2 VCs
In the offing in Afghanistan. One earned the customary way … posthumously:
Last month Capt Hicks, 26, refused morphine when mortally wounded in order to lead a counter-attack against a Taliban rocket assault.
In May L/Cpl Ruecker fought off Taliban riflemen to rescue a badly wounded comrade from a burning armoured car. One VC has already been awarded for gallantry in Afghanistan.
The fact that there are two more nominations is an indication of the ferocity of the fighting involving British soldiers.
The awards would be the first time two soldiers from the same battalion have received the Victoria Cross since the Korean War.
L/Cpl Ruecker would be only the second living recipient of the VC in 38 years.
Defence sources have told The Mail on Sunday that two VC citations have been written by the soldiers’ commanding officers from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment.
Colleagues who witnessed the bravery provided written accounts describing what they saw in great detail.
These ‘Post Incident Reports’ included the duration of the battles, numbers of friendly and enemy casualties and how many men on both sides were killed.
…
Alun and Lesley Hicks laid their son to rest near their home in Berkshire last week. They are aware of his hero status but will not bring themselves to consider the award of a VC until it is confirmed.
Mr Hicks said: “There is a long way to go between a citation and an award. In the meantime the family already recognises David’s heroism. He was under fire for several hours.
“He had returned on leave in July. He said the tour was ‘busy’. Busy was a euphemism for ‘frequent, regular and intense fighting’, far more so than he had seen in Iraq.”
Hicks’s fellow officers were fulsome in their praise. Major Phil Messenger said: “Dave Hicks was the most professional and dedicated fellow infantry officer I have had the privilege of working with.”
Col Carver said: “He typified the highest standards of leadership and commanded genuine respect from all those who served with him.”
…
Of L/Cpl Ruecker’s actions, Major Mick Aston of the Anglians said: “Teddy’s bravery was witnessed by the whole company. The soldier was completely selfless in his actions. It is difficult to describe how intense that whole action was but the guys who were there will never forget it.”
…
The last time two soldiers from the same battalion received the VC was after the Battle of Imjin River in Korea in April 1951. The men were Lieutenant-Colonel James Carne and Lieutenant Philip Curtis of the 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment.
Last year Corporal Bryan Budd of the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment was awarded a posthumous VC for gallantry in Afghanistan.
And in 2005 Private Johnson Beharry of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment became the first living recipient of the VC since 1969.
The above from the Daily Mail via Theo.
More on Cpl. Budd here. Pvt. Beharry’s own account here.
Topics: Afghanistan, Britain, Iraq
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:45 pm Comments (0) on Sunday, September 2, 2007
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