'We screamed at chopper crew to leave minefield' BLAST FEAR OF STRANDED PARAS.Byline: BY RON MOORE TROOPS who were stuck in an Afghan minefield told yesterday how they begged a helicopter to leave for fear it would set off a fatal blast. Corporal Mark Wright, 27, died from his injuries after a mine exploded as the rescue chopper flew away, an inquest heard. He had been trying to save Lance Corporal lance corporal n. 1. Abbr. LCpl A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Marine Corps that is above private first class and below corporal. 2. One who holds this rank. Stuart Hale, whose leg had been blown off. Marooned troops from the Parachute Regiment's 3rd Battalion radioed for a helicopter to winch the injured sniper to hospital, but none were available. Instead a giant Chinook Chinook, indigenous people of North America Chinook (shĭn  k`, chĭ–), Native American tribe of the Penutian linguistic stock. , not fitted with a winch, was sent.
Survivor L/Cpl Hale said the troops were all concerned when they heard the chopper coming in. He added: "We all thought, 'This is a bad idea'. When the helicopter came around and started to hover I remember thinking, 'This is bad - it is going to get too low, it is going to land'. "It did try to land. We were all shouting at it to go away. I think we all thought that the downdraft down·draft n. 1. A strong downward current of air. 2. A downward trend; downturn: The business hit a downdraft. might set off a mine." Combat medic A combat medic is a trained soldier who is responsible for providing first aid and frontline trauma care on the battlefield. Also responsible for providing continuing medical care in the absence of a readily available physician, including care for disease and non battle injury. Lance Corporal Paul Hartley Paul James Hartley (born 19 October 1976, in Hamilton) is a Scottish professional footballer, currently playing for Celtic in the Scottish Premier League. Club career Early career told the hearing he was treating Cpl Hale as the copter arrived. He said: "I was screaming at the helicopter to go away. We were concerned about the downdraft setting off a mine. There was concern for the casualties - there were bits of kit flying everywhere." L/Cpl Hartley said when the Chinook landed the crew waved at them to go towards it, but he signalled for them leave because of the danger. He added: "As the Chinook took off myself and Cpl Wright both stood up and looked at each other to say, 'What's next?'. That was when the explosion went off." Earlier, Corporal Stuart Pearson, now a sergeant, told the inquest he radioed to request a helicopter with a winch. He went on: "We were told the winch wasn't happening and I was a bit cheesed off." Despite his fatal shrapnel injuries Cpl Wright, of Edinburgh, was still joking to boost the morale of his comrades, the inquest at Oxford coroner's court heard. He was awarded a posthumous George Cross for bravery. Three troops lost legs and a three more were injured in the incident on September 6, 2006 around Kajaki Dam, in the wartorn Helmand Province. The inquest continues. CAPTION(S): HERO VICTIM Cpl Wright tried to rescue his comrades; HURT L/Cpl Stuart Hale lost a leg |
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