First into Sangin

Trevor Raywood Coult MC joined the Royal Irish Regiment on July 4, 1994, after passing out of ITB Strensal; he was posted to his unit who were based in Episkopi Garrison Cyprus. He then went on to serve in Northern Ireland, Canada, Oman, Brunei, Kenya, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Germany, and Afghanistan. He completed ten operational tours and was awarded the Military Cross by her Majesty the Queen on December 6, 2006, for actions he carried out in Baghdad; he was also presented with the presidential seal by the president of the United States of America George W. Bush on March 17, 2008, while at the White House. Here is his citation: L/Cpl Coult has been employed as a team commander in the First Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment throughout his tour of Iraq. He was a member of the UK Protection Force based in Baghdad, providing security for and escorting the senior British military representative in Iraq and senior UK service personnel. At the time of his tour, Baghdad was a scene of very numerous and lethal insurgent attacks against coalition forces on a daily basis. On November 6, 2005, L/Cpl Coult was a member of an escort task travelling along route IRISH Baghdad International Airport to the Green Zone, assessed to be the most dangerous road in the world. L/Cpl Coult was top cover sentry in the rear vehicle, a role he was conducting for the first time. Approaching checkpoint 540, the lead snatch stopped due to a suspicious vehicle parked at the side of the road. With the other top cover sentries now engaged in trying to move the vehicle, it quickly sped up and began to reverse toward the vehicles. With a clear and unambiguous threat toward life, three warning shots were fired. Despite this activity, L/Cpl Coult was not drawn in and continued to observe his arcs. While all the attention was focused to the front, three gunmen opened up with extensive automatic fire aimed at the stationary vehicles. L/Cpl Coult quickly realised the complex and dual nature of this lethal ambush. He scanned his arcs and quickly identified the gunmen. Amidst considerable incoming small arms fire, with tracer striking the ground to his front, he calmly controlled the other top cover sentries and gave precise target information on his personal radio, returned fire, and controlled the movement of his vehicle. L/Cpl Coults accurate and effective fire suppressed the gunmen and enabled the vehicles to extract from the killing zone, thereby undoubtedly saving the lives of the other vehicle crew. He then kept his vehicle in the killing zone while the other vehicles extracted and in which onr vehicle had stalled. He ordered his vehicle to be driven along the stalled vehicle, attracting considerable additional incoming fire. This selfless act saved the stalled vehicle from being immobilized and the crew from becoming casualties. Throughout this complex and well-prepared insurgent ambush, L/Cpl Coult returned proportional accurate and justified fire, remained totally focused, and acted in a considered professional and courageous manner. L/Cpl Coults actions undoubtedly saved the lives of the logistic soldiers. On his first day of top cover in Baghdad, he showed outstanding judgment, bravery, and restraint in returning fire against the enemy. His life-saving actions, personal and tactical control, with total disregard for his own safety, are the indictment of the highest qualities of a British JNCO in the face of the enemy and are richly deserving of official recognition.