GRP 47-Co hosting for this episode is retired Army veteran, Nick Betts. I interviewed Stu Pearson a retired British Army soldier who served for 20 years with 3 Para. The Parachute Regiment is an elite British Infantry Battalion that has been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. Stu was on a rotation to Southern Afghanistan and was tasked with protecting the Kajaki Dam which provided power to a large number of people in the region.

A Para sniper saw enemy activity that was out of effective targeting range so they planned to move to a concealed position closer to the enemy. En route to this position the sniper who was leading the movement stepped on a landmine. They'd walked right into a minefield. The Para's quickly stabilized him. They'd chosen flat ground not far so the MEDEVAC helicopter could extract the Para Trooper. While clearing the path Stu Pearson stepped on a landmine. Seven men were seriously wounded at Kajaki. Three of them lost legs, while Corporal Mark Wright, of the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, suffered fatal wounds. The 27-year-old, just two months away from his wedding to Gill Urquhart, died after displaying bravery so ferocious that he would be posthumously awarded the highest of honors, the George Cross. Three of his comrades were also decorated for gallantry.

Nick and I had a conversation with retired U.S Army Special Forces veteran David Pavlick. Pavlick is the CEO of Arsenal Democracy which specializes in Aerospace/Defense Research and Development. He served in Special Forces for 12 years with multiple deployments. David and Nick are both qualified Snipers.

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