Every Day Heroes

(Photo courtesy Helmand Blog)

Taleban bullets bounce off ‘lucky platoon’

From The Sunday Times
May 16, 2010


Over two months in Helmand province, members of the 3rd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, escaped death repeatedly



THEY are not so much the dirty dozen as the fortunate few. A band of 12 British soldiers has been described as the “luckiest platoon” in Afghanistan after repeatedly cheating death at the hands of the Taleban.

The men from the 3rd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, came within inches of losing their lives to sniper fire and roadside bombs during a two-month period of intense fighting in Helmand province.

One soldier survived being hit three times in a hail of bullets, while another continued to fight off the enemy despite being shot in the neck in another attack.

Even the platoon commander narrowly avoided being blown up thanks to a malfunctioning bomb.

The army unit’s tale of luck and heroism is one of the few positive stories to emerge from the area of Sangin, regarded as the most dangerous place in Afghanistan for British troops.

Another battalion, 3 Rifles, posted close to the same Taliban stronghold suffered 30 deaths and a further 80 injuries during a six-month tour. A total of 285 British soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2001.'''...

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Thank you ALL for your service.