Lance Corporal Tuljung Gurung [Picture: Corporal Andy Reddy, Crown copyright]
A Gurkha soldier who ferociously fought off 2 insurgents attacking his patrol base in Afghanistan has been awarded the Military Cross.
Lance Corporal Tuljung Gurung of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, at the time a rifleman, was on guard duty at the front gate of Patrol Base Sparta in Nahr-e Saraj in a 3-metre-high guard tower, known as a sangar, when he was attacked.
Nearing the end of his duty at 4 o’clock in the morning, he noticed 2 individuals running towards him across the fields from a disused compound 90 metres to the south.
Lance Corporal Gurung said:
I shouted loudly at them to stop, but once they heard my voice one of them started to shoot at me.
As rounds struck the wire mesh and fabric frame of the Hesco Bastion sangar, Lance Corporal Gurung returned fire but was struck by a bullet on the left-hand side of his helmet and knocked to the floor:
I just felt that somebody came from behind and hit my helmet with big hammers,” he said. “My neck was sore and I felt so much pain.
As he regained his footing to resume his fire position, Lance Corporal Gurung saw a grenade bounce off the ceiling of the sangar and land next to him. Still groggy from the bullet striking his helmet, he showed exceptional instinct and courage, pushing the grenade out of the sangar just before it detonated....
MUCH more here.
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