bekisman
18-Mar-10, 16:42
Brave men!:
'Two Army bomb disposal experts have been awarded the George Cross for their heroics in Afghanistan. A posthumous honour goes to Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30, who made safe 64 devices before his death in October while defusing a bomb near Sangin. The GC, one of the UK's highest awards for gallantry, was also presented to his comrade in the Royal Logistic Corps, Staff Sergeant Kim Hughes.
Last August, he cleared a minefield to enable the rescue of four soldiers.
His efforts were described in the Ministry of Defence citation as "the single most outstanding act of explosive ordnance disposal ever recorded in Afghanistan". He dismantled seven Taliban bombs by hand without any protective clothing so the seriously wounded soldiers as well as the bodies of two dead comrades could be recovered.
The George Cross is the country's highest award for gallantry by civilians, or by military personnel not in the presence of the enemy.
At a ceremony in the City of London, Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup said: "The actions of Staff Sgt Hughes and the late Staff Sgt Schmid meet this most demanding test in full measure.
"Their selfless commitment, unswerving devotion to duty and unsurpassed courage are both awe-inspiring and humbling."
Staff Sgt Schmid, who had been in the Army for 13 years and was a member of the Oxfordshire-based 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, deployed to Afghanistan in June 2009. He was born in Cornwall, and lived in Winchester with his wife and five-year-old stepson.At the time of his death he was a week away from flying back to the UK for a two-week break Mr Schmid's wife, Christina, was presented with his citation at the ceremony.
The George Cross medals will be handed out at a royal investiture. Staff Sgt Hughes, 30, from Telford, Shropshire, was deployed to secure an emergency helicopter landing site south west of Sangin.Members of the company he was with were injured when a bomb went off and he neutralised a number of devices to enable their rescue.'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8574378.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8574378.stm)
'Two Army bomb disposal experts have been awarded the George Cross for their heroics in Afghanistan. A posthumous honour goes to Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30, who made safe 64 devices before his death in October while defusing a bomb near Sangin. The GC, one of the UK's highest awards for gallantry, was also presented to his comrade in the Royal Logistic Corps, Staff Sergeant Kim Hughes.
Last August, he cleared a minefield to enable the rescue of four soldiers.
His efforts were described in the Ministry of Defence citation as "the single most outstanding act of explosive ordnance disposal ever recorded in Afghanistan". He dismantled seven Taliban bombs by hand without any protective clothing so the seriously wounded soldiers as well as the bodies of two dead comrades could be recovered.
The George Cross is the country's highest award for gallantry by civilians, or by military personnel not in the presence of the enemy.
At a ceremony in the City of London, Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup said: "The actions of Staff Sgt Hughes and the late Staff Sgt Schmid meet this most demanding test in full measure.
"Their selfless commitment, unswerving devotion to duty and unsurpassed courage are both awe-inspiring and humbling."
Staff Sgt Schmid, who had been in the Army for 13 years and was a member of the Oxfordshire-based 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, deployed to Afghanistan in June 2009. He was born in Cornwall, and lived in Winchester with his wife and five-year-old stepson.At the time of his death he was a week away from flying back to the UK for a two-week break Mr Schmid's wife, Christina, was presented with his citation at the ceremony.
The George Cross medals will be handed out at a royal investiture. Staff Sgt Hughes, 30, from Telford, Shropshire, was deployed to secure an emergency helicopter landing site south west of Sangin.Members of the company he was with were injured when a bomb went off and he neutralised a number of devices to enable their rescue.'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8574378.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8574378.stm)