Gurkha Hero fought Off 30 Taliban Awarded Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
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Uploaded by WorldLiveNews on Mar 25, 2011
A LONE Gurkha fought off an attack by 30 Taliban fanatics with just a chunk of metal and a sandbag after running out of ammunition.
Sergeant Dipprasad Pun, 31, facing a surprise attack at a Afghanistan checkpoint, used superhuman strength to hoist a 50lb machine gun off its mount to blast at the enemy.
When they kept coming, he launched 17 grenades and picked up an SA80 assault rifle, only for it to jam.
Then he threw the machine gun's metal tripod at his attackers, before fending them off with a sandbag while yelling in Nepali: "I will kill you!"
With nothing left to hand, the exhausted hero finally managed to fire off a Claymore mine, and the blast sent the enemy scattering.
Yesterday, Sgt Pun's extraordinary courage in Helmand province earned him the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross at a special ceremony in London.
The soldier's medal citation said his actions saved the lives of three comrades and prevented the key military position he was guarding from being overrun.
The married soldier, who lives in Ashford, Kent, said: "I was really scared but as soon as I opened fire that was gone. I knew I had to kill them.
"I thought they were going to kill me after a couple of minutes, definitely.
"Looking back at it, I realise I'm a very lucky guy, a survivor. It is great to get this award. I am very happy."
The sergeant in the Royal Gurkha Rifles told how he was on night-time sentry duty on September 17 last year when he discovered insurgents laying an improvised explosive device at the checkpoint.
He was surrounded and the enemy opened fire with rocket-propelled grenades and AK47s.
As the 20-minute battle raged, Sgt Pun raced onto a wall to remove the giant machine gun from its mount so he could lower it enough to aim at the attackers below.
At one point he turned to find a "huge" militant standing behind him ready to pounce and Sgt Pun fired a final machine gun round at him.
He also fired his SA80 assault rifle, but the weapon failed just as another Taliban crept up on him. He said: "I threw it away and grabbed a sandbag to hit him but all the sand poured away. I had nothing left. Suddenly I found the metal rod and hit him with it.
"I threw it at him yelling in Nepali 'I will kill you' and he fell down. They were very determined. They kept coming and coming. In the end I was nearly collapsed."
His honour is just one level below the military's top award, the Victoria Cross.
Sgt Pun was one of 136 servicemen and women honoured yesterday, four of them posthumously.
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Gurkahs - real life mandalorians. Be afraid.
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better than piss poor NATO troops.
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He should have gotten the Victoria Cross.
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Gurkhas ... LIKE A BOSS
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"Before they kill me.I must kill some of them"..that's a what's a fucking warrior says,and the Gurkhas are some of the best.
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We - The British - couldn't beat these little buggers in combat (NO offence meant to the Gurkhas by that statement) so we invited them to join the British Army (we're not as stupid as we sometimes look!) and many an enemy has paid the price since. My thanks to the lads from Nepal!
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Thats a true gorkha nepali....
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Salute Dip prasad pun u showed wat the Real Gorkhalis are. May Gorkhalis ancestors bless u. Love From Nepal Gurkhas
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amazing example of why everyone should be issues a side arm...his primary jammed :S true hero
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@NobleSavage1919 Are you aware of how reproduction works?
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@panjabiwarrior ........Damn, i did not know i was arguing with 8 years old...easy boy, relax!!! have a drink or go n have shower! n if u have some self respect, don't comment anymore.
mrlovedromeo0123 1 month ago 7
@NobleSavage1919
That being said, I'm well aware of Afghanistan's history of repulsing just about every foreign invasion in its history.
However, you can at least pretend to show some respect for a fellow warrior race. Surely, that's not too taxing a task, is it?
AceWombatZero 3 weeks ago 4