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I dont know what to say about this fella, yes he was doing his job and most may say they would do the same in that situation, but would they really.
Bravo this soldier 8)
A Royal Marine who threw himself onto an exploding grenade in Afghanistan to save the lives of his comrades is to be awarded the George Cross.
George Cross hero Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher
Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher will become one of just a handful of living recipients of the honour.
It ranks alongside the Victoria Cross as the highest decoration for bravery.
The 24-year-old from Birmingham was on a mission to uncover a suspected Taliban bomb-making factory in Helmand Province in February, when he stepped on a trip-wire and triggered the device.
“I thought, I’ve set the bloody thing off and I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect the others,” he said.
“I figured that if I could keep my head and torso intact I’d probably survive any other injuries – although I fully expected to lose a limb.”
He threw himself on the floor and twisted his back so his rucksack took the full force of the blast.
His three colleagues suffered cuts and bruises while Lance Corporal Croucher was thrown in the air – he ended up with a severe nosebleed.
Despite the incident, he demanded to stay and fight the Taliban, and later that same day shot dead an insurgent in a gunfight.
“I’m very tight with the three other guys. There have been a few times when they’ve saved my bacon,” he said.
“I knew a grenade like this had a killing circumference of about five metres.
“So I got down with my back to the grenade and used my body as a shield. It was a case of either having four of us as fatalities or badly wounded, or one.”
He said it took him 30 seconds after the blast to realise he was still alive.
The George Cross
equal to Victoria Cross as highest gallantry honour
awarded for acts not in presence of enemy
can be given to both civilians and armed forces
King George IV made it official medal in 1941
island of Malta received it for bravery in WW2wow! not many men really would lay down their lives for others so this man truly is a hero and deserves the award. am quite shocked he got away with just a nosebleed!
my brother is a royal marine commando and is being deployed at the end of next month and after reading and hearing about all the deaths and injuries i’m sh*t scared i’m going to lose him out there.
@kentlass19 wrote:
wow! not many men really would lay down their lives for others so this man truly is a hero and deserves the award. am quite shocked he got away with just a nosebleed!
my brother is a royal marine commando and is being deployed at the end of next month and after reading and hearing about all the deaths and injuries i’m sh*t scared i’m going to lose him out there.
aww, no wonder your worried, but try not to be. He wouldnt sign up for a dangerous job if he didnt want to travel, so be proud. And tell him to find out where the above guy got his backpack from and be sure to have it with him at all times. :wink:
Thats a guy worth having as a mate I reckon. :)
A heroic act. But did he reckon he was likely to die alongside his mates anyway and so in the limited time available he made the split second decision? Was this a ‘well, there’s nothing to lose by giving this a try’ situation? However, he deserves the commendation for bravery and lateral thinking.
@bassingbourne55 wrote:
A heroic act. But did he reckon he was likely to die alongside his mates anyway and so in the limited time available he made the split second decision? Was this a ‘well, there’s nothing to lose by giving this a try’ situation? However, he deserves the commendation for bravery and lateral thinking.
I gathered from a tv interview he gave on ITV news yesterday that yes that was the thought. A lot of humans in that situation would be known to save their own skin… like an inborn response to look after number 1. Just shows that isnt always the case. 8)
the fight or flight theory.. we all have it. its brought on by acute stress,in making snap decisions.
@sharongooner wrote:
I dont know what to say about this fella, yes he was doing his job and most may say they would do the same in that situation, but would they really.
Bravo this soldier 8)
A Royal Marine who threw himself onto an exploding grenade in Afghanistan to save the lives of his comrades is to be awarded the George Cross.
George Cross hero Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher
Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher will become one of just a handful of living recipients of the honour.
It ranks alongside the Victoria Cross as the highest decoration for bravery.
The 24-year-old from Birmingham was on a mission to uncover a suspected Taliban bomb-making factory in Helmand Province in February, when he stepped on a trip-wire and triggered the device.
“I thought, I’ve set the bloody thing off and I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect the others,” he said.
“I figured that if I could keep my head and torso intact I’d probably survive any other injuries – although I fully expected to lose a limb.”
He threw himself on the floor and twisted his back so his rucksack took the full force of the blast.
His three colleagues suffered cuts and bruises while Lance Corporal Croucher was thrown in the air – he ended up with a severe nosebleed.
Despite the incident, he demanded to stay and fight the Taliban, and later that same day shot dead an insurgent in a gunfight.
“I’m very tight with the three other guys. There have been a few times when they’ve saved my bacon,” he said.
“I knew a grenade like this had a killing circumference of about five metres.
“So I got down with my back to the grenade and used my body as a shield. It was a case of either having four of us as fatalities or badly wounded, or one.”
He said it took him 30 seconds after the blast to realise he was still alive.
The George Cross
equal to Victoria Cross as highest gallantry honour
awarded for acts not in presence of enemy
can be given to both civilians and armed forces
King George IV made it official medal in 1941
island of Malta received it for bravery in WW2ive said it many times. i dont agree with our lads and lasses being in that sheite hole in the first place, but as long as they are, and as long as they are prepered to risk life and limb for their fellow soldiers, and for us they deserve the respect and the support they need from all of us. what a shining example of humanity this lad is, he deserves the medal, nay he deserves the george cross as well and our unreserved respect for the rest of his life.
He’s a proper hero, take note newspapers next time you want to call a footballer a hero just for scoring a goal !
Still bet he cant wait until he’s old and has to sell his Medal so he can have his fire on in the winter, that’s of course providing he makes it to old age after leaving the army and sleeping on the streets of London homeless because he’s got some mentel problem after the shock.*chicky goes to take happy pills :D
@chickenman wrote:
He’s a proper hero, take note newspapers next time you want to call a footballer a hero just for scoring a goal !
Still bet he cant wait until he’s old and has to sell his Medal so he can have his fire on in the winter, that’s of course providing he makes it to old age after leaving the army and sleeping on the streets on London homeless because he’s got some mentel problem after the shock.*chicky goes to take happy pills :D
Quite right Chicken,,,,,seems your only a hero if you score a goal, and a life threatening illness is only traumatic if your a celebrity :roll: :roll:
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