bobdina
07-23-2010, 11:38 AM
The first holder of the Military Cross to be killed in action since the Second World War died in Afghanistan after he volunteered to stay on at his base to pass on local knowledge to incoming troops.
Acting Sergeant Michael Lockett had been due to fly out of the combat zone on the day he was killed as he showed fresh troops how to make safe a suspected Taliban booby-trap.
At his inquest yesterday (WEDS) a comrade said Sgt Lockett had told him: "I'm not happy leaving here until I've shown you everything and until you're happy with everything."
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Corporal Carl Peterson added: "When I met him, I thought: 'This is the big boss, a Military Cross winner.'
"All I've got is pure admiration for him, and anyone who met him would have said the same thing. He was an outstanding soldier."
Sgt Lockett, 29, spotted an Improvised Explosive Device (IED during a foot patrol in the Gereshk district of Helmand after he had stayed behind to take part in a handover exercise.
The father-of-three children, of 2nd Bn The Mercian Regiment, had knelt down to mark the device with spray paint when it exploded.
When the dust cleared, it was obvious to the soldiers from 2nd Bn The Yorkshire Regiment who were taking over duties from the Mericans, that Sgt Lockett had sustained severe injuries.
There was silence in the aftermath of the blast, at about 8.30am on September 21, 2009, save for another colleague, Private Alan Sheridan, shouting: "Locky, Locky" - the NCO’s nickname.
Sgt Lockett, of Monifieth in Angus, Scotland, died before he could reach the field hospital at Camp Bastion, the first holder of the Military Cross to be killed in battle in more than 60 years.
The soldier was awarded the gallantry medal after his battalion’s final operation of their six month tour in Sept 2007. His unit was on a mission to destroy Taliban strongholds around the then volatile town of Garmsir when an ambush felled four soldiers in the first volley, including two shot in the head.
The battle that ensued lasted several hours, left two dead and saw three others badly injured. The night became one of the best-documented examples of the bravery of British troops and resulted in a clutch of gallantry awards, including three Military Crosses, a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross and five Mentions in Dispatches.
One of those killed was Pte Johan Botha, 25, from South Africa. According to reports, Taliban fighters tried to grab his body as a trophy, but the men from A Company fought to stop them from as little as 15 yards away.
Cpl Lockett, as he then was, was knocked unconscious but recovered and led another team to extract four wounded soldiers. Flat on the ground, the corporal could not locate the fallen men but could hear screaming over the radio: "They're coming to get him'' as Taliban fighters approached to drag a wounded soldier away, followed by, "Don't leave me.''
His five-man party returned into the killing zone three times to rescue their stricken colleagues.
"There were so many emotions,'' said Cpl Lockett, speaking outside Buckingham Palace last year when the Queen awarded him the MC. "It was horrible. But you have to show the lads you are in control, they're looking to you for inspiration.”
Coroner David Ridley recorded a verdict that Sgt Lockett was unlawfully killed while on active service in Afghanistan.
He said he could not be sure if it was Sgt Lockett, or one of the other soldiers, who accidentally set off the pressure pad IED.
Sgt Lockett's parents April and Malcolm, who have both served in the Army, and ex-wife Natalie Lockett were too upset to comment after the inquest concluded.
Acting Sergeant Michael Lockett had been due to fly out of the combat zone on the day he was killed as he showed fresh troops how to make safe a suspected Taliban booby-trap.
At his inquest yesterday (WEDS) a comrade said Sgt Lockett had told him: "I'm not happy leaving here until I've shown you everything and until you're happy with everything."
n
Corporal Carl Peterson added: "When I met him, I thought: 'This is the big boss, a Military Cross winner.'
"All I've got is pure admiration for him, and anyone who met him would have said the same thing. He was an outstanding soldier."
Sgt Lockett, 29, spotted an Improvised Explosive Device (IED during a foot patrol in the Gereshk district of Helmand after he had stayed behind to take part in a handover exercise.
The father-of-three children, of 2nd Bn The Mercian Regiment, had knelt down to mark the device with spray paint when it exploded.
When the dust cleared, it was obvious to the soldiers from 2nd Bn The Yorkshire Regiment who were taking over duties from the Mericans, that Sgt Lockett had sustained severe injuries.
There was silence in the aftermath of the blast, at about 8.30am on September 21, 2009, save for another colleague, Private Alan Sheridan, shouting: "Locky, Locky" - the NCO’s nickname.
Sgt Lockett, of Monifieth in Angus, Scotland, died before he could reach the field hospital at Camp Bastion, the first holder of the Military Cross to be killed in battle in more than 60 years.
The soldier was awarded the gallantry medal after his battalion’s final operation of their six month tour in Sept 2007. His unit was on a mission to destroy Taliban strongholds around the then volatile town of Garmsir when an ambush felled four soldiers in the first volley, including two shot in the head.
The battle that ensued lasted several hours, left two dead and saw three others badly injured. The night became one of the best-documented examples of the bravery of British troops and resulted in a clutch of gallantry awards, including three Military Crosses, a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross and five Mentions in Dispatches.
One of those killed was Pte Johan Botha, 25, from South Africa. According to reports, Taliban fighters tried to grab his body as a trophy, but the men from A Company fought to stop them from as little as 15 yards away.
Cpl Lockett, as he then was, was knocked unconscious but recovered and led another team to extract four wounded soldiers. Flat on the ground, the corporal could not locate the fallen men but could hear screaming over the radio: "They're coming to get him'' as Taliban fighters approached to drag a wounded soldier away, followed by, "Don't leave me.''
His five-man party returned into the killing zone three times to rescue their stricken colleagues.
"There were so many emotions,'' said Cpl Lockett, speaking outside Buckingham Palace last year when the Queen awarded him the MC. "It was horrible. But you have to show the lads you are in control, they're looking to you for inspiration.”
Coroner David Ridley recorded a verdict that Sgt Lockett was unlawfully killed while on active service in Afghanistan.
He said he could not be sure if it was Sgt Lockett, or one of the other soldiers, who accidentally set off the pressure pad IED.
Sgt Lockett's parents April and Malcolm, who have both served in the Army, and ex-wife Natalie Lockett were too upset to comment after the inquest concluded.