Joshua Leakey VC

[Polyethyl]

So impressed by the new Victoria Cross winner.

His citation's got everything, he provided first aid care to a wounded comrade, he led his team, he fought off the Taliban, he ran up and down hills fetching machine guns. Amazing!
And his second cousin won a posthumous VC back in 1941.
And he's tall, dark and handsome - and single!

What's his future military career going to be like!

I saw a documentary on VC winners not so long ago (think it was a Clarkson one tbh). The irony was that the majority of VC winners found it very difficult. They are continually remained of the most traumatic event in their lives and treated as a hero when many just feel they were doing their job and what anyone else in their position would have done. If I'm honest I feel quite sorry for him being thrown into the media spotlight because of it. It will make scars harder to heal for him.

I think it's nice that, for once, they were able to pin the medal on the person themselves and that they survived! Amazing citation and let's hope his future career is a lot less dramatic.... for his mother's sake, who I believe he told that he was spending all his tour of duty firmly inside the base :)

I doubt he'll ever be made to do a 2am gate guard again, nor any other crap duty.

I hope he isn't traumatised.

And it's traditional to lie to your mother. But since he's a Para I doubt she was fooled for a moment.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/11435200/Just-another-patrol-for-Para-who-won-VC.html

the Telegraph seems to have the fullest account of the citation and what he actually did that day.

He said the only thing he was scared of was letting his cap badge down, that it shouldn't be all about him, because he was part of a team. He did what Paras do.

They always say that don't they? 'Did what anyone else would do'. But I've seen the full citation as well and the truth is that the rest of the people wearing the same cap badge and facing the same choices (sensibly) did not opt to run into the line of fire carrying heavy machine guns and wounded officers etc. Just him.