Corporal who put his life on the line for his men wins MC after losing legs in Taliban blast

By Michael Seamark
Last updated at 1:53 AM on 24th September 2010
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Cpl Ricky Furgusson, from Telford, is to receive the Military Cross for his bravery in Afghanistan

He repeatedly ignored all thoughts of his own safety to go to the aid of fallen comrades.
On four separate occasions, Corporal Ricky Furgusson dashed to rescue soldiers grievously injured by Taliban booby-trap bombs in Afghanistan.
But when a fifth device exploded, it was he who was caught in the blast.
He lost both legs and an eye but still played down his bravery, which is recognised in today’s announcement that the Queen is to present him with the Military Cross.
Cpl Furgusson, 25, said: ‘There’s no thought about it at all.
‘I was section commander, and when one of your guys gets injured the first reaction is to go over there, get there as soon as you can and treat him ASAP to keep him alive.’
His citation reads: ‘Furgusson’s bravery, personally ignoring the ever-present IED (improvised explosive device) threat when dashing to the aid of wounded men, and his outstanding leadership, time and again rallying his soldiers in the disorientating aftermath of IED strikes, saved men’s lives. For his selfless actions he is awarded the Military Cross.’
His award will be announced along with honours recognising the extraordinary bravery of 130 further servicemen and women. The overwhelming majority will be handed to troops who put their lives on the line fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Cpl Furgusson was deployed with A Company, 4th Battalion The Rifles (4 Rifles) in September last year. It was his first tour of Afghanistan. The mission was to build and occupy patrol bases along Route 611, the main transit route through southern Helmand, which is littered with IEDs.

Four times Cpl Furgusson went to the aid of soldiers wounded by IEDs before he was badly injured himself, losing both his legs and an eye in a blast

He was on his first patrol in the Sangin district – where 106 British troops died before the area was handed over to the U.S. earlier this week – in October when an IED ripped through his section.

 

One soldier lost a leg in the blast but Cpl Furgusson, from Telford, Shropshire, ignored the danger of further explosions as he stabilised his comrade and assisted in his evacuation – saving his life.

Cpl Furgusson, pictured before deployment to Afghanistan, lost both legs, his left eye and fingers from both hands and suffered significant injuries to his face

The following month he went to the aid of two colleagues from a nearby patrol when they were hit by an IED.
Four days later, when his own patrol was again hit by an IED, Cpl Furgusson saved the life of a man who lost both legs in the blast. The fourth incident happened on New Year’s Eve, when he stabilised and evacuated a soldier within 35 minutes of him being caught by an IED.
Tragically, the soldier later died from his injuries. Then, in January, Cpl Furgusson, who has also served in Iraq during nine years in the Army, was directly struck by an IED hidden in a doorway.

Flt Lt Ian Fortune with his shattered helmet through which his face was hit but which he continued to wear while flying his passengers to safety

As well as losing his legs and his left eye, he lost fingers from both hands and suffered significant injuries to his face.
He woke up five weeks later in Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, and stayed for four months. He now walks on metal ‘stilts’, but yesterday said: ‘I’ve got my prosthetic legs coming in the next couple of weeks. The next thing is to get walking on them.’
RAF pilot Flight Lieutenant Ian Fortune, 28, is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing wounded troops in his Chinook helicopter even after being shot in the head by the Taliban.
He had just taken off from Garmsir in Helmand on January 29 with the six injured men on board when a bullet came through the aircraft's windscreen.
It shattered the visor of his helmet but fortunately was deflected by the metal rail for his night vision goggles, although he still suffered lacerations to his cheek which bled heavily.
The insurgents hit the Chinook eight times, leaving it badly damaged.
The helicopter's stabilisation system was disabled, making it much more difficult to control, but Flt Lt Fortune refused to hand over the controls to his co-pilot, who had other problems to deal with.
The pilot, from Kingston, Surrey, recalled: 'I said "Chaps, I think I've been shot but I'm OK".
'All my co-pilot could see was the main wound on my left hand side and this pool of blood.
'We talked through various plans of action, but our main priority, as always, was to try to get the casualties back.'
He safely landed the helicopter at the field hospital in Camp Bastion, the Nato coalition's main base in Helmand. All the wounded troops survived.
Flt Lt Fortune said the medal was a 'great personal honour', adding: 'I'm filled with an enormous sense of pride and truly humbled to be joining those who have gone before me.'
Among the others receiving honours are Sergeant Major Karl Ley, 29, who gets the George Medal for clearing 139 IEDs – more than anyone else in history.
Lance Corporal James McKie, 29, who saved himself and colleagues when he picked up a Taliban hand grenade which landed at his feet and threw it to safety with seconds to spare, gets a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.
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