Hero returns for another Afghanistan tour

By U.K. Royal Navy Lt. Gemma Fullman Royal Navy.
ISAF/PIO

Afghanistan -- Colour Sergeant Kajiman Limbu, Military Cross Royal Gurkha Rifles (MC RGR), has returned to Afghanistan, the theatre which saw him awarded the Military Cross for his bravery while here in 2003.

CSgt. Limbu, who is working as the Company Quarter Master Sergeant at Camp Souter, was responsible for non commissioned officer training within the Afghan National Army on his previous tour. On the night of October 11, 2003 while on exercise with his team of instructors and Afghan non commissioned officer students, he heard over the hand held radio, that a five man U.S. observer team had been engaged, possibly ambushed, on their way back to Camp Phoenix.

Within seconds, the colour sergeant and his multi-national team heard that their U.S. colleagues had been pinned down by heavy small arms fire and needed assistance. CSgt. Limbu and five of the U.S. instructors were the closest coalition forces to the contact, they knew they had to help and so they jumped into their Landcruisers and dashed off to provide support.

When they arrived at the scene, the sky was alight with tracer rounds, and coalition forces could be seen behind some burnt out tanks, where they were pinned down by enemy fire. The 34-year-old colour sergeant from Brunei, scrambled forward with his team to link up with the friendly forces. Before returning fire, he asked if there were any friendly forces to the front, only to hear the shocking news that a U.S. lieutenant colonel had gone out on his own. Immediately after hearing this CSgt. Limbu said, "I saw a lone figure staggering towards me in the dark from the direction of the derelict buildings. After a few paces, he fell over. I didn't really have time to think. I knew who he was and I knew that I had to help. I moved out from behind my cover, not really thinking about what could happen, and dashed forward to assist him. I reached him, placed one of his arms over my shoulder and dragged him back to the nearest cover. I'm told there were hundreds of rounds flying in and around us, but I was oblivious to this."

After checking the lieutenant colonel for injuries, CSgt. Limbu realised that more cover was needed to ensure the officer's safety; again with no thought for his own health, he asked one of the U.S instructors to put down cover fire. He then moved the injured lieutenant colonel to a position of better cover and checked him thoroughly, discovering that although he had taken two rounds in the chest at close range, his body armour had worked, the rounds had not penetrated through the plates, and CSgt. Limbu was content his injuries were not life threatening.

CSgt. Limbu then reengaged himself in the firefight, conscious of the fact that he alone had a night sight and had a role to play in directing the fire down onto the enemy. After handing the wounded officer over to a U.S. colleague, he moved, under cover, to the middle of the friendly forces firebase, where he effectively neutralised the enemy forces until the firing died down and the enemy disappeared.

When told by his OC how brave he had been CSgt. Limbu replied, "I just did what any of the 2 RGR (2nd Battalion) grouping would have done. It was just like being on exercise, only the bullets were real."

On what it is like to be back in Afghanistan he said "I am thrilled to be back, and look forward to completing a full tour of duty and working with the local Afghans, I'm very proud to be here helping the Afghans secure their future, but I feel that they must work together as a people if Afghanistan is to have a bright future."

(This article is taken from a personal account from Colour Sergeant Kajiman and originally published April 3, 2005)