Posted on 09/02/2007 5:39:38 AM PDT by uksupport1
A ROOKIE Army officer told of the nightmare moment he and two other soldiers were shot trying to save a fourth badly wounded comrade.
Second Lieutenant Charlie Kilner and the other heroes were picked off by a sniper as they bravely dashed from cover into a hail of bullets....
With extraordinary courage, the rest of the unit from the 4th Battalion, The Rifles, battled to rescue them AND completed their mission — a raid on a rebel arms dump.
They stormed the stronghold in Basra, southern Iraq, and found a massive stockpile of roadside bombs and two surface-to-air missiles that could have brought down RAF helicopters....
Militiamen had mined the approach with 14 booby trap bombs. The sharpshooter opened up as a rifleman ran to the back of the building.
The bullet lodged in his spine, and he crashed to the ground in agony.
Kilner, 25 — a Sandhurst pal of Prince William — recalled: “Corporal Rodney Wilson and I rushed to help.
“There were rounds still whizzing down the street but Cpl Wilson didn’t think twice and immediately rushed out to the rifleman, who was down 20 metres away.
“It was a very brave thing to do and I followed him out.
“We started dragging the rifleman into cover. That’s when we were both hit. The round hit my upper left arm and knocked me flat. It wasn’t that painful at first, like a sharp bee sting. Then it really started to burn. Cpl Wilson was a lot worse.”
Wilson, a 30-year-old engaged man from Bulford, Wilts, was fatally wounded in the head. A lieutenant went to help the three stricken men — only to be cut down by a bullet through the shoulder.
Company commander Major Mark Wilson ordered his men to rescue the fallen soldiers....
(Excerpt) Read more at thesun.co.uk ...
"Charlie Kilner, of North London, was fresh out of training and the battle was his first time in action.
He bravely returned to Basra a few days ago. He said: “The bullet went straight through the fleshy part of my arm. I was determined to come back as soon as possible. There’s no point in hiding away in England.”"
Unbelievable bravery.
Thank God for such men.
God bless them; prayers for their recovery.
British troops have always been among the best in the world. Its their senior leadership that often fails them, as now in the retreat from Basara.
God bless these brave men!
God watch over them, and keep them safe. Men like them are much needed these days.
U.K. troops have always been among the finest in the world, and I salute their courage and resolve. It’s unfortunate that their current political and MoD leadership continues to let them down. They are still “lions led by donkeys.”
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