Dip Prasad Pun

Dipprasad Pun CGC is a Nepalese corporal of the Royal Gurkha Rifles who was decorated with the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for an act of bravery during the War in Afghanistan on the night of September 17, 2010.^[1] Pun, then an Acting Sergeant, single-handedly defeated 12 - 30 Taliban insurgents who were storming his control post near Babaji in Helmand province.

Immediately prior to the engagement, Pun, who was with the 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles, was on sentry duty at a checkpoint guarding his unit's compound. Taliban fighters, planting bombs near the compound gate under the cover of darkness, suddenly surrounded and attacked his post with AK-47s and RPGs. Corporal Pun, alone and believing he was about to die, decided to take down as many of the enemy with him as possible. During the engagement he reportedly spent all his ammunition, more than 400 rounds; used 17 hand grenades and a Claymore mine before battering the last fighter with the tripod of his machine gun. Two Taliban were still attacking his post when he set off the Claymore mine.

Upon receiving the award, Corporal Pun said that he had no choice but to fight; the reason being that the Taliban had surrounded his checkpoint, and that he was alone. During the engagement, Pun saved the lives of three of his comrades and prevented his post from being overrun. His actions are cited as "the bravest seen in his battalion during two hard tours".^[2][3][4][5]

Pun originally hails from Bima in western Nepal, and lives with his wife Shobha in Ashford. His grandfather and father both served with the Gurkhas.

Footnotes

1. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59737. p. 5640. 25 March 2011.
2. ^ (AFP) – 1 day ago. [http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article. /ALeqM5iIwA9EECvpFeHjXL4mKXPsZrhj4A?docId=CNG.a80f514b78e2e5f2cb0d04fa1f6668a1.bd1 "AFP: Queen decorates Nepali for Afghanistan heroics"]. Google.com. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article. /ALeqM5iIwA9EECvpFeHjXL4mKXPsZrhj4A?docId=CNG.a80f514b78e2e5f2cb0d04fa1f6668a1.bd1. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
3. ^ "Gurkha gets UK´s 2nd highest medal for bravery - Detail News : Nepal News Portal". The Himalayan Times. http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Gurkha+gets+UK%C2%B4s+2nd+highest+medal+for+bravery&NewsID=281321. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
4. ^ "BBC News - Bravery medal for Gurkha who fought Taliban". Bbc.co.uk. 2011-03-25. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13619825. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
5. ^ "Brave Gurkha Diprasad Pun honoured". Kentonline.co.uk. http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2011-1/june/1/brave_gurkha_diprasad_pun.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 

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Name	Pun, Dip Prasad
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