Royal Marine Throws Himself On Grenade To Save Comrades
Croucher’s backpack was thrown more than 30ft in the explosion.
A Royal Marine could receive the highest award for gallantry after he saved the lives of his comrades by throwing himself onto an exploding grenade in Afghanistan, it has been reported.
Lance Corporal Matt Croucher amazingly survived the incident despite shrapnel peppering his helmet during the explosion.
His extraordinary courage, which could lead to a citation for the Victoria Cross, came after a tripwire booby-trap was stepped on during a nighttime mission outside the town of Sangin, Helmand province.
A live hand-grenade was released threatening to blow up L/Cpl Croucher, 24 and the rest of the patrol.
The marine shouted “grenade” and as his friends dived for cover L/Cpl Croucher lay with his back on the lethal device.
The patrol commander, Corporal Adam Lesley threw himself to the ground and another man got behind a wall, but one marine had frozen and was still standing when the grenade detonated.
“My reaction was, ‘My God this can’t be real’,” said Cpl Lesley. “Croucher had simply lain back and used his day sack to blunt the force of the explosion. You would expect nine out of 10 people to die in that situation.”
With fuses that can last several seconds the men waited for what “felt like a lifetime” before the grenade blew up.
The marine’s backpack, thought to contain ammunition, was thrown more than 30ft and sent a burning radio battery flying through the air.
L/Cpl Croucher, who suffered a bleeding nose and shock, was saved by the special plating inside his Osprey body armour. He almost certainly saved the life of Marine Scott Easter who had “just completely frozen”.
“All I could hear was a loud ringing and the faint sound of people shouting ‘are you ok? Are you ok?’” L/Cpl Croucher, a reservist from Birmingham, told the News of the World.
“Then I felt one of the lads giving me a top to toe check. My head was ringing. Blood was streaming from my nose. It took 30 seconds before I realised I was definitely not dead,” he added.
Cpl Lesley said: “He had shrapnel in his helmet, in the plate of his body armour, but he was basically okay.
“His day sack had taken the blast.”
The action happened on Feb 9 as the reconnaissance troop from 40 Commando went to search a bomb-making factory in a compound out Sangin.
A Ministry of Defence statement said: “L/Cpl Croucher has displayed incredible bravery in his action in Afghanistan. His bravery could well be recognised through some form of gallantry award in due course along with other personnel from the latest deployment to Afghanistan.”
(Telegraph)
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True Courage
March 31st, 2008 at 2:23 pmGood on ya mate….This is VC material all the way. What a tremendous ballsy act of valor. Outfreaking standing….
A couple of pints for the squaddie:
March 31st, 2008 at 2:28 pmHe definitely deserves the Victoria Cross.
March 31st, 2008 at 2:38 pmHe has the courage of his grandfathers and forefathers many generations before. Such courage kept the world safe during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Can it keep the world safe through the 21st?
March 31st, 2008 at 2:39 pmnow thats bravery. putting the lives of his men first. he deserves lots of respect for that and im glad he survived as well.
March 31st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Great Job! Makes me proud of my English heritage. 
March 31st, 2008 at 2:57 pmI love hearing stories like this where the hero survives. Usually in these instances bravery is rewarded with missing body parts or a post-mortem decoration. Thank God he wasn’t hurt.
March 31st, 2008 at 3:30 pmThank God he’s OK, and Thank God for giving us people like this.
March 31st, 2008 at 3:54 pmCourage and very quick thinking. God bless him for his heroic actions in protecting his men!
March 31st, 2008 at 4:06 pmWow!
All I can really say.
March 31st, 2008 at 4:11 pmWhen a few good soldiers suffers many hardships in order for the many back home live free from Tyranny…. This soldier receives my respect for putting safety of his Patrol first before himself.
March 31st, 2008 at 4:53 pmmore than words
March 31st, 2008 at 5:08 pmit would probably be cool to get this guys address and send him a nice note. anyone know if/how that is possible?
March 31st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
March 31st, 2008 at 6:27 pmNow that is the kind of Brit that fought my ancestors at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Hoorah!
March 31st, 2008 at 6:37 pmDon’t even discount the spine of the British soldier…legendary it is as you know,
“Some one had blunder’d, Theirs not to make reply,
March 31st, 2008 at 7:08 pmTheirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.”…
@Dhengis
Tis not for us to ask why
March 31st, 2008 at 8:22 pmTis for us to do or die
into the valley of death
rode the six hundred…
In case you missed it. One of our own finest and bravest will be recieving the MOH on April 8th…posthumously for the same act of heroism as this outstanding squaddie.
March 31st, 2008 at 9:25 pmhttp://www.newsmax.com/us/medal_of_honor/2008/03/31/84474.html
Proud of my English/Canadian kinfolk! Boy, he looks tough just like he is. oorah to him!
March 31st, 2008 at 11:18 pm