The Victoria Cross is the United Kingdom’s highest military honor, with it awarded for gallantry in combat. Unfortunately, many recipients never learn they’ve earned it, as their heroic actions often cost them their lives. This was the case with Cpl. Bryan Budd, who made the ultimate sacrifice by leading a one-man charge against heavy Taliban fire.
With just five days left before he was due to return home, one might expect Budd to focus on reuniting with his family. Instead, his selfless actions ensured the safety of his comrades, exemplifying the unwavering spirit of the British Parachute Regiment in his final moments.
Stories like Budd’s remind us to mourn the fallen, but, as the saying goes, to be grateful that such men lived.
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
In 2006, Bryan Budd joined the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) as part of a British task force headed for Helmand province, Afghanistan. The region was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the war at this time, and the town of Sangin was the epicenter of it all.
The Taliban had grown increasingly accustomed to Western military intervention and adapted tactics to make themselves a more aggressive and resilient opponent. While previous engagements saw them engage from afar, the insurgents were now unafraid to take the fight up closer and compete for the occupation of rural Afghanistan.
For Budd’s final engagement, this meant meters away in a field head-high full of corn.
His Victoria Cross citation actually references two incidents, one coming on July 27, 2006. When his section became engaged with multiple Taliban militants firing from a rooftop, several British PARAs were injured and in need of evacuation. Realizing the suppressive fire made that impossible, he stood up, exposed to heavy fire, and charged the building.
Budd’s assault caused the Taliban to flee across an open field, where they were given an education on British marksmanship. The PARA’s action allowed his colleagues to be evacuated, and were be the first of two inexplicably gallant actions.
Bryan Budd was just five days from home
While deployment dates can often change at the last minute, it’s reported that Bryan Budd was scheduled to return home on August 25, 2006. On August 20, he was in Sangin, where his unit was defending a remote outpost. Due to its location, it was targeted almost daily by the Taliban and required a stiff defense, which included frequent patrols around the perimeter.
On one such patrol, Budd was leading his men through thick vegetation, which consisted of corn the height of a human. Despite the limited visibility, he noticed a large number of Taliban insurgents approximately 30 meters ahead. Attempting to maintain an element of surprise, Budd initiated a flanking maneuver intended to take out the enemy.
However, when the Taliban noticed the mobile patrol nearby, a vicious firefight ensued.
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.