Modern War Heroes

Photo taken moments after Kate Nesbitt saved a soldiers life

COURAGEOUS Kate Nesbitt takes a well-earned breather on the battlefield – her face covered with the blood of the soldier whose life she has just saved.

Navy medic Kate, 21, was snapped moments after a heroic rescue in Afghanistan which has earned her a Military Cross.

The brave blonde dashed 70 yards across a war zone to reach fallen Corporal John List, who was choking to death on his own blood.
An enemy bullet had ricocheted off Cpl List’s body armour into his mouth – smashing his jaw and tongue.

Despite heavy fire from Taliban machine guns, Kate worked for 45 minutes to save his life.

She stemmed the bleeding and then expertly performed a tricky procedure to open a second airway through the soldier’s nose.

Able Seaman Kate, from Plymouth, is the first Wren to receive the Military Cross. (source)

Medics truly are special people. They take their duty seriously, even to the point of risking bodily harm in order to perform it. They are someone who has dedicated themselves to the un-warlike ideals of healing, but who won’t hesitate to throw themselves into the violent fray when needed.
These field medics deserve all the praise and recognition that they can get. I’m glad that this brave woman received the Military Cross. She more than deserved it.

Despite her injuries, Lance Corporal Clarke stayed in the danger zone to help injured comrades

This story hit the internet yesterday via the Daily Mail.co.uk website. It never ceases to amaze me how these men and women can bravely put their well-being, or even their lives, on the line to help out a fellow soldier or an innocent civilian. In this story of heroism, Lance Corporal Sally Clarke put her team members before herself and was able to save seven fellow soldiers. Oh, and did I mention she had several pieces of shrapnel lodged in her shoulder and back the whole time?

Lance Corporal Sally Clarke, of 2 Rifles, ignored the searing pain caused by the shards embedded in her shoulder and back and set about treating the rest of her patrol.

The worst hit was Corporal Paul Mather who incredibly managed to radio instructions for jets circling above to open fire on Taliban insurgents despite bleeding heavily from wounds the size of his fist.

Corporal Mather, 28, and Lance Corporal Clarke, 22, from Cheltenham, were on patrol south of Sangin when insurgents fired rocket propelled grenades over a wall as soldiers dealt with an anti-tank mine.

Hot flying shrapnel sliced open Corporal Mather’s body, leaving gaping holes across his arms, legs and buttocks.

He said: ‘It hurt like hell, but once the explosions stopped and my hearing came back, I managed to climb through a ditch towards a group of soldiers treating other casualties.

‘I had a hole in my left bicep, so the medics applied a field dressing and tourniquet to stem the blood flow.’

Despite being entitled to get out as soon as she was hit Lance Corporal Clarke refused, insisting she would not leave the patrol without a medic.

She said: ‘I didn’t feel like my injuries were bad enough to go back to the hospital, particularly as I was the only medic on the ground at the time.

‘I couldn’t leave them on their own – I came out here to support the troops on the ground and give them medical care when they needed it the most.’