British soldier awarded the Military Cross for fighting off 150 Taliban

The Sunday Times ^ | March 9, 2008 | Michael Smith

[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.

[Travis McGee]

I suspected you’d know!

[RobRoy]

Is that what the governator used in Terminator 2?

[archy]

You normally have to be dead to earn the Victoria Cross. It’s generally a posthumous award to reward bravery to the death. Not always, but all too often. But the standards are VERY high.

There have been two V.C.s awarded during the ongoing British and former Commonwealth operations in Afghanistan, known as ORACLE and VERITAS. One survived the operation for which he was awarded Britain's highest honour, the other didn't.

Posthumous:Cpl Bryan James Budd Corporal Bryan Budd awarded the Victoria Cross

Willy Apiata, NZ SAS: New Zealand soldier awarded Victoria Cross

[archy]

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

Y Cymry Brenhinol! Ich Dien!

From the story: From Denby in north Wales, he joined the army at 16 and is married with a four-year-old son. Last summer he was posted with the 1st Battalion, the Royal Welsh to Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.

[archy]

We traded “gathered goods” with the crews from the PBRs and barges the Navy used to convoy supplies up river...

For some reason [maybe their very wet operating conditions] the PBR/Alpha Boat/Monitor crews were always after replacement generators. And, of course, booze. No worries!

Dual .50s were the rig of choice....

The over-and under setup with the .50 M2 over a direct-firing 81mm mortar was also very highly thought of, a great idea the Navy swiped from the Coast Guard. Anything a .50 couldn't shoot through [like an overhanging river bank] one of the 81mm rounds could generally either bring down entirely, or pepper with an airburst. And at night, they could through out LOTS more illumination than a couple of popflares.

The Navy guys were also impressed when a couple of tank crews were sent out with 'em on TDY to try out the gun mounts with tanker's M85 .50 caliber guns instead of their twin M2 HBTT's in the gun tubs. The M85 used a different, M60-type link, which gave it a selective rate of fire, either the *usual* 550-600 rounds per minute of the M2, or a *fastfire* accelerated rate of 1100 RPM, [known as *Chinese Overdrive*] almost 20 rounds per second, times two guns, about 35 shots per second from their 2-gun sidebyside setup. Used with a starlight scope, they were just the ticket for what the other people thought was a night ambush.

The Marines also used the things in the cupola of their LVTs, and there was a tripod and backplate assembly designed for ground use, not needed in the gun tub on the river boats. I always wanted to try an M16 quad .50 mount with four of the M85s on fastfire, but the chance never came along. And you needed to use cut-open 5-gallon gas/water cans for ammo cans- the GI 105-round ammo can went empty in five or six seconds. Later we got the 3000-round ammo boxes for minigun ammo, and they were reworked for .50 ammo.

[Keith Brown]

Dim dy was di dw’i!

[Keith Brown]

i was told that meant....

You are NOT the boss of ME!

[archy]

"I got through six boxes in about 15 minutes and we were winning the fight," he said. "They started it. We were going to finish it." ...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."

Gotta love that kid.

Then there's Sgt. Talaiasi Labalaba at Mirbat, one of 9 SAS men against 250-plus enemies during the Dhofar Rebellion in Oman, 19 July 1972.

[archy]

Dim dy was di dw’i!

i was told that meant....

You are NOT the boss of ME!

You have two choices: spend a lot of time *here*, or use the English language lyrics *here* to the music of the National Anthem *here*.

[Keith Brown]

Thanks

I have a friend who is an ex pat Welshman. His sense of humor could have me saying that, or “I break wind at the dinner table!”

Cheers!

[Centurion2000]

I believe that the 40mm grenades fired by the MK 19 are not interchangeable with the 40mm grenades fired by the M-79 or M-203.

No they are not. The Mark 19 rounds are much more powerful and will blow the breech off the M-203 or M-79 if fired in them. They are also linked which prevents anyone from loading them in unless you are a dumba$$ and totally force it.

I LOVED my 203. Grade A bang bang.

[archy]

They tried........we decided gunships were better.....:o)

But when it's raining, the tanks have a roof and a little round door thingy on top that can be closed, keeping the rainy drops off your head.

We do have some UAV’s, albeit little ones, and some AIM 92’s scattered around the site to play with !

During hurricane season when gunbirds and UAVS don't fly well [or go round and round in big circles, ask the guys who were at Fort Wolters for Hurricane Beulah back around '67] those big tracked critters make pretty fair 60-ton personnel shelters. The NODs and thermal viewers on board are helpful, and you can probably figure out a way to go on the net with the FBCB2 computers, and the new FTL function fire control gives accurate targeting data to a range of eight clicks with a claimed CEP of less than 35m.

[archy]

I have a friend who is an ex pat Welshman. His sense of humor could have me saying that, or “I break wind at the dinner table!”

I hope you didn't miss your opportunity to send him a St David's Day greeting on 01 March. If you did, try again next year. And get yourself a Pheena album.

[batco-barry]

Funny, I picked up on that exact same post from under the article.
I’m a Brit citizen as well as a servicemen and can honestly say that this wanker doesn’t talk for the majority. We have a healthy, competitive relationship with the civvies, any Fri/Sat night out in a garrison town will show exactly how competitive the relationship can be.
I’ve been on more than one tour in the past few years and have more than earned the right to come up with ‘prompts’ like that, not that I needed to earn it in the first place.

[Squantos]

They’ll bust my budget !!

But I am looking for a project car. Saw a Minivan body on a old APC cut down. Chromed the bogie’s, road pads etc etc .....quiet the car show fun !

[archy]

Men of Harlech?

Of course! But since the current Welsh Regiment was formed from the Royal Welch Fusiliers, the Royal Regiment Wales and The Royal Welsh Regiment (TA), the present organization shares the regimental hiustories of both The Welsh Regiment and the previous Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Sousa's Royal Welch Fusiliers march [Mr. Sousa's spelling, not mine!] is also most appropriate, since it was written to commerate the bond between Welsh Fusiliers and U.S. Marines formed during their service together during the *Boxer Rebellion* in China.

Take your choice: Sousa's http://www.tlysau.org.uk/en/item1/25239 Royal Welch Fusiliers march

Men of Harlech [in Cymraeg/ Welsh Language]

Men of Harlech[English language- Rorke's Drift Version

Trooping the Colour, 2007

related:

Royal Welsh Tribute [Afghanistan service]

When 2 Batt, The Royal Welsh came home from Iraq/ Operation Telic

1 Batt, The Royal Welsh [Afghanistan Tribute]

First Batt, B Coy, The Royal Welsh- Helmand Province/ Regional Battlegroup South]

[archy]

But I am looking for a project car.

Saw a Minivan body on a old APC cut down. Chromed the bogie’s, road pads etc etc .....quiet the car show fun !

There's one in Prague that it looks like could be had for cheap.

Back when I was in the market for a dozen BTR152s, they weren't available from my helpful Czech broker/exporter, who offered to get me Polish T55L tanks for just a bit over 4K$ each instead. But we were really after wheelies....

[Keith Brown]

Added to favorites!

Thanks!

[river rat]

Reading your post, sure stirred some fond and not so fond memories...

The M2’s were certainly primary force protection pieces on most “permanent” perimeters/positions in Indian country -— but the M60, especially in our AO and era of the M14, was a readily available and beloved workhorse and killing tool.

NOTHING in God's creation — gives a Grunt on a “Walk” greater comfort that having along three or more M60s — and enough locals to carry LOTS of belted and canned 7.62 cal ammo — which was common to our carry pieces.

I don't recall ever hearing a Grunt complain about carrying at least one belt for the M60s while the bigger guys would carry 2, it was like carrying a meal for your monster who would help devour their monsters.....

I've seen 90 pound local gals carry up to four 7.62 cal belts or 2 cans of ammo all day long up hill in the mountains, and never utter a complaint.

One regret - is that NONE of us had a camera to take a picture of the beauty of the M60’s tracers at night in interlocking fields of fire across our front — nor the results in the morning.... Unfortunately, tracers also identify the location of their origin!
Bad Mojo.
M60 crews paid dearly....

However — those damned auto grenade launchers look like they could generate Marine orgasms and enemy $hi+ fits!

Thanks for your excellent memory, post and photos...

[river rat]

Of course 7.62 cal = 7.62 MM

Getting old is a bitch, but it sure as hell beats the alternative!