{"id":152682,"date":"2022-01-15T18:20:01","date_gmt":"2022-01-15T23:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=152682"},"modified":"2022-01-15T18:20:01","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T20:06:14","slug":"lcpl-joshua-leakey-one-of-the-good-guys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/lcpl-joshua-leakey-one-of-the-good-guys\/","title":{"rendered":"LCPL Joshua Leakey: One of the Good Guys"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"LCPL
For all have sinned…dredging up an errant tweet or email some poor slob typed at age 14 and then canceling them over it as an adult seems the very pinnacle of hypocrisy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We live in a curiously black and white world. The Information Age has given us unprecedented insight into people\u2019s private lives. If something is ever published on the Internet it is there forever. This allows those who don\u2019t actually accomplish a great deal to sit back in a position of comfort and pick apart the actions of those who do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
This thing is the devil. I’m old, but I see little redeeming about the Information Age thus far.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cancel culture is the woke term. Like texting, sexting, dope, Gucci, sick, lit, or the term woke itself, these are words that meant something totally different a generation ago. This deep into the Information Age all it takes is a single errant comment online to disqualify a person from a position of prestige or responsibility. This is based on the flawed assumption that folks are all either innately good or innately bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
There is a website devoted to Mother Theresa’s moral failings. If you’re looking for a sinless role model among us mere mortals you should prepare yourself for disappointment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reality is rarely that clear cut. Not all nuns are angels, and not all Nazis were bloodthirsty psychopaths. We are all of us broken. It is simply that some strive for the light, while others embrace the darkness. However, there does yet remain some weird intangible that attracts certain personalities to certain camps. That ethereal stuff tends to drive some of the most extraordinary behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
ISIS throws people off of tall buildings if they are suspected of being gay. I think folks who are whining so about perceived injustice in the United States need to appreciate what life is like in other places.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In some rare quarters you can indeed find a few moral absolutes. I think we can all agree that ISIS, al Qaeda, and the Taliban are reliably bad people. Their sick oppressive ideology attracts aberrant abusive personalities and then cultivates the worst in them. In the West, an errant online comment can be an unforgivable sin. Meanwhile in Afghanistan people have been executed for listening to music. If anybody cares about my opinion, I think we could use a little perspective over on this side of the pond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
The Global War on Terror brought free peoples together against a common enemy. These are Bundeswehr troops from Germany serving in Afghanistan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Regardless, in the aftermath of 9-11 the free countries of the world banded together to battle the forces of darkness. This was an old school righteous fight. The egregious behavior of our radical Islamist enemies served as the catalyst to unite free peoples in a common cause against tyranny, oppression, and rank terrorism. That single shared mission brought out the very best in some. One of the finest examples extant was that of a young British paratrooper named Joshua Leakey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Origin Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"LCPL
Joshua Leakey is both a hero and a patriot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Joshua Leakey was born in 1988 in England. His father is a retired RAF officer, while his mom is an Occupational Therapist. He has one younger brother. Leakey attended school in Horsham, West Sussex, before starting a military history program at the University of Kent. Dissatisfied with his studies, Leakey dropped out of school to join the British Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
With the benefit of hindsight, this was a pretty ridiculous thing to do. It’s the rare retired paratrooper who can walk upright in comfort. However, it sure was a rush back in the day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is a certain brotherhood among those of us soldiers stupid enough to jump out of perfectly good airplanes. We are typically somewhat full of ourselves and more than a wee bit arrogant. Joshua Leakey was cut from similar stuff. He ended up with the 1st<\/sup> Battalion of the British Parachute Regiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
The CH47D helicopter has been one of the most effective weapon systems of the modern age. Fast, capable, and cool, the Chinook is a rugged and versatile combat aircraft. I loved the machine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Joshua Leakey did three combat tours with the Paras in Afghanistan and was promoted to Lance Corporal. In August of 2013, Leakey was part of a joint multinational operation in Helmand Province. Fighting alongside US Marines as well as Afghan soldiers, Leakey and his mates were moving into a village to search for illegal weapons. Leakey\u2019s team inserted via CH47 Chinook helicopters and immediately found themselves deep in the suck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"LCPL
Soon after their insertion via helicopter, LCPL Leakey’s Paras were fighting for their lives.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Leakey\u2019s element was tasked to provide fire support for the troops assaulting into the village. As such, they set up on the reverse slope of a nearby hill protected from the bulk of the enemy fire. Despite their position of relative safety, they soon found themselves subject to withering automatic weapons and RPG fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
American Marine Captain Brandon Bocian, himself obviously quite the stud in his own right, owes his life to the selfless actions of this young British paratrooper he likely barely knew.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The command group was pinned down on the exposed front slope of the hill by around 20 heavily-armed Taliban fighters. American Marine Captain Brandon Bocian was subsequently hit and badly wounded. The Taliban insurgents were so close and so ferocious as to negate the effectiveness of the two friendly machineguns as well as the organic mortar section that was collocated with the command group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
Combat sweeps away the fluff to expose the true measure of a man.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite being the most junior NCO present, LCPL Leakey rightly assessed the situation as dire and took action. He ran some 100 meters down the hill under heavy enemy fire to get to the command group and render aid to the downed US Marine officer. LCPL Leakey then took charge of the chaotic situation and initiated casualty evacuation procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
LCPL Leakey did what it took to turn the tide of the battle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All the while Taliban forces were suppressing the two automatic weapons in overwatch positions at the top of the hill. LCPL Leakey then ran back up the hill across rugged terrain and under heavy fire to retrieve one of the guns and get it back in action. In the process, the machinegun he was carrying was itself struck by enemy fire though not disabled. LCPL Leakey got the gun working and began pouring fire back onto the attacking insurgents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
Without regard for his own safety, LCPL Leakey braved withering enemy fire time and again.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While this helped it still did not tip the balance of the engagement in the favor of friendly forces. As such LCPL ran the gauntlet a third time, this time carrying more than 60 pounds\u2019 worth of ammunition and equipment. He retrieved a second machinegun from the pinned down command group and sprinted to a more advantageous position with it, siting it against the enemy before turning its operation over to a subordinate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
In modern war overkill is not a real thing. Close Air Support platforms like these A10 Warthogs typically represent an irresistible force on the battlefield.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With two belt-fed MGs finally working on the enemy, LCPL Leakey returned to the downed Marine and coordinated his evacuation under fire. Along the way, friendly forces killed eleven insurgents and wounded another four. The entire battle lasted some 45 interminable minutes. The fighting did not stop until friendly close air support rolled hot to teach the Taliban a stark lesson in the salient aspects of tactical overmatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Guns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"LCPL
The modernized SA80A3 is a mature and effective combat rifle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

British forces in action in Southwest Asia most frequently carried the SA80 bullpup assault rifle. The SA80 was a thoroughly inspired but badly flawed design when introduced in 1985. Since then the SA80 has undergone several product improvements. In 2000 HK redesigned the weapon into the SA80A2, rectifying many to most of the rifle\u2019s documented deficits. The subsequent SA80A3 first saw issue in 2016 and focused primarily on making the weapon more modular and adaptable. Today the SA80A3 enjoys reliability rates comparable to other modern assault rifles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
The FN MAG gun has become the most popular belt-fed machine-gun in the Free World. FN Herstal photograph.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I could not find a specific reference to the machineguns LCPL Leakey humped up and down that godforsaken hill in Afghanistan. However, balance of probability these were L7A2 GPMGs (General Purpose Machineguns). The British soldiers I have known all referred to the L7 guns as \u201cGimpy\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
The FN MAG gun in all its many guises is a familiar weapon in Western arsenals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The L7A2 is an evolved version of the original Belgian MAG (Miltrailleuse d\u2019Appui General) gun. Designed in the early 1950s by Ernest Vervier, the MAG gun has subsequently seen service with more than 80 nations and has been license-produced in ten countries to include Argentina, Canada, Egypt, India, Singapore, Turkey, the US, and the UK. The Chinese naturally make an unlicensed copy of the gun they call the CS\/LM1. In US service the MAG gun is designated the M240.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
The lightweight American M240L is the most modern version of the classic MAG gun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The US military first adopted the M240 in 1977 as a coaxial machinegun for main battle tanks. With the well-documented shortcomings of the M60 being made ever more painfully manifest as the guns began to age, some legit rocket scientist realized that we had perfectly good M240\u2019s in storage. Uncle Sam bought the buttstocks and fire controls to convert those early coax guns into ground weapons and fell in love with them. The M240B weighed 28 pounds while the lightened M240G tipped the scales at 24.2 pounds. The more recent M240L dropped the weight to 22.3 pounds by using titanium in certain critical components along with a short barrel, polymer fire control unit, and collapsible stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rest of the Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"LCPL
LCPL Joshua Leakey is a proper warrior.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Though LCPL Leakey likely did not know CPT Bocian well, he risked his life multiple times to save the man. LCPL Leakey fully appreciated the desperate nature of the engagement. He selflessly took action to get the injured American to safety and ultimately defeat the Taliban fighters who were so intent upon killing them all. His courageous actions under fire are a study in combat leadership and reflect that weird secret sauce that separates heroes from normal folk on the modern battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
LCPL Leakey received his nation’s highest award for valor from Queen Elizabeth herself. She was quoted as having said, “I don’t get to give out very many of these.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In February 2015, LCPL Joshua Leakey received the Victoria Cross directly from the hand of Queen Elizabeth II. The Victoria Cross is Great Britain\u2019s highest award for bravery in combat. Like most true heroes, LCPL Leakey was humbled by the honor. He had this to say to the BBC, “In that particular incident I was in the best position to do that. If it had been any of my mates they would be in this position now\u2026I don’t look at it about being about me in particular, I look at this as representing everyone from my unit, from my battalion, who was involved in the campaign in Afghanistan.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
SGT Nigel Gray Leakey, LCPL Joshua Leakey’s 2d cousin, was quite the WW2 hero himself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

LCPL Leakey comes by it honestly. His second cousin, Sergeant Nigel Gray Leakey, earned the Victoria Cross himself in 1941. The elder SGT Leakey was awarded the decoration posthumously for valor while fighting the Italians in North Africa. LCPL Leakey is only the third British soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross for combat action in Afghanistan. He is the only one of the three who lived to tell the tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LCPL
The Victoria Cross is even today minted from bronze harvested from captured guns taken by British forces during the Crimean War.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Victoria Cross was introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 to recognize acts of exceptional valor during the Crimean war. Since then it has been awarded 1,356 times. LCPL Leakey is only the fifteenth soldier so recognized since the end of WW2. Each physical medal is formed from the bronze of Russian guns captured at the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. In military circles, it\u2019s quite the big deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

***Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a>***<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Victoria Cross was introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 to recognize acts of exceptional valor during the Crimean war. Since then it has been awarded 1,356 times. LCPL Leakey is only the fifteenth soldier so recognized since the end of WW2. Each physical medal is formed from the bronze of Russian guns captured at the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. In military circles, it\u2019s quite the big deal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":152683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[257,772],"tags":[132,102,108,2761,335],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-152682","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-historical-guns","8":"category-will-dabbs","9":"tag-buzz","10":"tag-feature-articles","11":"tag-guns","12":"tag-heros","13":"tag-military"},"yoast_head":"\nLCPL Joshua Leakey: One of the Good Guys<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"LCPL Joshua Leakey: One of the Good Guys - Will Dabbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/lcpl-joshua-leakey-one-of-the-good-guys\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LCPL Joshua Leakey: One of the Good Guys\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Victoria Cross was introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 to recognize acts of exceptional valor during the Crimean war. 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However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\\\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal and the movie \u201cAliens.\u201d www.word-monkey.com Experience: -Professional Writer-thousands of publishing credits for dozens of titles -Mechanical Engineer\\\/Practicing Physician -Instrument-rated Commercial Pilot -Sunday School Teacher\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.word-monkey.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/will.dabbs.9\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/drwildmanmd\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/author\\\/willdabbs\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"LCPL Joshua Leakey: One of the Good Guys","description":"LCPL Joshua Leakey: One of the Good Guys - Will Dabbs","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/lcpl-joshua-leakey-one-of-the-good-guys\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"LCPL Joshua Leakey: One of the Good Guys","og_description":"The Victoria Cross was introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 to recognize acts of exceptional valor during the Crimean war. 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