had not seen since the Falklands.
No fewer than seven other members of Pte Beharry's regiment were decorated for bravery for service in Iraq.
His commanding officers, Lt Col Matthew Maer and Major James Coote received the Distinguished Service Order, for leadership.
Sgt Christopher Broome received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, which is second only in prestige to the VC.
There were Military Crosses for Warrant Officer David Falconer, Sgt David Perfect, Cpl Brian Wood and Pte Troy Samuels. Lt Col Richard Deane, from the Royal Irish Regiment, who as Pte Beharry's platoon commander was twice saved by the young soldier during operations, also received the Military Cross.
"I am still receiving treatment for my injuries, so I am limited in what I can do," said Pte Beharry, who was the first to be decorated yesterday, outranking even Gen Jackson, who said he was "honoured" to follow.
"I hope to return to service, but I don't know when that will be, and I would go back to Iraq if I had to."
With his parents in Grenada, he was accompanied to the ceremony by his uncle, Raymond Beharry, and his aunt, Irene.
"The whole family is very proud," said Mr Beharry. "He has put Grenada on the map."
The island can draw inspiration from the son of a brick-maker who came to Britain in 1999. Pte Beharry grew up in a wooden hut, without running water, that he shared with his parents and seven brothers and sisters.
There is interest, now, in a book about Pte Beharry's experience - perhaps even a film.
"Really?" said his wife, his childhood sweetheart from Grenada.
"To be honest, I don't think he's taken everything in yet. Every day something new happens and, it's like his whole life has changed."
So if there is a film, who would she want to play her husband? "I think Will Smith. Yes. Definitely Will Smith," she said laughing.
A thousand huzzahs. Where do young men like him come from?
Absolutely...a wonderful story...one day I wish our own military will overcome the PC induced inertia that makes it impossible for a CMH to be awarded other than posthumously..
Found the full citation for the award - it's a PDF, and I don't have the software loaded to extract the text - but here's the link:
http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/download.asp?docid=824048
Will Smith isn't fit to play this incredible young man.
With brave,selfless citizens like the Private,perhaps
there's hope for Britian after all.
Salute !
But it's not - as of today, there are 124 living Medal of Honor recepients - 45 from World War II, 17 from Korea, 62 from Vietnam. http://www.cmohs.org/medal/medal_stats.htm
There's only 14 living Victoria Cross recepients. http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/aalivevc.htm
Despectfully disagree..If you read the citations for the Navy Cross and DSCs from the Gulf War and from the Iraq/Afghanistan wars, to living recipients, IMHO, many of them fully merit the CMH, and in several cases were actively proposed for that award, but they the are almost immediately knocked down one level.
The hell. This fella could play himself.
I understand your disagreement - I've read some of the citations, and in fact, I've served with someone who probably should have gotten one. But I found this at the Imperial War Museum - http://collections.iwm.org.uk/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.941&navId=00g003 -
How many VCs have been awarded since 1946?
Eleven VCs have been awarded of which six have been given posthumously:
Korea 1951-53 - 4
Sarawak 1965 - 1
Vietnam 1966-69 - 4
Falklands - 1982 - 2
Iraq - 1
I think this proves my point..the Brits do not "require" a postumous award..
Some statistics (of course, there are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies, and statistics). The Brits have awarded eleven since 1946 - of those, six were given posthumously - 54%.
According to the statistics I can find, there have been 379 MOH's awarded since the end of World War II, of those, 251 were awarded posthumously - 66%.
In World War II, there were a total of 464 awards, 266 of which were posthumous - 57%.
In Korea, it was almost 72% posthumous, and in Vietnam, it was 62%.
Since then - you're correct, it's been 100% posthumous. And since Vietnam, there have only been three, two for Somalia, and one for Vietnam.
One of the things I found while researching this was that it wasn't until 1920 that the Victoria Cross could be awarded posthumously:
"Although when first instituted the original warrant made no mention to posthumous awards it had been decided from the very beginning that the VC would not be given for an act in which the potential recipient was killed, or where he died shortly after. In these circumstances an announcement was made in the London Gazette that had the person survived they would have been recommended for the VC and there were six instances of this between 1859 and 1897 although there would surely have been more put forward if there was a chance of receiving the VC. However, in 1900 the VC was awarded to F. Roberts although he died just over 24 hours after the act, and then two years later a further six were awarded. Finally, in 1907 the six instances between 1859 and 1897 were retrospectively awarded."
Sources:
http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/war/1_a_main.html
http://www.victoriacross.net/facts.asp
While the Brits don't require a "posthumous" award (and in fact up until 1920 you had to be alive to get it), I think the US is more liberal in making the award, even if the odds are statistically higher that you're going to get it posthumously.
However - the men who have received the VC, and the men and one woman who have received the MOH - whether won alive or dead - are amazing individuals. I read the citations and wonder just how they did what they did - and Beharry's quote "Maybe I was brave, I don't know. At the time I was just doing the job, I didn't have time for other thoughts." That just kind of says it all about these people.
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