British sniper platoon commander who took on eight Taliban fighters at once during an Afghan War ambush is selling his bravery medals for £140,000 – to start a property business
- Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens retired from the army last month
- He was awarded medals after a treacherous battle in 2008 in the Gereshk Valley
- He charged at insurgents to gain access to a compound under heavy fire
- Then successfully extricated his men from the danger area after three hours
- Wants to use the £140,000 earned from the sale to start a property business
A British sniper platoon commander who took on eight Taliban fighters at once during an Afghan War ambush is selling his bravery medals for £140,000.
Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens, who retired from the army last month, wants to use the money he earns from the sale of the medals to start a property business.
He was awarded the medals after a treacherous battle with a large enemy force in the Gereshk Valley during Operation Herrick 8 on September 12, 2008.
As he approached a mud-walled compound, he was confronted by the insurgents who bombarded him with heavy small arms fire.
Showing a complete disregard for his safety, he charged at them while ‘shooting from the hip’, killing two and wounded another.
Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens (pictured), who retired from the army last month, wants to use the money he earns from the sale of the medals to start a property business
He was awarded the medals after a treacherous battle with a large enemy force in the Gereshk Valley during Operation Herrick 8 on September 12, 2008
His fearlessness forced the remaining insurgents to retreat, allowing for the other members of the team to join him in the compound.
After the position was seized he led his men in another assault, throwing grenades which ‘overwhelmed’ the enemy.
When they finally ran out of ammunition, after three hours of fierce fighting against 10 positions, he successfully extricated his men from the danger area, staying behind till last to cover them.
He was awarded the prestigious Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his ‘extraordinary courage, selflessness and leadership’.
C/Sgt Stevens, from the Scottish Highlands, is selling his medals, estimated at £120,000 to £140,000, so he can start a property development business
C/Sgt Stevens, of the Royal Irish Regiment, retired from the army last month after a distinguished 22-year career, during which he completed tours of Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Northern Ireland.
The soldier, from the Scottish Highlands, is selling his medals, estimated at £120,000 to £140,000, so he can start a property development business.
C/Sgt Stevens’ Conspicuous Gallantry Cross citation reads: ‘Stevens pushed forward with six men to secure a compound from which he could observe the area.
‘Approaching the mud-walled compound, he had a sudden meeting engagement with eight Taliban who engaged with heavy small arms fire.
C/Sgt Stevens (pictured), of the Royal Irish Regiment, retired from the army last month after a distinguished 22-year career, during which he completed tours of Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Northern Ireland
C/Sgt Stevens was born in St Helena, the remote British outpost in the South Atlantic where Napoleon was exiled, and joined the army in 1999
‘Instinctively, Stevens charged the enemy firing from the hip as he advanced.
‘With his initial response, he successfully killed two enemies, wounded another and forced the remainder to withdraw and take cover in a field of corn, 7ft high.
‘…Stevens displayed extraordinary courage, selflessness and leadership. He personally engaged and killed several Taliban Fighters and set conditions for the defeat of a strong enemy force.’
C/Sgt Stevens later said of his action: ‘We came under heavy enemy fire from three different sides and they were moving to surround us, so I took a team and pushed out to the flank and managed to engage them before they engaged us.
‘I came across them, shot them three and called airstrikes on their positions.
His medal group consists of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross; Northern Ireland; Sierra Leone; Iraq; Afghanistan; Diamond Jubilee; Accumulated Campaign Service Medal; Army Long Service Good Conduct Medal
He qualified as a sniper in 2006 and became a sniper platoon commander in 2014, carrying out this role until his recent discharge
He was awarded the prestigious Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his ‘extraordinary courage, selflessness and leadership’
Medals awarded to Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens
Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens’ medals
Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens was awarded the prestigious Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his ‘extraordinary courage, selflessness and leadership’.
His medal group consists of:
- The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross;
- Northern Ireland;
- Sierra Leone;
- Iraq;
- Afghanistan;
- Diamond Jubilee;
- Accumulated Campaign Service Medal;
- Army Long Service Good Conduct Medal.
‘When you’re in a situation like that the training kicks in and you just deal with it and forget about everything else. You don’t have much time to think, it is more of a reaction, but if I hadn’t done what I did, I probably wouldn’t be here today.
‘When it comes to a fire-fight you just have to take control, remembering that as well as yourself, you have your men to deal with. You don’t question it, you just get on with it. You can’t doubt yourself.’
C/Sgt Stevens was born in St Helena, the remote British outpost in the South Atlantic where Napoleon was exiled, and joined the army in 1999.
He qualified as a sniper in 2006 and became a sniper platoon commander in 2014, carrying out this role until his recent discharge.
His medal group consists of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross; Northern Ireland; Sierra Leone; Iraq; Afghanistan; Diamond Jubilee; Accumulated Campaign Service Medal; Army Long Service Good Conduct Medal.
Adam Chapman, medal specialist at auctioneers Duke’s, of Dorchester, Dorset, which is selling the medals, said: ‘What Colour Sergeant Stevens did that day was astonishingly brave.
‘To begin with, he engaged eight enemy combatants after unexpectedly encountering them in a compound.
‘That was just the beginning of the firefight, Stevens and his men fought for three more hours, and Stevens personally called in dangerously close airstrikes to accurately target the enemy.
‘The patrol only withdrew when running low on ammunition; he organised the withdrawal and stayed behind to cover it.
‘It is a true privilege to be involved in the sale; in terms of numbers awarded, the CGC is rarer than the Victoria Cross.’
The sale takes place at The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, on November 6.
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