Peebles soldier honoured for role in Afghanistan
David Knox • Published 4 Oct 2011 09:30
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A SOLDIER from the Borders is to receive a Mention in Despatches for his courage while serving in war-torn Afghanistan.
On his first operational tour, Lieutenant James MacDonald, from Peebles, put himself in the firing line to identify a Taliban sharpshooter, before leading a team to neutralise the threat.
The 25-year-old, of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, was in command of a platoon at the most hazardous check point in Nad-e Ali District.
Already under considerable threat, the intensity of attacks around Quadrat increased dramatically from late December 2010, reaching a peak in January 2011.
Heavy, accurate, well-co-ordinated and often repeated attacks, usually from multiple locations, were aimed at Quadrat or patrols that left it every other day.
The enemy firing points were often defended by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and an experienced and skilled Taliban sharpshooter operated in the area, causing four serious casualties.
James identified the sharpshooter as the most pressing threat to his mission and the safety of his soldiers, so formulated a plan to neutralise the threat. He decided to set up a vehicle check point to draw fire, enabling other assets to identify the sharpshooter once he revealed his position.
James led each of four such operations. His citation states: "Arriving fresh from training, James took command of a situation that would test every aspect of his leadership. During a sustained period of insurgent attack and extreme risk, he demonstrated outstanding leadership and enormous strength of character.
"Through his instrumental role in the removal of the sharpshooter, James retained the initiative in his area of operations and reduced the threat to the men under his command, constantly leading from the front during this extraordinarily challenging time."
On one occasion bullets missed the Peebles soldier by inches. James said: "It is a huge honour and I am amazingly humbled to receive this decoration, but I don't see that what I did is any more worthy of recognition that than what the rest of my platoon did.
"We had a plan to achieve the objective of taking out the threat from the sharpshooter and I was playing my role in the team. Others were doing things that were just as brave and at no point did I think that I was taking a bigger risk than others."
This article appeared in Border Telegraph 04 Oct 11
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