Royal Marine who rugby tackled suicide bomber 'prefers football'
A Royal Marine, Sgt Noel Connolly, awarded the Military Cross for rugby-tackling a teenage suicide bomber in Afghanistan has insisted ''football's my game''.
Published: 1:33PM GMT 01 Dec 2009
Sgt Noel Connolly collected his bravery medal from the Queen at Windsor Castle for saving the lives of 30 comrades Photo: PA
Sgt Connolly collected his bravery medal from the Queen at Windsor Castle for saving the lives of 30 comrades.
"Do I look like a rugby tackling chap? Football's my game - and running," he said afterwards. ''I watch rugby, but I run 10ks. I'm 41. I've got to run a lot to keep up with the young Marines.''
Sgt Connolly, originally from Manchester, told of how he grabbed the would-be attacker by the ''scruff of the neck'' when the bomber targeted his troop on a motorbike packed with 150lb of explosives and shrapnel last November.
He pulled him from his saddle before he could hit the detonator.
''I was just trying to stop him. It was just a matter of dealing with him and trying to get the upper hand on the Taliban,'' Sgt Connolly said.
He added: ''I got him by the scruff of the neck.''
The Queen asked him how he knew it was a bomber.
''She asked about the motorcycle suicide bomber and asked me how did I know. It was indicated through intelligence,'' he said.
The Marine, who was joined by his wife Lorraine and daughters Siobhan, 20, and 17-year-old Danielle, insisted he was no hero and said he would want to go back to Afghanistan.
''Yes I would (go back) tomorrow. I believe in it 100%. As for the hero bit all the troops do equally heroic tasks on a daily basis. I'd pin this medal on any one of their chests.''
His wife Lorraine said she was very proud of him. Of his actions she said: ''The first thing we thought was that's very stupid and oh my God what did you do that for? Then you realise the reality of it and you actually understand if he hadn't have done it what the consequences would have been.''
The family now live in Plymouth, Devon.
Jūs neturite teisės matyti nuorodas.
Registruotis arba
Prisijungti
