> But he didn’t lay down his life.
>
> He took a calculated risk, and saved his mates - and also saved himself.
IMO he did something that has seen others lose their lives and be awarded the Medal of Honor in this war. He had no business expecting to live thru the act.
I think it’s a bit of an undersell to say “he took a calculated risk” — you take a calculated risk when you buy technology stock. What he did was orders of magnitude greater than “taking a calculated risk.”
Unquestionably he put his life and wellbeing on the line to save his mates. No doubt about it.
Is that enough for a VC? I guess we will find out.
What Croucher did is similar to what Corporal Jason Dunham of the USMC and Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor of the USN did to receive their Medals of Honor, certainly. Similar enough that when condensed down to a headline, it looks like the same action.
But it's not quite the same. Both Dunham and Monsoor put their bodies in direct contact with the grenades. Croucher used his body as a shield some distance from the grenade - not a great distance, a matter of metres at most, but there is a difference.
When it comes to determining the difference between a VC, a CGC, and an MC the devil is in these details.
I think it’s a bit of an undersell to say “he took a calculated risk” — you take a calculated risk when you buy technology stock. What he did was orders of magnitude greater than “taking a calculated risk.”
Servicepeople are trained to make decisions like this, and to make instant assessments of relative risk. He did it well, but it is something he is expected to be able to do - to immediately assess a situation and exercise judgement.
Yes, sometimes people act instinctively - but Croucher's own description of his action shows that he was thinking about what he was doing. He took the best action he could to protect his mates - and once he'd done that, the best action he could to protect himself.
I have no doubt that if Croucher had assessed the situation and realised - perhaps because the grenade was closer than it was - his death was certain, that he still would have done what he did. The man is a hero. But he wasn't called on to do that.
Unquestionably he put his life and wellbeing on the line to save his mates. No doubt about it.
Yes, he did - but you get a Military Cross for doing that. Or maybe even a Mention-In-Dispatches.
That is why, since 1979, the MC has been able to be awarded posthumously. It's recognition that quite a few people who earn it, don't live through the experience.
An unofficial rule of thumb - 90% chance of death = VC, 70% chance of death = CGC, 50% chance of death = MC, less than 50% chance of death (ie, you expect to live) = MID.
Is that enough for a VC? I guess we will find out.
Talking to friends in the UK, the rumours are that he is, at present, most likely to get a Military Cross - the third highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy. That's just a rumour but they are in positions where they hear a lot of reliable rumours.