RNZAF pilot awarded NZ Gallantry Medal
 

RNZAF Pilot awarded Gallantry medal while on RAF exchange

Ben Pryor: Gallantry Medal

With bullets kicking up dust in front of him and insurgent rounds pinging off his helicopter cockpit, every fibre in Flight Lieutenant Ben Pryor’s body told him to flee. But the Royal Air Force mission depended on him. As did the crack British troops who’d already been dropped into the "hot" drop-zone close to the insurgent’s fortified compound. So the Auckland father-of-two fought his internal urges and stayed firm.

After abandoning his first approach where his cockpit was hit three times, the now-Squadron Leader took his Chinook at the lead of an eight-ship air assault back into the intense enemy machinegun fire, later described by colleagues as "a river of tracer coming at our aircraft".

Showing "remarkable courage in the face of extreme danger", he landed and got his troops on the ground, while returning effective fire.

His exploits on April 22 last year in the hostile Helmand province have won him a top war decoration."I’m incredibly honoured, proud, and humbled, but any pilots put in the same situation would’ve done the same," said 38-year-old Squadron Leader Pryor of his New Zealand Gallantry Medal (NZGM) awarded today.

His medal citation also highlights another mission where he flew into more intense small-arms and grenade fire to rescue a shot American soldier.

"This was the second time in as many months that Squadron Leader Pryor had displayed calmness, courage, and professionalism in a situation of intense pressure and while under enemy fire," it reads.

The feats came while the 17-year Royal New Zealand Air Force veteran was on a four-year secondment with the RAF

Bloody good show - well done!!

Bob C :ok:

Congratulations - a well deserved award.

Well done that man! :D

Superb.

:D:D:D


And congrats to the other two Kiwi members for the other awards,
one post H, RIP.

Nice work and great to see.

"Showing "remarkable courage in the face of extreme danger", he landed and got his troops on the ground, while returning effective fire."

I am extremely impressed he managed to fly the Chinny at the same time as (I assume) firing his personal weapon accurately out the window! ;)

Well done Ben - an awesome bloke and it was a pleasure working with you.

Good effort, and well deserved congratulations.

Ben tells me this is probably the first gallantry award to a RNZAF pilot for flying in combat since the Vietnam war - so a fantastic achievement for Ben and his crew!:ok:

I hesitate to introduce a sour note onto this thread, but reading the description of the action this seems a very niggardly award to give Sqn Ldr Pryor for his actions.

If I understand the New Zealand system correctly, like in the UK, after the Victoria Cross there are three levels of gallantry awards: the NZ Gallantry Star, the NZ Gallantry Decoration and the NZ Gallantry Medal. The last is described as replacing the mention in despatches, whereas the the NZ Gallantry Decoration is described as replacing, among others, the Distinguished Flying Cross. Surely an NZGD was merited here?

Many congratulations to Sqn Ldr Pryor, but it would seem that the RNZAF brass are as tight as those in the RAF when it comes to making recommendations for awards.

Sqn Ldr R J Klitscher, a helicopter pilot with 9 Squadron, RNZAF won the DFC in Vietnam in 1971, this may well have been the last award before the present one.

I'm not sure of the timing, but Flt Lt Punch Patterson RNZAF won a DFC in Vietnam for bringing an Aussie Iroquois of 9 Sqn back badly damaged. The way he told it "he didn't want to walk home".There were other RNZAF pilots who won American Awards.

Why not a British Decoration
 

Gentleman please forgive the intrusion, but as Flight Lieutenant Ben Pryor was on a 'regular' attachment to an RAF Squadron flying under RAF orders, why wasn't he given a British award - as was the case with a recent award to a US serviceman

Whatever the case congratulations F/Lt Pryor:ok:

PZU - Out of Africa (Retired)

pzu

I wondered that as well.

My guess is that the system is different for those from the Commonwealth.