By Deanna Harris
Just days after a Kiwi-born soldier died in Afghanistan, another is being honoured for his courageous actions in which he threw a live grenade away from his platoon.
Former New Zealand Army soldier James McKie has been honoured overnight for his actions in saving the lives of two of his British Army colleagues, Captain Graeme Ker and Rifleman Matthew Holkham.
The Rifleman received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross award at Buckingham Palace today, the second highest honour after the Victoria Cross.
The 29-year-old is a member of Reconnaissance Platoon, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, the only British Infantry unit based in Scotland.
Last year his platoon was involved in firefight in Afghanistan's Helmand province – the same province where Private John Jack Howard was killed on Sunday.
Rifleman McKie scooped up a live grenade after it hit another officer and rolled between his legs.
He hurled the grenade away just seconds before it exploded and then threw smoke to cover the troop’s withdrawal.
At the time he said he knew he had to act quickly.
"My first thought was ‘I hope this doesn't hurt too much’. That, and I've really only got one chance to do this. If it fails, either way, doing nothing, I'm going to get the same amount of hurt. So I picked it up and threw it off the roof.”
Rifleman McKie received fragmentation injuries to his right arm and face as the grenade exploded mid-air, close to where he stood.
Four members of the same platoon had been killed since they began their Afghanistan deployment, and eight injured. Of the 23-member platoon, 12 eventually returned to Britain when the deployment finished.
Rifleman McKie previously served as a medic in the New Zealand Army for seven years, joining the force after he left high school.
It has only been three days since another New Zealand born British solder lost his life serving in Afghanistan.
Private Howard was in the British paratroopers and was killed by cannon shells from an American jet supporting British troops.
“Jack was immensely proud to be both a paratrooper and a New Zealander,” says his dad Roger Howard, although he chose to serve in the British Forces.
Private Howard is fourth generation military - he becomes the fifth New Zealander to be killed in Afghanistan.
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