Chinook DFC Award
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Chinook DFC Award
Just seen this on Rotorheads. Well deserved.
Queen gives RAF Chinook pilot DFC for Afghan heroism - Telegraph
Queen gives RAF Chinook pilot DFC for Afghan heroism - Telegraph
An RAF pilot whose helicopter was riddled with bullets and badly damaged as he dropped off troops in Afghanistan has been decorated by the Queen for his bravery returning to rescue them.
Flt Lt Charlie Lockyear, from Teignmouth, was presented with a Distinguished Flying Cross at Windsor Castle for his courage returning to the scene where his helicopter was shot up, so he could pick up troops left behind.
His Chinook helicopter was damaged and one of his crew wounded by intense Taliban fire as he came in to drop of his passengers during the mission in May 2013.
The fire was so heavy, he aborted the drop off and withdrew, but because the radio and intercom had been shot up, he was unaware some troops had already got off and were left behind in a firefight with the insurgents.
The 35-year-old made the decision to go back and get them.
Flt Lt Lockyear, of 18 (B) Squadron based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, said: "People were getting shot, rounds were going off.
“I thought: 'This is not the place to stay'. We sorted out the aircraft, things quietened down a little bit, then we did an assessment.
"It was a remarkably easy decision to make because you know you've got a small group of guys stuck in a field and you know for a fact they are under contact (with the enemy).
"The GPS was one of the systems that had gone down as well as engine instruments, flight instruments, radios, the autopilot – and we had to find them.
"They were camouflaged and they weren't waving because they were still in a firefight but we found them."
During the first approach, flying shrapnel had left Master Aircrew Bob Sunderland wounded in the groin, but as they returned to the landing site, he was able to lay down suppressing fire with the helicopter’s machine gun. MACR Sunderland was awarded a Mention in Dispatches for his actions.
Once the troops had been picked up and despite the damage to the helicopter, including bullet damage to the rotor blades, Flt Lt Lockyear guided the aircraft back to Camp Bastion’s hospital, where the injured were treated.
Others awarded honours by the Queen included Dame Maggie Smith, the Oscar-winning actress.
Dame Maggie, who has an acclaimed career dating back to the early 1950s but who won renewed fame recently as the Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour.
The Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash, was knighted for political service.
The long-standing Eurosceptic, who led backbench rebels against the Maastricht Treaty in the early 1990s, said: "Some people would say the clock has turned a very long way so I'm very pleased about that.
“There is unfinished business however, regarding the whole question of the integrationist programme of the rest of Europe. So we've got to deal with the whole question of restoring the right of British people to govern themselves and restore parliament to its rightful place."
Flt Lt Charlie Lockyear, from Teignmouth, was presented with a Distinguished Flying Cross at Windsor Castle for his courage returning to the scene where his helicopter was shot up, so he could pick up troops left behind.
His Chinook helicopter was damaged and one of his crew wounded by intense Taliban fire as he came in to drop of his passengers during the mission in May 2013.
The fire was so heavy, he aborted the drop off and withdrew, but because the radio and intercom had been shot up, he was unaware some troops had already got off and were left behind in a firefight with the insurgents.
The 35-year-old made the decision to go back and get them.
Flt Lt Lockyear, of 18 (B) Squadron based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, said: "People were getting shot, rounds were going off.
“I thought: 'This is not the place to stay'. We sorted out the aircraft, things quietened down a little bit, then we did an assessment.
"It was a remarkably easy decision to make because you know you've got a small group of guys stuck in a field and you know for a fact they are under contact (with the enemy).
"The GPS was one of the systems that had gone down as well as engine instruments, flight instruments, radios, the autopilot – and we had to find them.
"They were camouflaged and they weren't waving because they were still in a firefight but we found them."
During the first approach, flying shrapnel had left Master Aircrew Bob Sunderland wounded in the groin, but as they returned to the landing site, he was able to lay down suppressing fire with the helicopter’s machine gun. MACR Sunderland was awarded a Mention in Dispatches for his actions.
Once the troops had been picked up and despite the damage to the helicopter, including bullet damage to the rotor blades, Flt Lt Lockyear guided the aircraft back to Camp Bastion’s hospital, where the injured were treated.
Others awarded honours by the Queen included Dame Maggie Smith, the Oscar-winning actress.
Dame Maggie, who has an acclaimed career dating back to the early 1950s but who won renewed fame recently as the Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour.
The Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash, was knighted for political service.
The long-standing Eurosceptic, who led backbench rebels against the Maastricht Treaty in the early 1990s, said: "Some people would say the clock has turned a very long way so I'm very pleased about that.
“There is unfinished business however, regarding the whole question of the integrationist programme of the rest of Europe. So we've got to deal with the whole question of restoring the right of British people to govern themselves and restore parliament to its rightful place."
I do feel that Mr Sunderland may have been sold short with his MID award. If he was wounded and continued to fight and be key to the rescue then I woukd have expected a higher award for him.
Not knowing the full story, I might be being a bit harsh on the Honours & Awards system. But on the face of it MAcr Sunderland certainly met the 'personal rigour' requirement in my view as he could have sat it out with a hole in his groin!
Anyway, well done gents.
LJ
Not knowing the full story, I might be being a bit harsh on the Honours & Awards system. But on the face of it MAcr Sunderland certainly met the 'personal rigour' requirement in my view as he could have sat it out with a hole in his groin!
Anyway, well done gents.
LJ
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Sounds like a fabulous job done by two brave professionals. I would counsel against the urge to query whether or not an individual award was the most appropriate. No one is ever going to 'rack and stack' all MiDs, but if they were to do so we would probably find that some had been recognised in the same manner as the MACR for greater exploits and some for lesser. At the end of the day he has an award on his chest of which he can be justifiably proud and he, and only he, knows exactly what he did to get it.
BZ to both brave men.
BZ to both brave men.
Orca
I agree, but it does smack of the officer getting the higher award than the WO. I thought we had left this behind us after things like the Fairey Battle in 1940 where Pilot Fg Off Donald Garland and Navigator Sgt Tom Gray received the first air Victoria Crosses of WWII posthumously. The Air Gunner, LAC Roy Reynolds, received no recognition because it was not felt that he merited a VC.
I am not belittling the MID, but why did they differentiate between the Pilot and Load Master? In my limited view from the citation both had played an equal role in bringing off this spectacular save of life and one had even got wounded but continued at his post returning fire most heroicly in the face of enemy fire.
Maybe this is an unexpected consequence of taking away the DFM?
LJ
I agree, but it does smack of the officer getting the higher award than the WO. I thought we had left this behind us after things like the Fairey Battle in 1940 where Pilot Fg Off Donald Garland and Navigator Sgt Tom Gray received the first air Victoria Crosses of WWII posthumously. The Air Gunner, LAC Roy Reynolds, received no recognition because it was not felt that he merited a VC.
I am not belittling the MID, but why did they differentiate between the Pilot and Load Master? In my limited view from the citation both had played an equal role in bringing off this spectacular save of life and one had even got wounded but continued at his post returning fire most heroicly in the face of enemy fire.
Maybe this is an unexpected consequence of taking away the DFM?
LJ
Chinook DFC Award
I will begin by saying that I also believe the crewman's bravery may have warranted a higher award. However I wasn't there and it is not really my place to say.
For what it's worth I don't believe this is a case of rank prejudice. I realise that when the Captain of the aircraft makes a decision to return under fire everyone must go with him and could therefore all be adjudged to have displayed similar levels of bravery. What, in my opinion, sets the Captain aside is that should the outcome have been less successful, ie the loss of the aircraft, the blame will lie almost solely on his shoulders. That makes it a very brave decision in my book.
Whatever we think about the matter this crew, and every guy on the force, repeatedly display cojones of a scale far superior to what is required in my day job and so I shall metaphorically doff my cap in their general direction for a job well done. Yet again.
BV
For what it's worth I don't believe this is a case of rank prejudice. I realise that when the Captain of the aircraft makes a decision to return under fire everyone must go with him and could therefore all be adjudged to have displayed similar levels of bravery. What, in my opinion, sets the Captain aside is that should the outcome have been less successful, ie the loss of the aircraft, the blame will lie almost solely on his shoulders. That makes it a very brave decision in my book.
Whatever we think about the matter this crew, and every guy on the force, repeatedly display cojones of a scale far superior to what is required in my day job and so I shall metaphorically doff my cap in their general direction for a job well done. Yet again.
BV
For what it's worth I don't believe this is a case of rank prejudice. I realise that when the Captain of the aircraft makes a decision to return under fire everyone must go with him and could therefore all be adjudged to have displayed similar levels of bravery. What, in my opinion, sets the Captain aside is that should the outcome have been less successful, ie the loss of the aircraft, the blame will lie almost solely on his shoulders. That makes it a very brave decision in my book.
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Well done all round, as for the MID, one does not know the circumstances, so one cannot comment, odd others deem they can though.
Gentleman Aviator
I believe some of the boys at Odiham have a set of medals unrivaled since Bomber Command in 1945
Maybe this is an unexpected consequence of taking away the DFM?
How times have changed!
When I was a loadie in NI in the early 90's, you were awarded a MID for coming under fire. Now, it seems, you have to get hit in the ball bag as well.
When I was a loadie in NI in the early 90's, you were awarded a MID for coming under fire. Now, it seems, you have to get hit in the ball bag as well.
Sky Sports,
If they still awarded an MID for coming under fire then judging by the straw poll we conducted the other day, pretty much every SH crew that has operated in Afghanistan would have one.
The award of medals will always be somewhat relative to the conflict that we find ourselves in; I don't mean this as a slight to those with DFCs from modern day conflicts but go back 75 years and you'd probably find that their acts of bravery would not get the same recognition as in WW2 when we were losing crews left right and centre.
If they still awarded an MID for coming under fire then judging by the straw poll we conducted the other day, pretty much every SH crew that has operated in Afghanistan would have one.
The award of medals will always be somewhat relative to the conflict that we find ourselves in; I don't mean this as a slight to those with DFCs from modern day conflicts but go back 75 years and you'd probably find that their acts of bravery would not get the same recognition as in WW2 when we were losing crews left right and centre.
Humbling, and in the traditions of the Service.
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"HH ISTR there is (or was) a triple DFC (ie DFC and 2 bars) at Odiham."
google lists 22 very brave men with a triple (all historic for obvious reasons) including Neville Duke, Paddy Finucane, Remy van Lierde, Tuck, Skalski & Warburton
That's what I call a Roll of Honour.......
google lists 22 very brave men with a triple (all historic for obvious reasons) including Neville Duke, Paddy Finucane, Remy van Lierde, Tuck, Skalski & Warburton
That's what I call a Roll of Honour.......