Hero soldiers rewarded for their bravery (From Worcester News)

Hero soldiers rewarded for their bravery

12:10pm Saturday 20th March 2010 in

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TWO Worcestershire soldiers have been rewarded for their outstanding bravery and courage while fighting in Afghanistan.

Captain Ed Brown and Lieutenant Duncan Hadland, both of 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters), were told yesterday that they had received the military cross and had been mentioned in dispatches, respectively.

Capt Brown, aged 26, of Tenbury Wells, was in charge of a small team of British soldiers and a larger group from the Afghan National Army (ANA).

The troops, under his command, staved off and even took the fight to the Taliban as they protected the isolated Nawa district during the six-month tour.

Meanwhile, Lt Hadland, 30, of the Butts, Worcester, was involved in intense fighting at a forward operating base in the Gereshk valley, Helmand province, where he helped to keep the Taliban at bay and gave fellow soldiers some breathing space.

Lt Hadland said that happened in July and he said he had fought alongside Private Jason Williams – the 23-year-old, of Sunny-side Road, Barbourne, Worcester, who was killed in an explosion while trying to retrieve the body of a fallen Afghan comrade in August.

Lt Hadland said: “Jason was a fantastic soldier and we think about him all the time. When you get awards like this it’s very nice but you have got to think about the guys that didn’t come back as well.”