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Osprey body armour and ballistic protection saved the lives of two Fallingbostel-based soldiers when they came under attack in southern
Afghanistan.

LCpl Jamie McKenzie and Hldr Steven O’Neill were on patrol with Recce Platoon, A Company, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS), in the Loy Check area, north of Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province, when they came under fire.

LCpl McKenzie, 21, said the attack seemed to have come out of nowhere: “We were walking down a track and suddenly an insurgent just started firing from within a tree line about 3m away. The trees were so thick we didn’t even see him,” he said.

Hldr O’Neill, 20, was behind LCpl McKenzie, with both soldiers near the back of the patrol. “We all just hit the deck,” said LCpl McKenzie. “Almost immediately, I felt a thump. I quickly checked myself but couldn’t see anything so just carried on.”

“It was only a few seconds but he must have fired eight rounds at us,” he added.

During the contact, one of the platoon’s soldiers was shot in the pelvis, but his pelvic protection and ballistic underwear slowed down the bullet.

The rest of the platoon quickly began their drills to treat their injured colleague. Once he was stable and ready to be extracted, the soldiers continued on their patrol. It was only when they were back at base that both soldiers realised how close they had come to being injured too.

LCpl McKenzie’s Osprey body armour had a hole in the shoulder where a round had hit him and been deflected. He was bruised from the impact of the round but it wasn’t until a few days later that he learnt his Osprey body armour had actually saved him twice.

“I was looking for something in the pouch I wear on my chest and noticed a small hole in the cover which was odd,” he said. “When I took it apart, I found a bullet lodged between the plate and padding. I couldn’t believe it.”

One of Hldr O’Neill’s knee pads had also been hit by a bullet, but had stopped the projectile before it could enter his leg.

“When I saw it, I was really surprised,” he said. “Thinking back, I had felt a sting on the back of my leg, but at the time I was so focused on returning fire and keeping the rest of the patrol safe that I didn’t register it.

“I took my trousers off and when I saw the bruise it made me realise how close it had come.”

For soldiers serving in Afghanistan during the summer, when temperatures can reach above 50ºC, wearing protective kit can sometimes be the last thing they want to do.

However, Hldr O’Neill says he now appreciates it even more and won’t be moaning about being too hot in future: “The kit is really good and it may be heavy to wear on patrol in the heat and the sun but, seeing how well the body armour works, I’m glad I’ve got it.”

Capt Robbie Donaldson, Second-in-Command of A Company, agreed.

“They are both very lucky lads. If they had not been wearing the kit, things could have been so much worse,” he said. “Even the soldier who was sadly injured in the contact was saved from a more serious wound because he had his ballistic protection on and we’re told he’ll make a full recovery.”

Both LCpl McKenzie and Hldr O’Neill are due to complete their tour of Afghanistan in October when 4 SCOTS return to their base in Fallingbostel. Both soldiers are looking forward to seeing their families, and LCpl McKenzie will be showing off his unusual souvenir:

“Ever since I found the bullet, I’ve been carrying it with me as a lucky charm,” he said. “Think I’m going to get a hole drilled through it and wear it on a chain round my neck as a reminder.”

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Britain’s Armed Forces were among the recipients at the 14th annual GQ Men of the Year Awards which were held at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden.

Although world famous
celebrities such as Bradley Cooper, Johnny Depp and Harry Potter’s Emma Watson attended the ceremony, the real stars of the evening were our Service personnel as they were honoured with a special Help for Heroes Award.

This is the first year this award has been presented and comes during the 10 year anniversary of the Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

Its purpose is to recognize the heroism shown by members of the Armed Forces at home and on operations abroad.

The award, presented by Jeremy Clarkson, was accepted at the ceremony by a group of specially invited personnel from all three Services.

Cpl James Bedford, Lt Cdr Peter Higgins and Flight Lieutenant Marc Heal were in that prestigious group:

“It’s a real privilege to be selected to come to this prestigious event and it’s really good that the public are recognising what we are doing on the global stage at the moment,” said Lt Cdr Higgins.

Although the opportunity to rub shoulders with international superstars was an obvious bonus for the personnel, receiving the award on behalf of everyone in the Armed Forces was the highlight.

Cpl Bedford said: “Although we know we’ve got a lot of support from the public, for us to get something like this and receive public recognition is a well-needed boost for the guys and girls on the front line.”

Flt Lt Heal added: “From my own experience in Afghanistan, our time out there was made so much easier when we knew we had the support of everyone back home, and, with organisations like GQ and Help for Heroes keeping it in the public minds, it means the public will support us more and that’s the most important thing for us.

“We will carry on doing whatever we have to do, as long as the public are still behind us.”

Prior to the event, Lt Cdr Higgins, Cpl Bedford and Flt Lt Heal starred in a photoshoot for GQ magazine, which was something that took the Servicemen out of their comfort zones:

“It’s good that a big magazine like GQ is recognising everything the Armed Forces do,” Flt Lt Heal said.

“To be in the magazine, it’s not something you’d imagine you’d be doing when you join the RAF! It’s a little bit crazy.”

Dylan Jones, editor of British GQ said: “Inspirational is applied far to liberally today, but in this case there’s simply nothing more appropriate to describe the on-going work of our Armed Forces.

“Having visited Camp Bastion last year, where I was privileged to witness true camaraderie and bravery, I was determined to create a very special award to mark the respect and admiration we feel for the troops stationed around the globe.”

Since its conception in 1998 the GQ Men of the Year Awards has evolved into one of the UK’s most significant Award ceremonies, recognising the UK’s most talented men and one women.

To view the acceptance speech by the group representing the Armed Forces, or for more information on this and previous GQ Men of the Year awards ceremonies visit www.gq-magazine.co.uk/men-of-the-year/home

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The recently appointed Colonel of The London Regiment, The Earl of Wessex, joined members of the regiment taking part in their two-week annual camp in Catterick, North Yorkshire.

The Annual Training Period (ATP) forms the end of the pre-mobilisation phase for at least 50 of the soldiers who are hoping to mobilise in November to deploy to Afghanistan in spring 2012.

More than 200 reservists are taking part in a Final Test Exercise (FTX) which comprises of three, 24 hour tactical scenarios requiring them to draw on their core infantry skills.

The reservists, who come from all walks of life, have braved the driving wind and rain carrying out night patrols and deliberate attacks. A spokesman for Prince Edward said he had been looking forward to visiting the London regiment on their ATP to support the preparation for operations.

He regards being colonel of the regiment a huge privilege but there is much to learn and no better way than doing so by visiting soldiers in the field. He looks forward to getting to know all members of the regiment as well as he can in the years ahead and being part of the regimental family.

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