David Hayden

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David James Hayden MC (born c.1979) is the first Royal Air Force non-commissioned officer to win the Military Cross.

Hayden was born in Germany and attended the Gleed Boys' School in Spalding, where he grew up. His father (who died in June 2005, aged 49) was a tank driver in the Queen's Royal Hussars, becoming a Warrant Officer Class 2.[1]

Hayden joined the RAF Regiment in 1997 and is currently a Corporal with 1 Squadron at RAF Honington, Suffolk.[2] He is a qualified instructor.

While serving in Iraq in 2007 he showed outstanding courage while commanding a dismounted patrol in a fight against an insurgent force, repeatedly risking his own life to rescue a wounded comrade and extract his team.[3] His Military Cross was gazetted on 7 March 2008.[4]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ "Kate signs last page in memory of James", Spalding Today, 30 November 2005
  2. ^ "Gunners honoured for outstanding courage", Thetford & Brandon Times, 11 March 2008]
  3. ^ Ministry of Defence website
  4. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58633, pages 3615–3619, 7 March 2008. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
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