Denied VC in Afghanistan PDF
Preview Denied VC in Afghanistan
SAS war heroes may be denied Victoria Cross By Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent (Filed: 13/02/2002) TWO members of the SAS may be denied the Victoria Cross for bravery in Afghanistan because of the strict rules governing the medal's award. The two men were wounded in an assault on an al- Qa'eda mountain cave complex near Kandahar, but no citations have been put forward so far. One is believed to be under consideration for the award because of his leadership under fire as a complete Sabre squadron first pulled back and then overcame the al-Qa'eda terrorists. The second was at the other end of the complex, manning an observation post and waiting to bring down aerial strikes on escaping al-Qa'eda terrorists. He is under consideration because he waited so long before ordering in the air attack that he risked being killed himself. But the SAS fears that the strict rules applied by the Interdepartmental Committee on the Grant of Honours Decorations and Medals will lead to the award of lesser medals. The warrant for the VC makes only two immutable stipulations: that the recipient shows "conspicuous bravery or devotion to the country in the presence of the enemy"; and that there should be "conclusive proofs". It says the act of bravery should be witnessed by a superior officer but makes provision for this not being the case. Nevertheless, this has become a key consideration. It has also become accepted wisdom that the recipient must have faced a 90 per cent risk of death and materially affected the outcome of the battle. Although both soldiers qualify under the two immutable stipulations, one at least falls foul of the accepted wisdom. The second man's actions were not witnessed by a superior officer.
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