Posted by Lex, on January 17, 2011
You can’t count ‘em out: *
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Parsons was presented the Defense Meritorious Service medal on Tuesday in Kabul by General David Petraeus, commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, in recognition of his “outstanding command, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the mission”.
Parsons has served as head of the 70-strong SAS unit known as Task Force 81 since October, directing counter-insurgency operations in greater Kabul in co-operation with the Afghan police’s crisis response unit, which operates under the SAS’s mentorship.
His citation reads that during one of the most hostile periods of the war since 2001, Parsons had “inspired results that far exceed the size of forces under his command”. His work had helped the coalition “gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term”, by “removing numerous key insurgent leaders and facilitators from the battlefield”.
Well done, bugalug. A DMSM is the highest military award that can be given to a foreign military member, and it beats a chocolate fish any day.
** 05-04-18 – Link updated – Ed.
