Royal honour for helicopter pilot who rescued children under Taliban fire (From The Northern Echo)
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Royal honour for helicopter pilot who rescued children under Taliban fire
8:00am Wednesday 15th February 2012 in News
SECOND AWARD: Flight Lieutenant Mike Anderson is decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross, for services in Afghanistan, by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace
A HELICOPTER pilot who rescued five wounded Afghan children from under Taliban fire has received a bravery award from Prince Charles.
Flight Lieutenant Mike Anderson, who piloted his Chinook through heavy machine gun and mortar fire to evacuate the injured youngsters from a shoot-out in Helmand province, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace yesterday.
The honour, presented to UK forces personnel since 1918 for acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty during flying operations, is the second bestowed upon Flt Lt Anderson in two months, the 31-year-old having won the Most Outstanding Airman prize at The Sun Military Awards in December.
The 27 Squadron Chinook pilot, originally from Belmont, near Durham City, was accompanied to Buckingham Palace for yesterday’s ceremony by his parents, Jennifer and Michael Anderson, and his fiancee, Louise Glendenning.
The incident for which Flt Lt Anderson, a former pupil of Belmont School, was honoured took place on January 24 last year.
Four helicopters were rushed to Gereshk but the children had been deliberately wounded to lure Allied forces into an ambush and a gun battle broke out.
Flt Lt Anderson landed his Chinook during a break in firing and rescued four youngsters. A fifth was evacuated by supporting US forces. A sixth child had already died.
Speaking about the incident before Christmas, he said: “We had to change our plan when firing started.
“A few seconds after the incident, we saw the opportunity of a lull in firing.
“You have to come up with a more elegant solution quite quickly in the aircraft. That’s what we get the training for: flexibility of thought.”
Having joined the Royal Air Force in 2003, Flt Lt Anderson has served in Afghanistan seven times – mostly recently from September to December.
He recently began serving as a search and rescue pilot in Anglesey, off the north-west coast of Wales. His parents still live in Durham. He is due to marry Miss Glendenning, who he met at Belmont School, in September.
