By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:43 AM on 25th March 2011
Acting Sergeant Dipprasad Pun, 31, single-handedly fought off an attack on his base by up to 30 Taliban insurgents
A Gurkha soldier who single-handedly fought off an attack on his base by up to 30 Taliban insurgents has been awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.
Acting Sergeant Dipprasad Pun, 31, exhausted all his ammunition and at one point had to use the tripod of his machine gun to beat away a militant climbing the walls of the compound.
The soldier fired more than 400 rounds, launched 17 grenades and detonated a mine to thwart the Taliban assault on his checkpoint near Babaji in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan.
Acting Sgt Pun was on sentry duty on the evening of September 17 last year when he heard a clinking noise outside the small base.
At first he thought it might be a donkey or a cow, but when he went to investigate he found two insurgents digging a trench to lay an improvised explosive device (IED) at the checkpoint's front gate.
He realised that he was completely surrounded and that the Taliban were about to launch a well-planned attempt to overrun the compound.
The enemy opened fire from all sides, destroying the sentry position where Acting Sgt Pun had been on duty minutes before.
Defending the base from the roof, the Gurkha remained under continuous attack from rocket-propelled grenades and AK47s for over quarter of an hour.
Most of the militants were about 50ft away from him, but at one point he turned around to see a 'huge' Taliban fighter looming over him.
Acting Sgt Pun picked up his machine gun and fired a long burst at the man until he fell off the roof.
When another insurgent tried to climb up to his position, the Gurkha attempted to shoot him with his SA80 rifle.
But it did not work, either because it had jammed or because the magazine was empty.
Acting Sgt Pun first grabbed a sandbag but it had not been tied up and the contents fell to the floor.
Then he seized the metal tripod of his machine gun and threw it at the approaching Taliban militant, shouting in Nepali 'Marchu talai' ('I will kill you') and knocking him down.
Two insurgents were still attacking by the time the heroic Gurkha had used up all his ammunition, but he set off a Claymore mine to repel them.
At this point his company commander, Major Shaun Chandler, arrived at the checkpoint, slapped him on the back and asked if he was OK.
Army medic Corporal Isobel Henderson, left, receives an MBE for her bravery and dedication treating wounded British troops, while Lance Corporal Matthew Morris was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery after leading the search which uncovered one of the largest IEDs ever found in Helmand
Acting Sgt Pun admitted that he was confused at first about whether the officer was another member of the Taliban.
Asked if he might have accidentally fired on his commander, the Gurkha smiled as he said: 'I didn't have any more ammunition.'
Acting Sgt Pun believed at the time that there were more than 30 attackers, although local villagers later told him the figure was more likely to be 12 to 15.
He said he thought the assault would never end and 'nearly collapsed' when it was over.
'As soon as it was confirmed (they were) Taliban, I was really scared,' he recalled.
'But as soon as I opened fire that was gone - before they kill me I have to kill some.
'I thought they were going to kill me after a couple of minutes, definitely.'
He spoke of his pride at receiving the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, which is only one level down from the Victoria Cross.
'I think I am a very lucky guy, a survivor. Now I am getting this award it is very great and I am very happy,' he said.
In total, Acting Sgt Pun fired off 250 general purpose machine gun rounds, 180 SA80 rounds, six phosphorous grenades, six normal grenades, five underslung grenade launcher rounds and one Claymore mine.
The only weapon he did not use was the traditional Kukri knife carried by Gurkhas because he did not have his with him at the time.
Staff Sergeant Andrew Johnson, left, has been awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service for constructing a road link under enemy fire, while Captain Malcolm Wheeler is to get a Mention in Despatches for his courage and leadership rescuing wounded soldiers at an isolated patrol base in Helmand
The married soldier, whose father and grandfather were also both Gurkhas, is originally from the village of Bima in western Nepal but now lives in Ashford, Kent.
His medal citation said he saved the lives of three comrades also at the checkpoint at that time and prevented the position from being overrun.
It read: 'Pun could never know how many enemies were attempting to overcome his position, but he sought them out from all angles despite the danger, consistently moving towards them to reach the best position of attack.'
A total of 136 servicemen and women - most of whom served with 4 Mechanized Brigade in Afghanistan between April and October last year - were awarded honours today, four posthumously.
Army medic Corporal Isobel Henderson, 24, receives an MBE for her bravery and dedication treating wounded British troops and Afghans at a checkpoint which was almost constantly under attack.
Twice during her tour she responded to mass casualty incidents where blasts injured civilians including a heavily pregnant woman and children as young as two.
The 5ft 2in servicewoman had to carry her own weight in kit when she left the checkpoint north of Lashkar Gah in Helmand which she shared with 20 Scots Guardsmen and 15 Afghan police.
On one occasion insurgents detonated a massive bomb under a packed Afghan minibus just outside the checkpoint, killing many of the passengers instantly and leaving others with horrific wounds.
Cpl Henderson, of the Royal Army Medical Corps, from Dalbeattie, near Dumfries in Scotland, calmly treated injured women and children and arranged for them to be evacuated to hospital.
She said: 'It's not until afterwards, when you sit down and think, 'Oh my God, what just happened? What did I just do?'
'To be honest I was quite proud of myself - I actually thought I dealt with it relatively well and I didn't panic.
'Afterwards you just think you're in some kind of nightmare. But then you can't dwell on things too much because you would make yourself ill.'
Her citation said: 'Henderson has had to deal with an exceptionally heavy burden of casualties in an isolated checkpoint which has been under near constant attack for six months.'
Bomb hunter Lance Corporal Matthew Morris, 23, was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery after leading the search which uncovered one of the largest IEDs ever found in Helmand.
The soldier discovered the 500lb device after aerial reconnaissance spotted 16 suspicious men digging something into the ground in the dangerous Sangin district.
The insurgents attempted to detonate the bomb as he and his men arrived to investigate but it did not go off properly.
L/Cpl Morris said: 'I was lead searcher. We got there and the ground was smoking.
'The insurgents saw us coming up to it, about 25-30m (82-98ft) away from it. Obviously a 500lb bomb has got a large blast radius - if they initiated it there, they might get us.
'They tried to detonate it but it only partially exploded. The ATO (ammunition technical officer) said it probably would have taken out the team.'
L/Cpl Morris, of the Royal Engineers, from Longbridge, Birmingham, was hailed for his courage in volunteering daily to go at the front of patrols to hunt for IEDs in the deadliest areas of Helmand.
His citation said: 'Very few searchers volunteer to return to Afghanistan, yet Morris did exactly that on this, his second tour.
'Morris has never once relinquished his lead role, displaying a high level of courage and commitment.'
The honours will be presented at a later date.
MORE SOLDIERS HONOURED FOR THEIR BRAVERY
Soldiers who endured daily attacks from Taliban insurgents have spoken of their pride after being honoured for their bravery and commitment on a six-month tour of Afghanistan.
The troops, all members of 4th Mechanized Brigade, were deployed to Task Force Helmand between April and October of last year, during which more than 50 soldiers lost their lives.
The battle-weary soldiers are back at base at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire and spoke of the highs and lows of the tour.
Lance Corporal Alan Redford (pictured), 35, from Birkenhead, is to receive a Military Cross for showing 'incredible gallantry and unflinching courage' as he repulsed enemy attacks.
He was serving as a rifle section second in command with The Mercian Regiment in the Upper Gereshk Valley when he became involved in two severe fire fights with the enemy.
On one occasion he leapt to his feet and charged towards the enemy, firing as he went. His actions forced the insurgents to retreat and inspired his men to join the fight, the Army said.
His citation reads: 'His unflinching courage has undoubtedly saved lives. He is a warrior in the truest sense; selfless and brave.'
Commenting on his award, he added: 'It means everything to me. It is a great honour, not just to me, but to the whole regiment. It was a very challenging tour. We lost some great lads. There were a lot of low points but we achieved some good things.'
Staff Sergeant Andrew Johnson, 33, from Newcastle, has been awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service (QCVS) for managing the construction of a major road link under enemy fire in Afghanistan.
The road now links communities in Nar-e-Sarej with those in Lashkar Gah and involved constructing an 8km route through enemy territory, littered with IEDs Staff Sergeant Johnson, who serves with the Corps of Royal Engineers said: 'It was a tough tour, especially as it was the summer and there was a lot of insurgency activity.
' I was extremely busy and picked up the nickname the Road Doctor. If there was a problem I got asked to deal with it. I was flown all over the place to help deal with the problems.'
'It was tough at times working in the intense heat, and when our designed route kept getting changed and adapted to suit local plans. But it finally all came together and it's really rewarding to be recognised for the contribution we made over there.'
Captain Malcolm Wheeler, 29, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, is to be awarded a Mention in Despatches for his courage and leadership rescuing wounded soldiers at an isolated patrol base in Helmand.
Captain Wheeler, of The Mercian Regiment, was leading a platoon of Gurkha soldiers maintaining security at a patrol base.
The platoon fought off daily attacks and conducted a series of aggressive patrols to deliver security to the local people. His citation reads: 'His courage and exceptional leadership has been inspirational.'
He added: 'The tour certainly had its moments, there were good days and bad days and everyone had days when they really really didn't want to be there but we just got on with it.
'We had two battle casualties: one was a very serious injury to a lad who lost both his legs from an IED and the other was a gunshot wound. Both are on the road to recovery.'
On two occasions the officer rescued wounded comrades. On the first occasion he ran 100 metres through a hail of fire four times, while on the second occasion he led an assault on the enemy to clear a route to evacuate a casualty.
The Mention in Despatches is the oldest form of recognition of gallantry within the UK Armed Forces. Since 1993 it has been reserved for gallantry during active operations.
Sergeant Cameron MacDougall, who serves with the Scots Guards, has also been awarded the QCVS after he showed 'dogged determination to live and work with the people in order to advance our campaign.'
The 35-year-old from Cumbernauld, near Glasgow, learned to speak a little of the Pashtu and took an interest in the local community. He added: 'I'm very proud, but this is recognition for the whole regiment out there.'
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