Military Cross for hero Gurkha who was shot and hit by a grenade... then took on Taliban gunmen armed with only his ceremonial Kukri
A hero Gurkha has won the Military Cross after single-handedly fighting off two armed Taliban attacking an Afghan patrol base... with just his ceremonial Kukri knife.
Rifleman Tuljung Gurung tackled the gun-wielding insurgents armed only with his razor-sharp traditional Nepalese blade and forced them to flee.
Incredibly, the soldier - now an acting Lance Corporal - battled them despite being dazed after a bullet smashed directly into his helmet and he was knocked down by shockwaves from an enemy hand grenade which he threw to safety when it landed next to him.
Now the modest 28-year-old has won the third highest gallantry award for his courage in Afghanistan.
Acting L/Cpl Gurung received the Military Cross for stopping the extremists from reaching sleeping British soldiers in the Helmand compound.
Top brass said his selfless bravery had prevented a ‘potentially catastrophic loss of life’.
He is among 117 servicemen and women who received awards in the operational honours list, published today.
Most of the honours go to troops who served with 4 Mechanized Brigade in Helmand between October last year and April.
Acting L/Cpl Gurung, who serves with the Royal Gurkha Rifles, was on duty at Patrol Base Sparta, in Nahr-e Seraj, at 4am on March 22 when he spotted two Afghans running towards his sangar, or watchtower.
When he challenged them to stop, the insurgents opened fire with an AK47 assault rifle.
One of the rounds struck him on the helmet, knocking him to the ground. Groggily getting to his feet, he saw a grenade bounce into the tower.
Fearing it would explode, the married Gurkha picked it up and hurled it away a split-second before it detonated, the force of the blast throwing him to the floor.
But as the dust and debris settled, Acting L/Cpl Gurung came face-to-face with one of the Taliban who was climbing into the 3 metre high sangar.
Lacking room to aim his rifle, the soldier drew his 18inch kukri and tenaciously took on the insurgent in hand-to-hand combat.
During the fight, the pair plunged to the ground outside the base. In a life-or-death struggle, Acting L/Cpl Gurung continued to lash out with the blade.
He said: ‘He was quite a bit bigger than me. I just hit him in the hand, body, I just started to hit him.
‘I just thought, “I don’t want to die. If I am alive I can save my colleagues”.
‘I thought, “Before he does something I have to do something”. I was like a madman.’
Faced with his ferocity, the Taliban turned and fled. Acting L/Cpl Gurung’s citation said he had displayed the ‘highest levels of gallantry and courage’.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...n-honours.html
Wallet, leather- one each, Gurkha standard issue.
Those kukris they carry are not ceremonial. They are fully functional. The model type that they currently carry is often called a 'BAS' - British Army Service. It's about 15" overall length with a blade about 9" long. The issue ones generally have a water buffalo horn handle.
The kukri is a national clothing accessory in Nepal, especially amongst rural people. It is generally worn in a sheath that is actually a survival system. Tucked into pocket scabbards in the back of the sheath are generally a karda (small knife), and a chamka (sharpening steel). Often, attached to the front of the sheath (traditionally a two piece scabbard and frog arrangement) is a pouch that contains tinder and flint for starting a fire. The 'notch' serves no functional purpose. It's the 'Horns of Shiva', a traditional, Hindu ceremonial thing.
The martial art that involves the use of the kukri in fighting is called 'banda'.
Here is a photo of a guy that took a glancing blow from a kukri and survived.
********* WARNING - GRAPHIC (no kidding) ********************
