Someone in Britain hit a lottery this week for 161 Million British Pounds Sterling....That person is very very lucky.....THIS British Soldier ranks right up there.....He has a most valuable prize to brag about - Still having his LIFE.
That's a close shave! Bullet misses soldier by millimetres after tearing through his chin strap - By UK Daily Mail Reporter
14th July 2011
A bombardier has had a narrow escape from the Taliban after a sniper's bullet flew so close to his head that it cut clean through the strap of his helmet.
James Hallam from 148 Battery, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, has been in Afghanistan since April.
The soldier, who has been in the army for 11 years, was on his first patrol with a new unit in an area known for its militant hide-outs, east of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province.
The attack came when his troop, made up of Royal Marines and engineers, was dropped by helicopter to carry out searches of buildings believed to be factories making homemade explosives for IEDs.
The team came under fire as soon as they landed.
Bombardier Hallam told the British Forces News: 'It was pretty punchy, I could hear the bullets whizzing past me and all I was focusing on was firing back.
'I knew that one had come pretty close to me because I heard the noise, felt the heat and the force of it knocked me over.
"But it wasn’t until later that I realised just how close it’d come."
The soldier was only aware of his close shave once they had taken cover after the gun battle when an officer asked what was wrong with his helmet.
The bullet had hit the clip on the underside rim, severing the strap.
Miraculously, despite being only millimetres from his face, the bullet left no mark.
This is the third time that Bdr Hallam has been deployed to Afghanistan - but admitted this was his most dangerous encounter with enemy troops.
The headgear is being examined by army experts as is the case with any equipment damaged in the line of duty. Bdr Hallam is hoping to get his helmet back.
He said: 'That helmet saved my life - there is absolutely no doubt about it.
'I don’t think I’ll be able to wear it again because of the damage but I’d like the strap at least to carry around with me as a bit of a lucky charm
No comments:
Post a Comment