Hero Gurkha receives bravery medal from the Queen

[douglas9]

'I thought I was going to die... so I tried to kill as many as I could': Hero Gurkha receives bravery medal from the Queen

Corporal Dipprasad Pun defeated more than 30 Taliban fighters single-handedly
Used the tripod of his machine gun to beat away a militant after running out of ammunition

A Gurkha soldier who single-handedly defeated more than 30 Taliban fighters has been awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by the Queen.

Corporal Dipprasad Pun, 31, described how he was spurred on by the belief that he was going to die and so had nothing to lose in taking on the attackers who overran his checkpoint in Afghanistan.

His gallantry award is second only to the Victoria Cross - the highest honour for bravery in the face of the enemy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1393355/Hero-Gurkha-handed-bravery-medal-Queen-said-I-thought-I-going-die--I-tried-kill-I-could.html

[sofa king]

1. The Gurkhas are so special.

Throughout history, some military units have managed to forge a reputation so formidable that their mere presence on the battlefield can end a fight before it begins. That offers a rare return on a military investment that can actually save lives.

The Gurkhas deserve to be mentioned in the same breath with the Spartiate Hoplitai, the Varangian Guard, Napoleon's Imperial Guard (except at Waterloo), the South Korean "Tigers" in Vietnam, and so on. When they show up, the fighting stops in the area they control--or the other guy gets trounced.

The Gurkhas themselves offer one of the more recent examples of that rare phenomenon. During the Falklands War, the Argentinian plan was to draw the British into a long and costly positional battle in the southern half of East Falkland, forcing them to split their forces along two diverging lines of advance. Then the Gurkhas were discovered in the Argentinian front, rumor spread that they were not taking prisoners (they were), and the Argentinian resistance evaporated in that sector overnight.

This type of unit is not exactly the same as "elite" combat units with special-operations missions, like the SAS, SBS, and the various SOCOM units in the U.S. arsenal. Those units usually focus on hit-and-run operations outside of an army's area of control, while elite combat infantry units like the Gurkhas form part of the main body of an army and usually function as one of its most important parts.

Such a reputation is bought at a high personal cost to the unit itself, for it sometimes has to fight awkward and costly battles in order to maintain its reputation. They also tend to be ruthless in occupation duties. But their contribution is invaluable, and being able to tip the balance just by being around is a force-multiplier of worth beyond any monetary price.

[douglas9]

2. Footnote to Gurkhas and the Victoria Cross

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Brigade_of_Gurkhas_recipients_of_the_Victoria_Cross