Soldier blinded by Taliban gets George Medal

Rifleman Paul Jacobs, 21, of 2nd Battalion The Rifles, showed "sheer personal courage and startling determination" after he was seriously wounded in Afghanistan last year.

He celebrated the honour with Louise Smith, 24, to whom he got engaged last month after they met while she was working as a healthcare assistant at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

Rfn Jacobs, from London, said his award was an honour for all his comrades who died in Afghanistan. "I think every medal represents that for the fallen," he said.

He met Miss Smith, from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, last September while he was recovering in Selly Oak and proposed to her on her birthday on February 18.

Miss Smith, who has worked at the hospital – where seriously injured British troops are treated – for just over a year, said: "He slowly made an impression on me. He's always joking."

Asked what attracted her to Rfn Jacobs, she said: "I can't pinpoint one thing. You just get to know the guys when they're on the wards. You have to have a laugh with them. It's more uplifting than being serious about things because some of the situations are really sad. I consider it part of the job."

One of Rfn Jacobs' 2 Rifles comrades wished the couple well. Corporal Carl Thomas, 30, from Liverpool, said: "I'm happy for them – obviously the Florence Nightingale syndrome is still around these days.

"I'm over the moon for him. I wish him all the best for the future. He's a good lad and he deserves a bit of luck. I feel honoured to have known him as a friend."

Cpl Thomas was himself awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his bravery in treating wounded soldiers under fire on July 10 last year in an incident that left five members of 2 Rifles dead.

More than 150 servicemen and women – including a record number who served in 19 Light Brigade's bloody tour of Afghanistan between March and September last year – were awarded honours yesterday.

Among the recipients are eight who are honoured posthumously, the highest number since the Second World War.

They include bomb disposal expert Captain Daniel Shepherd, 28, of the Royal Logistic Corps, who was killed attempting to disarm an IED in Nad-e-Ali in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan in July last year.

Capt Shepherd, from Lincoln, will receive the George Medal for personally clearing 13 IEDs from a drugs bazaar by hand while under fire over 36 hours of unbroken activity without the use of a bomb disposal robot or a protective suit.

His medal citation reads: "He was an inspiration to his team. His personal actions directly and demonstrably saved the lives of innumerable Afghans, coalition and British forces before he made the ultimate sacrifice."

His widow Kerry attended a ceremony in central London where the awards were announced and collected the citation from General Sir Peter Wall, commander-in-chief land forces. She said: "I would like to take this opportunity to say how extremely proud I am today of Dan, as is his whole family – his parents David and Judith, and his brother Paul.

"This award is also for his whole team, all of them playing their part.

"The medal was awarded in light of his ultimate sacrifice. He will always be loved and never ever forgotten."

The most senior British Army officer to be killed in action since the Falklands War, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, 39, was posthumously awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service.