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British soldier awarded the Military Cross for fighting off 150 Taliban
The Sunday Times ^ | March 9, 2008 | Michael Smith

Posted on 03/10/2008 6:00:21 PM PDT by Mean Daddy

A BRITISH soldier who almost single-handedly took on 150 Taliban after he and his 50-man convoy were ambushed in Afghanistan has been awarded the Military Cross.

Fusilier Damien Hields used his grenade machinegun to destroy seven Taliban positions before his ambushers realised he was their main threat. After peppering his vehicle with bullets, they hit the 24-year-old soldier. He had to be dragged off for treatment by his driver after he tried to continue fighting.

(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; cross; hero; uktroops; wales; welshregiment
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1 posted on 03/10/2008 6:00:21 PM PDT by Mean Daddy
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To: Mean Daddy

Holy cow! a grenade machinegun?


2 posted on 03/10/2008 6:03:41 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Mean Daddy

Military Cross? Hell, this MAN deserves the VICTORIA CROSS!


3 posted on 03/10/2008 6:04:05 PM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner ("We must not forget that there is a war on and our troops are in the thick of it!"--Duncan Hunter)
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To: Mean Daddy

Yessir, if you’re going to engage an nearby enemy that outnumbers you 150:1, get behind the Mk19MOD3 grenade machine gun.


4 posted on 03/10/2008 6:04:22 PM PDT by The KG9 Kid
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To: mylife
Yes, the Mk19 raises hell against soft targets:


5 posted on 03/10/2008 6:08:02 PM PDT by The KG9 Kid
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To: The KG9 Kid

40mm grenade machine gun. Wow!


6 posted on 03/10/2008 6:08:46 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Mean Daddy

“It was just a flesh wound really”

Ha! I love British humor.

Gallantry...bloody smashing word.


7 posted on 03/10/2008 6:10:11 PM PDT by ryan71
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To: batco-barry

ping.


8 posted on 03/10/2008 6:12:43 PM PDT by ItisaReligionofPeace
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To: Mean Daddy

Good man. His commander has a Welsh name, too. Maybe a Welsh regiment?


9 posted on 03/10/2008 6:14:34 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: ryan71

Also from the article - “Hields followed the trail of RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenades coming towards him and started firing grenades one at a time, trying to home in. “Then I switched to automatic fire,” he said. A grenade machine gun has a box with 32 grenade rounds. “I emptied a box onto that position and you could see all the dust and smoke flying about where they hit.”

No wonder the remaining Tallyban honed in on his position, what a weapon! Hats off to Hields!


10 posted on 03/10/2008 6:16:17 PM PDT by The FIGHTIN Illini (Beware of all things Manchurian)
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To: ryan71

Hields was dragged out of the Taliban fire and back about 20 yards where Lance-Corporal Carley Williams, the female medic attached to the troops, had dashed through enemy fire to set up a first aid position.

“The lads were screaming at me to get into cover,” said Williams, 23, from Llanelli. They saw one round actually pass between my legs.” She was awarded the Joint Commanders’ Commendation for her bravery.

Hields said: “It turned out the bullet had smashed a rib and gone out of me again without touching any internal organs which was very lucky. It was just a flesh wound really.”

Amazing


11 posted on 03/10/2008 6:17:43 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: blam; indcons; thefactor; SunkenCiv; neverdem; weegee; wagglebee; Joe Brower; aculeus; Jeff Head; ..

Flesh wound ping...


12 posted on 03/10/2008 6:21:29 PM PDT by Pharmboy (Democrats lie because they must.)
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To: The KG9 Kid

Sweeeeeeeeet!


13 posted on 03/10/2008 6:24:29 PM PDT by do not press 2 for spanish
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To: Mean Daddy

When you’re all by yourself on Afghanistan’s plains,
And the Tabliban come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll out your Mk-19 and blow out their brains
An’ send em to hell like a soldier.
Boom, boom, boom like a soldier,
Boom, boom, boom like a soldier,
Boom, boom, boom like a soldier,
So-oldier OF the Queen!


14 posted on 03/10/2008 6:25:45 PM PDT by Theophilus (Nothing can make Americans safer than to stop aborting them.)
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To: Pharmboy
Flesh wound ping received...


15 posted on 03/10/2008 6:26:02 PM PDT by Bosco (Remember how you felt on September 11?)
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To: Mean Daddy

good to see there are still fine soldiers in the british military


16 posted on 03/10/2008 6:27:05 PM PDT by californiabear832
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To: Mean Daddy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkaoTs58Bbk


17 posted on 03/10/2008 6:30:23 PM PDT by mware (Americans in arm chairs doing the job that the media refuses to do.)
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To: Bosco

Life imitates art...


18 posted on 03/10/2008 6:31:10 PM PDT by Pharmboy (Democrats lie because they must.)
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To: The FIGHTIN Illini; mylife

Mk19 in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J109ykltIrA&feature=related


19 posted on 03/10/2008 6:38:36 PM PDT by ryan71
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To: ryan71; Squantos; river rat; archy

Man, you do NOT want to be in the open downrange from a MK-19!!


20 posted on 03/10/2008 6:40:41 PM PDT by Travis McGee (---www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com---)
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