Hero soldier braves enemy fire to rescue stranded comrades

Serjeant Jonpaul Greenwood, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, put his own life on the line yesterday while pulling his men back from insurgent lines after a day of heavy fighting in Afghanistan.

When two of his soldiers became stuck with a quad bike in a wadi, he turned back, running about 75 metres with bullets flying around him, and picking up a grenade propelled machine gun (GPMG) to return fire.

The incident came after a hours of intense fighting in which his platoon had already been surrounded and pinned down by the Taliban.

The 30-year-old, from Rothwell, Leeds, said: "Luck was on our side today, and not the enemy side. We were lucky to come back in one piece.

"Some of the rounds that were coming in were very close.

"The only thing that was going through my head was getting the blokes out of the killing area. You don't really think about yourself, you just think about the men you command and making sure you get them all back in one piece."

Sjt Greenwood and his platoon were on operation north of Forward Operating Base Zeebrugge at Kajaki dam in the north of Helmand province.

The men were giving support to an IED (improvised explosive device) disposal team when they came under attack from multiple locations.

As they crawled for cover, the situation got worse, with more fire coming in from the rear, leaving them surrounded.

"(The bullets were) coming very close to hitting me and my men on the ground," Sjt Greenwood said.

The men formed an all-round defence with just a mound of earth for cover. They moved in and out of position so as not to provide a sitting target.

Luckily the platoon had support. Soldiers in Jackal vehicles attacked the enemy positions with large calibre machine guns and GPMGs.

The mortar teams at the operating base were also attacking the enemy, and "fast air" support bombed two compounds the enemy was using.

The battle lasted between two and three hours, and the platoon started to withdraw using smoke as cover.

"Except for the quad I was the last man," Sjt Greenwood said. "I looked around and one of my blokes driving the quad had got stuck in the wadi. I ran back under fire to get back to the quad."

Sjt Greenwood took one of his men back with him to assist, and another joined them to direct mortar fire on to the enemy.

At one point Sjt Greenwood saw an insurgent come out from the cover of a building and open fire at them.

"He was about 300 metres away. The rounds were pinging all around the wadi," he said.

The men were able to free the quad and make a fighting withdrawal.

Sjt Greenwood said he would do the same thing again to save one of his men in trouble.

Major Mike Lynch, Officer Commanding C Company, said: "There is no doubt in my mind that Serjeant Greenwood's command of his men today under fire was outstanding.

"He remained cool under pressure and under fire throughout, providing key support for a very important operation.

"His selfless commitment when they were withdrawing saw him returning to troops who were pinned down by fire and take control of the incident itself.

"He was very heroic in returning into the enemy's killing area to assist with the extraction of key equipment and personnel."

He said only three days earlier Sjt Greenwood became involved in a similar incident in the same area and was pinned down on three sides.

Major Lynch said: "His leadership and command has been outstanding on this tour and he has set very high standards for all other commanders within the company."

Sjt Greenwood said he was no more a hero than any other soldier fighting in Afghanistan.

"Everybody who comes out to a place like this is a hero."

He said he does not go into detail about the danger he faces when he talks to his family at home and his wife, Emma Greenwood, a 25-year-old nursery nurse.