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Record number earn Military Cross | Record number earn Military Cross |
(40 minutes later) | |
Service personnel have been awarded 28 Military Crosses, the most handed out at any time since World War II. | |
They include Pte Luke Cole, 22, who gave wounded colleagues first aid while returning fire against the Taleban - despite being shot twice himself. | They include Pte Luke Cole, 22, who gave wounded colleagues first aid while returning fire against the Taleban - despite being shot twice himself. |
A total of 184 members of the UK armed forces were honoured for their service between April and September 2007. | A total of 184 members of the UK armed forces were honoured for their service between April and September 2007. |
Also awarded were five Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses and five Distinguished Service Orders. | Also awarded were five Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses and five Distinguished Service Orders. |
'Support and commitment' | |
Pte Cole, from Wolverhampton, a Territorial Army soldier attached to the Mercian Regiment, was praised in a Ministry of Defence citation for his "remarkable gallantry". | |
He was shot in the leg and hip during a two-hour night-time gun battle in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in September 2007, but refused morphine so he could carry on fighting and giving first aid to comrades. | He was shot in the leg and hip during a two-hour night-time gun battle in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in September 2007, but refused morphine so he could carry on fighting and giving first aid to comrades. |
They have all earned the nation's thanks and respect Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock StirrupChief of the Defence Staff | |
Other personnel honoured include: | |
Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, said those honoured had distinguished themselves in the face of great danger. | |
He added: "They have all earned the nation's thanks and respect, and I pay tribute to their outstanding achievements in the face of most difficult and dangerous circumstances." | |
Defence Secretary Des Browne said they had displayed courage beyond the call of duty. | |
"We owe thanks to them all and to their families for their invaluable support and commitment to the Armed Forces," he said. |