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VC Won in Iraq

BillN

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Britain to issue first Victoria Cross in 23 years for Iraq soldier

LONDON (AFP) - A British soldier who braved gunfire to rescue dozens of comrades in southern Iraq (news - web sites) is to receive the first Victoria Cross, the military's top award for bravery. It's the first such medal issued in 23 years, a report said.

Private Johnston Barry, an armoured vehicle driver from the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, has been approved for the honour by the Ministry of Defence, the Daily Mail newspaper said.

The 24-year-old, who was born in Grenada in the West Indies, was part of a British convoy attacked in Al-Amarah, southern Iraq, in May last year, the paper said.

He smashed his burning vehicle through a barricade to force an escape route and dragged free his unconscious platoon commander before returning under heavy gunfire a number of other times to rescue more wounded.

A few days later, Barry saved more British troops during another ambush, suffering head injuries himself and being flown back home.

If Barry's receipt of the Victoria Cross, or VC, is formally approved it will be the first such bravery award since 1982, when two British soldiers were honoured for their actions in the Falklands War against Argentina.

Both the Falklands medals were awarded posthumously. Historians have estimated that such is the level of bravery necessary to receive a VC that the chances of survival are only around one in 10.

Awarded 1,354 times since 1856 for outstanding gallantry in the face of enemy action, every VC is made by London jewellers Hancocks from the bronze of two cannons captured from the Russian army during the Crimean War.
 
It was only a matter of time. Such bravery is hard to come by.  :salute: Good on you, Private Barry.
 
Outstanding! To earn the VC and live to tell about it is quite some accomplishment (although a price was payed!)

However, I read an article some time ago about SAS troops being awarded the VC in Afghanistan. So I'm a little confused about the statement that it is the first VC awarded in 23 years.
 
That is outstanding and as said before normally the member recieves it posthumiously.  As far as the SAS thing goes, a member may have recieved it but we would never know the details and quite possibly if it were to happen.
 
I'm currently trying to track down the original Sun (UK) account of his actions from when he did his heroic deeds (if my muddled brain is correct, it was at least 6 months ago) . It was a fairly breathless account (as most of the tabloid papers are...), but what he did was nonetheless very impressive. At the time it had been speculated that he would receive the VC, and I got the impression that they were going to wait to see if he passed away (ie. posthumous award) before they made the decision.

Not to take anything away from what he did, as it was very selfless, but it makes you wonder if he would have been up for the VC if he had been driving (and saving) a Sgt..... As most medals go, it's not what you do, it's who see's you doing it, and whom you save.

Good for him, and it's good to see a soldier getting a prestigious award for gallantry, not an officer or a nerd for aerobic excellence, or improving the photocopying skills of his clerks.

Al
 
Quite an accomplishment indeed.....there were'nt any awarded to the SAS in Afghanistan, there has only ever been one awarded to a member of the SAS, a Major in Borneo.  I don't know how much longer they'll have the VC, there's only enough metal left from the two cannons to make 85 more.  I guess that makes it even more significant.
 
Private Bary has shown what it means to go above and beyond well done .
 
291er

the only VC credited to the SAS is Major Anders Lassen (of Denmark) at Lake Commachio, Italy, on 9 april 1945.
 
I am not sure about this story.

http://www.victoriacross.net/forum_topic.asp?topics=30&tid=1346
 
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=3243

VC recomended for Afghanistan combat action.
 
Outstanding. Good for him.

BTW, does anyone recall how much the pension is?
 
Allan Luomala wrote: "I'm currently trying to track down the original Sun (UK) account...."

Here it is:

"A SQUADDIE who saved the lives of 30 soldiers during a terrifying firefight in Iraq should be given the Victoria Cross, his comrades said last night.
Troop carrier driver Private Johnston Beharry, 22, faced the ultimate fear as the lead driver of a patrol ambushed by rebels in Iraq.
His Warrior personnel carrier was rocked by explosions and set on fire, his platoon CO was knocked out and presumed dead â ” and a gunner was consumed by flames.

Yet thrusting open his hatch to peer through thick smoke, Pte Beharry SMASHED through a barricade thrown up by the extremists.
And despite his Warrior being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade â ” and a rifle bullet hitting his helmet â ” he SAVED up to 30 soldiers' lives by leading four following carriers through the enemy force.
After reaching a British outpost, he PULLED his unconscious commander from the turret even though he was under constant machinegun and small arms fire.

He EVACUATED other casualties from the vehicle, then returned to DRIVE it through the base's perimeter. He then collapsed ... exhausted.
Amazingly, the courageous Londoner did it all again during a second ambush sprung by rebels a fortnight ago.
A rocket grenade exploded 1ft from his face, leaving him with terrible head wounds and a gaping shrapnel hole in his shoulder.
Yet he still managed to summon the strength to reverse his Warrior 200 yards to safety.
He passed out during the manoeuvre but his decisive action is thought to have saved the lives of the carrier's crew â ” and his CO â ” for a second time.

Last night married Pte Beharry, who hails from the Caribbean isle of Grenada, was desperately ill after complex surgery to remove bone splinters from his brain.
His family were at his bedside at Selly Oak Military Hospital near Birmingham. And like his comrades, they are praying he will pull through.

Pte Beharry could now become the first VC recipient since the Falklands War.
The cherished medal is the hardest in the world for servicemen to win. The Army never discusses bravery decorations until after they are made and the process of awarding one is shrouded in secrecy.

But Pte Beharry's platoon CO, 2nd Lt Richard Deane, is writing a citation to the MoD.
And the squaddie's actions are being seriously considered in senior circles as worthy of the Big One, according to military sources in London.
Crucially, his deeds match the incredibly strict criteria that must be met before a VC can be awarded. A recipient must have a 90 per cent chance of being killed while carrying out the action.

It must be witnessed throughout by a number of observers. And it has to be far above and beyond the normal call of duty.
Pte Beharry's first display of peerless courage came on May 1.
The five Warriors from the 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, C Company, were called to the flashpoint town of Al Amarah.

A three-day battle for the town had erupted. And Allied soldiers were pinned down in a firefight with Shi'ite rebels from the Mehdi Army, the paramilitary group led by rogue cleric Moqtada al Sadr.

The Sun has been given access to C Company's official battle record. It reads:
â Å“2Lt Deane's platoon had arrived at the outskirts of the city on their way to assist. As he looked north from Blue 6 (an intersection on a major Al Amarah road) he noticed the road was empty, a combat indicator of an ambush. He pushed on to Blue 7 to assess that road but was immediately hit by a number of explosions which engulfed the Warrior and rocked it.
2Lt Deane was knocked unconscious, thought dead, and the vehicle's weapons systems disabled.
Despite being on fire, the gunner Private Samuels attempted to engage the enemy with a rifle.

The driver Private Beharry had no communications but was aware the crew compartment was on fire and they had taken casualties.
He closed the driver's hatch and moved forward to try to establish comms. As he reached a barricade the vehicle was hit again and filled with smoke.
Private Beharry opened his hatch to clear his vision and decided the best course was to drive through the barricade and fight through the ambush, leading the remaining Warriors to relative safety.

As he moved off, he saw an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) in flight towards him. He pulled his hatch down but the warhead struck on his periscope, destroying it. The blast was too much for him and forced the hatch open, passing over him down the driver's tunnel and further injuring the gunner.
Beharry now drove at speed through the 1.5km ambush with his hatch open, at one stage being struck in the helmet by a bullet.
When he arrived at Cimic House (the British outpost), the vehicle still alight and under small arms fire, he moved on to the turret and, showing total disregard for his own safety, extracted his commander.

He then went to the back of the vehicle and extracted injured soldiers there before remounting his still-burning vehicle and driving it within the perimeter of Cimic House to deny it to the enemy.
He then finally pulled the fire extinguishers. He then collapsed with exhaustion. â Å“
A comrade noticed Pte Beharry had a 7.62mm AK47 rifle bullet embedded in his helmet.

The squaddie's overall CO in Iraq, Lt Col Matt Mear, paid tribute to him last night.
He said: â Å“To do what he did showed extraordinary courage. Hero is a grossly over-used term these days but he is a true hero.â ?

In line with Army rules, he refused to discuss the soldier's medal prospects. But he added: â Å“I will be seeking recognition for many people in this battle group.â ?
Platoon commander 2nd Lt Deane said: â Å“Beharry is the most dependable private I've ever had. He is loyal, hard-working and has a genuinely appalling sense of humour, which was great for morale.
â Å“He has also saved my life twice and possibly the lives of the whole platoon. I can never forget that.â ?

The squaddie's doctors have told military chiefs that early signs for his survival are good. But the worst is not yet over.
He cannot be awarded a VC until next April, when the Operational Honours list for which he could qualify is published."

Cheers :cdn:
 
Thanks for the article (exact same one I read). I forgot a lot of the info, and I must say, I am extremely impressed with his actions after reading it again. Much more coureageous than I remembered.

IMO, a very worthy recipient of the VC.

Al
 
Allan Luomala said:
and it's good to see a soldier getting a prestigious award for gallantry, not an officer or a nerd for aerobic excellence, or improving the photocopying skills of his clerks.

I have never heard of anyone getting a medal for aerobic excellence, or for use of office equipment.  Would you care to defend this statement?
 
That was more of a slam at the current practice of the CF in rewarding every Tom, Dick, and Harry with an Area Commander, Base Commander, Land Forces, CDS, etc commendation for doing their job. Not long ago, somebody received some form of commendation for attaining some level of aerobic excellence. That's what those Gucci scrolls (aerobic excellence) are for (which I am finally going to endeavour to receive, what with all the miles I've piled on over the last 2 years).

We had a cook in Bosnia receive a commendation for (gasp!!!!) working 2 weeks straight (not like anybody doesn't do that at the beginning of a tour). And from a comedic (or tragic, depending how you want to look at it) point of view, when he bear-marched his way up to receive it, he stood at ease in front of the CO and dignitaries, and then saluted the PPCLI Colours with his LEFT hand on his way back to ranks.The biggest insult was the fact that a Cpl (supply tech, if I recall correctly) with 1CER saved a bunch of people from a burning apartment building on his way to work in Edmonton, and he only received the same commendation. Saving lives and doing an excellent job of enhancing the CF's reputation = flipping eggs for 2 weeks straight and embarrasing everybody within a grid square (luckily we were overseas....).

Anyway, I never claimed somebody
getting a medal for aerobic excellence, or for use of office equipment.
. I said "a prestigious award". So if a commendation isn't a prestigious award, you said it not me.... Maybe I'll try to surround my post's with SARCASM banners (or irony banners) to avoid confusion in the future.

Al

P.S When I get back to work tomorrow I'll try to find those examples of lame-ass accomplishments that meritted commendations.
 
I think I remember reading about that cook in MAPLE LEAF and was a bit surprised at what the big deal was.

My bad - I thought maybe you were slamming the OMM or MMM, as I feel they do go to deserving recipients.

Commendations are just that; not a big deal, and I agree the hero who saved the people in the building should have merited a more substantial award than the egg flipper.  I have written in more than once to the now defunct Sentinel et al to ask why troops incorrectly dressed were being done the honour of having their photographs printed.  Your bear marching left handed saluter sounds very much like the kind of person that usually makes the front page.

None of this should really tarnish the reputation of the fellow who won the VC, in another army, though, if you know what I mean.
 
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