First In Last Out
August 2021 has been a grim week in Afghanistan when Biden the President of the US pulled out the US military without consulting its Allies it sent shock waves all around the world. Not least in the UK where we have been a staunch Allie of America for decades.
The UK pulled out of Afghanistan in 2014 leaving a token force there to train Afgan Miltary. We British took the brunt of attacks in operations. In FOBs (forward bases)we were in constant contact with the enemy and men died and many more were wounded.
So it came as quite a shock to find out that it was all for nothing thanks to a crazy Democratic President who has let down not just his own country but actually the whole world.
My disgust at how things turned out knows no bounds and I am furious, hurt, that a ragtag army of what amounts to a bunch of sheep shaggers can suddenly turn the tables on the most powerful country in the world due to an incompetent buffoon President of epic proportions.
Biden you little shit, we did our job, all of us American, British Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, along with many European countries, we fought died got wounded and what for? So a demented idiot could throw it all away in just 8 bloody months. My contempt for this shit of a man called Biden who has never done anything for his country other than taking, take, take for his own ends for the last forty years while good men and women die for their country will be with me until the day I die.
However, out of all this mayhem come storeys of outstanding bravery by all who were out there. This is the story of just one of them.
In July and August 2006, A Company, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment were deployed in the District Centre at Sangin. They were constantly under sustained attack from a combination of Taliban small arms, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar and rocket fire.
On 27 July, whilst on a routine patrol, Corporal Bryan Budd’s section identified and engaged two enemy gunmen on the roof of a building in the centre of Sangin. During the ensuing fire-fight, two of Corporal Budd’s sections were hit. One was seriously injured and collapsed in the open ground, where he remained exposed to enemy fire, with rounds striking the ground around him. Corporal Budd realised that he needed to regain the initiative and that the enemy needed to be driven back so that the casualty could be evacuated.
In July and August 2006, A Company, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment were deployed in the District Centre at Sangin. They were constantly under sustained attack from a combination of Taliban small arms, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar and rocket fire.
On 27 July, whilst on a routine patrol, Corporal Bryan Budd’s section identified and engaged two enemy gunmen on the roof of a building in the centre of Sangin. During the ensuing fire-fight, two of Corporal Budd’s section were hit. One was seriously injured and collapsed in the open ground, where he remained exposed to enemy fire, with rounds striking the ground around him. Corporal Budd realised that he needed to regain the initiative and that the enemy needed to be driven back so that the casualty could be evacuated.
Under fire, he personally led the attack on the building where the enemy fire was heaviest, forcing the remaining fighters to flee across an open field where they were successfully engaged. This courageous and prompt action proved decisive in breaking the enemy and was undertaken at great personal risk. Corporal Budd’s leadership and conspicuous gallantry allowed his wounded colleague to be evacuated to safety where he subsequently received life-saving treatment.
A month later, on 20 August, Corporal Budd was leading his section on the right forward flank of a platoon clearance patrol near Sangin District Centre. Another section was advancing with a Land Rover fitted with a .50 calibre heavy machine gun on the patrol’s left flank. Pushing through thick vegetation, Corporal Budd identified a number of enemy fighters 30 metres ahead. Undetected, and in an attempt to surprise and destroy the enemy, Corporal Budd, initiated a flanking manoeuvre. However, the enemy spotted the Land Rover and the element of surprise was lost for the whole platoon.
In order to regain the initiative, Corporal Budd decided to assault the enemy and ordered his men to follow him. As they moved forward the section came under heavy fire that incapacitated three of his men. The continued enemy fire and these losses forced the section to take cover. But, Corporal Budd continued the assault on his own, knowing full well the likely consequence of doing so without the close support of his remaining men. He was wounded but continued to move forward, attacking and killing the enemy as he rushed their position. Inspired by Corporal Budd’s example, the rest of the platoon reorganised and phased forward their attack, eliminating more of the enemy and eventually forcing their withdrawal. Corporal Budd subsequently died of his wounds, and when his body was later recovered it was found surrounded by three dead Taliban.
Corporal Budd’s conspicuous gallantry during these two engagements saved the lives of many of his colleagues. He acted in the full knowledge that the rest of his men had either been struck down or had been forced to go to the ground. His determination to press home a single-handed assault against a superior enemy force despite his wounds stands out as a premeditated act of inspirational leadership and supreme valour. For this action, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
Corporal Budd served with the 3 Battalion Parachute Regiment. Better known as 3 Para
