Brave Guy

Fratton Fred

Fair dos, this is what I would call a hero.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7521221.stm

A Royal Marine who threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades' lives is to receive the George Cross.

Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher, 24, from Solihull, in the West Midlands triggered a trip wire in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in February.

He immediately dropped to the ground and lay across the grenade, being blown into the air as it went off.

The George Cross is one of the highest decorations that can be awarded for acts of gallantry.

L/Cpl Croucher said: "All I could do in the moment was shout out 'grenade' before diving on top of it."

His bag was crammed with equipment which cushioned the explosion. His three comrades suffered just cuts and bruises while L/Cpl Croucher was thrown in the air.

He acted to save his comrades in the most certain knowledge that he would not himself survive

Sir Jock Stirrup
He added: "It was incredible. I escaped with only a nose bleed and a headache."

L/Cpl Croucher, a reservist, is one of 20 living recipients of the award.

Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Jock Stirrup said: "He acted to save his comrades in the most certain knowledge that he would not himself survive.

"His exemplary behaviour and extreme heroism are fully deserving of the nation's highest recognition."

His parents said they had had no idea what had happened to him.

'Might meet Queen'

His mother Margaret Croucher, 55, a teacher in Birmingham, said she got three text messages from him while he was away, one of which read: "Being put forward for a citation, might meet the Queen."

She said: "Obviously I was very intrigued but we didn't get the full story until he got back and we read about it in the papers.

"I am obviously immensely proud but it was a typical act from him. It was not the first time he had put his life at risk."

His father, Richard, 57, described him as a very "lucky man".

L/Cpl Croucher is expected to receive his honour from the Queen at Buckingham Palace in the autumn.

He was deployed to Afghanistan attached to Taunton-based 40 Commando Royal Marines last autumn.

Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Birrell, the unit's commanding officer, said: "This was a magnificent act which absolutely typified the highest traditions of commando service."

BetsyGray

Fair play to the man. Well done.

King Ludvig

Im quite surprised he survived :eek: fair play to him, a brave thing to do.

Thelma E

a similar incident happened to an American SEAL, but he was not as fortunate and was killed. he received the Medal of Honor for it.

Blazer

Brave man no doubt..although he might want to get his eyes checked out to see those trip-wires in future

Poccington

Thelma E wrote: »

a similar incident happened to an American SEAL, but he was not as fortunate and was killed. he received the Medal of Honor for it.

The SEAL you refer to was Master at Arms Second Class Michael Monsoor.

Poccington

Mathew Reilly wrote: »

Brave man no doubt..although he might want to get his eyes checked out to see those trip-wires in future

Trip wires are a nuisance to spot in a normal situation never mind while on patrol in the searing heat, sweating buckets and with all the things running through your mind that would be when you're be on a patrol. Add in the fact that the enemy that is setting booby traps for you, are quite experienced at what they do.... You're gonna be having trouble spotting every tiny detail by yourself.

Don't make such silly comments.

redbhoy1888

Second that.Sounds like he should have received Victoria Cross though this was one selfless act to protect his mates.

Blazer

Poccington wrote: »

Trip wires are a nuisance to spot in a normal situation never mind while on patrol in the searing heat, sweating buckets and with all the things running through your mind that would be when you're be on a patrol. Add in the fact that the enemy that is setting booby traps for you, are quite experienced at what they do.... You're gonna be having trouble spotting every tiny detail by yourself.

Don't make such silly comments.

you see that big smiley after my comment????
That means it was a joke..ie tongue in cheek ie not being serious..

Mark_Sc

he probably would have if he was killed, the VC is usually only awarded to those... well those who are dead to be frank.
I could be wrong but I think only one person was ever awarded the VC alive and that was one of the lads in the sniper platoon in "Sniper One" by a Sergeant Dan Millis(top book by the way!). But I could be wrong.

Oh yeah, and brave man indeed!

mikemac

Mark_Sc wrote: »

he probably would have if he was killed, the VC is usually only awarded to those... well those who are dead to be frank.
I could be wrong but I think only one person was ever awarded the VC alive and that was one of the lads in the sniper platoon in "Sniper One" by a Sergeant Dan Millis(top book by the way!). But I could be wrong.

Oh yeah, and brave man indeed!

One British soldier was awarded the VC in 2005 and he's alive and well. In fact, he has a bestselling book on the market. It was all over the news at the time

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_Beharry

Lance-Corporal Johnson Gideon Beharry VC (born 26 July 1979, in Grenada), of the 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment is a British soldier who, on 18 March 2005, was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth armed forces, for twice saving members of his unit from ambushes on 1 May and again on 11 June 2004 at Al-Amarah, Iraq. He sustained serious head injuries in the latter engagement. Beharry was formally invested with the Victoria Cross by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 27 April 2005

Rew

micmclo wrote: »

One British soldier was awarded the VC in 2005 and he's alive and well. In fact, he has a bestselling book on the market. It was all over the news at the time

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_Beharry

Yeah but he got that for 2 incidents of bravery and was seriously injured in the process. He has a nasty head injury.

Soby

King Ludvig wrote: »

Im quite surprised he survived :eek: fair play to him, a brave thing to do.

ye like the backpack would be on this Back so like that wouldnt have protected him..must have had some sort of armor or heavy padding on his front...Brave brave guy

Mark_Sc

I must get that biography someday

concussion

Soby wrote: »

ye like the backpack would be on this Back so like that wouldnt have protected him..must have had some sort of armor or heavy padding on his front...Brave brave guy

You should check up on what actually happened. An absolutely selfless act to save his buddies.



From the Ministry of Defence website:

"As the team moved silently through the still darkened compound, Lance Corporal Croucher felt a wire go tight against his legs, just below knee height. This was a trip-wire connected to a grenade booby-trap, positioned to kill or maim intruders in the compound. He heard the fly-off lever eject and the grenade, now armed, fell onto the ground immediately beside him.
"Instantly realising what had occurred, Lance Corporal Croucher made a crucial and incredibly rapid assessment of the situation. With extraordinary clarity of thought and remarkable composure, he shouted 'Grenade', then 'Tripwire' in an attempt to warn his comrades to find cover before the grenade exploded. It was clear to him that given the lack of cover in the immediate vicinity, he and the other team members were in extreme danger.
"Due to low light levels, he was unable to determine the type of grenade and therefore had no way of knowing how long the device's fuse would take to function. With his comrades totally exposed and time running out, Lance Corporal Croucher made the decision not to seek cover or protection for himself, but to attempt to shield the other members of his team from the impending explosion.
"In an act of great courage, and demonstrating a complete disregard for his own safety, he threw himself on top of the grenade, pinning it between his day sack, containing his essential team stores, and the ground. Quite prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for his fellow Marines, Lance Corporal Croucher lay on the grenade and braced himself for the explosion.
"Meanwhile, the Team Commander, upon hearing the initial shouted warning, dived to the ground. The rear man in the team was able to take cover by stepping back around the corner of a building; the other team member was unable to react quickly enough and was still upright, fully exposed within the lethal range of the grenade.

"As it detonated, the blast effect of the grenade was absorbed by Lance Corporal Croucher and the majority of the fragmentation was contained under his body.
"Miraculously, his equipment and protective clothing prevented any lethal shards hitting his body and he suffered only minor injury and disorientation from the effects of the blast. Lance Corporal Croucher's day sack was ripped from his back and was completely destroyed; his body armour and helmet were pitted by grenade fragments.
"A large battery being carried in the side pouch of his day sack, for his team's Electronic Counter Measures equipment, also exploded and was burning like a flare as a result of the grenade fragments breaching the outer case. Incredibly, the only other injury was a slight fragmentation wound to the Team Commander's face.
"The others escaped unscathed. Without question, Lance Corporal Croucher's courageous and utterly selfless action had prevented death or serious injury to at least two members of his team. Immediately following the explosion they manoeuvred tactically back to their rendezvous location.

http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/defencenews/historyandhonour/matthewcroucherthestorybehindthegeorgecross.htm

concussion

Mark_Sc wrote: »

he probably would have if he was killed, the VC is usually only awarded to those... well those who are dead to be frank.
I could be wrong but I think only one person was ever awarded the VC alive and that was one of the lads in the sniper platoon in "Sniper One" by a Sergeant Dan Millis(top book by the way!). But I could be wrong.

Oh yeah, and brave man indeed!

There is no requirement that the recipient be dead, most reciepients live to receive it.


The last 3 VC's awarded

Since World War Two only 14 VCs have been presented. The most recent award was in 2007 to Corporal Bill Apiata of the Special Air Service of New Zealand for carrying a wounded comrade 70 metres over rocky ground while under heavy machine-gun fire during the Afghan conflict in 2004. The most recent British award was the posthumous VC announced on 14 December 2006 to Corporal Bryan Budd of 3 Para. It was awarded for two separate acts of 'inspirational leadership and the greatest valour' in Afghanistan in July and August 2006. Prior to Budd's award, Private Johnson Beharry, 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment, was awarded the VC for twice saving members of his unit from ambushes in May-June 2004 at Al-Amarah in southern Iraq.

http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/exhibitions/vc/page5-3.shtml

Beharrys two deeds are recounted in "Dusty Warriors", amazing acts altogether - in one of them an RPG exploded 8 inches from his head, knocking him out temporarily and sending shrapnel into his face and skull. He managed to extract himself from the killing zone and get back to base with several wounded crew members before carrying them inside for medical treatment. I think his Warrior was on fire aswell :eek:

redbhoy1888 wrote: »

Second that.Sounds like he should have received Victoria Cross though this was one selfless act to protect his mates.

He probably got the George Cross as the VC is for valour "in the face of the enemy" while the GC is is for valour not in the face of the enemy. Both are the joint highest awards for the UK but the VC takes precedence if both are awarded (which hasn't happened)

Fratton Fred

As this was a boby trap and not in the face of the enemy, he was only awarded the George Cross. the rules for awarding the VC are very strict.

There was a guy in the early days of the second Iraq war who was awarded the GC for carrying injured comrades out of a convoy whilst under air attack. He was hit several times and passed out, but was "Only" awarded the GC because it was an American aircraft and not an enemy one.

Mark_Sc

Oh ok, now I know a good bit more about it, that helps lads