The Victoria Cross stands as the United Kingdom’s highest military honor, awarded for extraordinary valor in combat. Tragically, many of its recipients never live to learn of their recognition, as their acts of bravery frequently come at the expense of their own lives. This was the case with Cpl. Bryan Budd, who paid the ultimate price, leading a solo assault amid intense Taliban fire.
With just five days left before he was scheduled to return home, it would be natural to assume Budd’s thoughts were focused on reuniting with his family. Instead, his selfless actions ensured the safety of his fellow soldiers, embodying the steadfast courage of the British Parachute Regiment in his final moments.
Stories like Budd’s remind us to solemnly honor the fallen, yet, as the saying goes, to be grateful that such men lived at all.
Bryan Budd was a professional soldier
Bryan Budd was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1977. From a young age, he knew he wanted to be a soldier. In 1996, he joined the Parachute Regiment, determined to be part of the elite forces that would lead the way into battle.
But Budd didn’t stop at being a PARA. He pushed further, passing the rigorous tests required to join the 16 Air Assault Brigade’s Pathfinder Platoon. This specialized unit, tasked with conducting reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines, allowed him to lead the charge in various combat zones, including the former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, Macedonia, Iraq and, ultimately, Afghanistan.
Increased Taliban activity in Helmand province
The Taliban had become increasingly familiar with Western military interventions and adapted their tactics to become a more formidable and resilient adversary. Previously, they often engaged from a distance, but now they were unafraid to fight up close, competing for control over rural Afghanistan.
For Budd’s last engagement, this meant closing the gap to mere meters, in a cornfield head-high with stalks.
His Victoria Cross citation actually details two incidents, the first on July 27, 2006. When his section came under heavy fire from multiple Taliban fighters positioned on a rooftop, several British PARAs were wounded and needed to be evacuated. Realizing the suppressive fire made this impossible, Budd stood up, exposed to intense fire, and charged toward the building.
Budd’s charge forced the Taliban to retreat across an open field, where they encountered the British PARA’s marksmanship. His actions enabled the evacuation of his colleagues and marked the first of two extraordinarily valiant deeds.
Bryan Budd was just five days from home
Although deployment dates can often change unexpectedly at the last moment, it was reported that Bryan Budd was set to return home on August 25, 2006. On August 20, he found himself in Sangin, where his unit was tasked with defending a remote outpost. The outpost’s location made it a frequent target for Taliban attacks, requiring a strong defense that included regular patrols around the perimeter.
During one of these patrols, Budd was leading his men through dense vegetation, primarily human-height corn. Despite the limited visibility, he spotted a significant number of Taliban insurgents roughly 30 meters ahead. In an effort to maintain the element of surprise, Budd initiated a flanking maneuver to eliminate the enemy.
However, the Taliban spotted the approaching patrol, sparking a fierce firefight.
Taliban insurgents versus the British Parachute Regiment
With three of his men wounded, Bryan Budd, once again, recognized the need to regain the initiative and pressed forward with the attack – alone. He rushed through the corn and assaulted the enemy. Despite being wounded in the firefight, he continued the assault, giving his men the cover needed to reorganize.
As a result of this assault, the Taliban militants were silenced and the wounded able to evacuate.
However, there was no sign of Budd as his unit withdrew. He was initially listed as missing in action (MIA) while a quick reaction force assembled to search for him. As the reactionary forces pushed through the vegetation, air power beating back the Taliban, Budd’s body was discovered lying in the field next to three dead insurgents.
Bryan Budd met a tragic end
For his actions on August 20, 2006 and a few days prior, Bryan Budd was awarded the Victoria Cross. He was one of less than 20 to receive the honor since the end of the Second World War. A subsequent examination might have proven that the fatal shot came from a 5.56 mm NATO weapon, which indicated friendly fire. However, that only occurred because he saw fit to close in and destroy the enemy.
On not one, but two occasions, Budd deemed it advisable to launch a counterattack and gift violence to the enemy, rather than receive it. An unexpected counterattack disrupts enemy momentum, but often at a great cost to those who pursue it. Budd will rest in the hall of history that recognizes him as a warrior who understood that battle is fought one moment at a time, with little disregard for when you might be going home.
More from us: James Ashworth: The Victoria Cross Recipient Who Gave His Life to Take Out An Enemy Sniper
Want War History Online‘s content sent directly to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter here!
If it’s indeed the case that Bryan Budd would have returned home with his family in just five days, then history owes him the recognition for conducting such a feat and sacrificing his life for his comrades.