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Published 22 Jul 2010 14:00
A HERO soldier from Greenock has been shot dead in Afghanistan while trying to rescue a wounded comrade.
Stephen Monkhouse, 28, from Graham Street, was one of two people killed in the Lashkar Gah district of the Helmand Province last night.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed this morning that one soldier was serving with The Royal Dragoon Guards while Stephen, a dad of one, was with the 1st Battalion Scots Guards.
Both men were serving as part of Combined Force Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province. Their families have been informed.
It is understood the soldiers were part of a cordon providing security for a routine rotation of troops when they came under small arms fire.
While attempting to evacuate an injured colleague, they themselves were shot and fatally wounded.
Hero Stephen made headlines in the Tele previously when used his war training when he rushed to the aid of a young boy hurt after falling off a fun ride.
The Scots Guard - fresh from duty in Iraq at the time - sprung into action when a year-old badly hurt himself after tumbling from a ride in the Oak Mall in August 2005.
After administering basic first-aid, Stephen distressed Jordan Carson until an ambulance arrived.
In a statement released today, Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "The soldiers were part of a cordon operation providing security for a routine rotation of troops when they were killed by small arms fire.
"In the courageous and selfless act of attempting to evacuate an injured colleague, they themselves were shot and fatally wounded.
"They died helping their friends. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. We will remember them."
A total of 324 UK service personnel have been killed in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001. The number killed in the first half of this year was double that in the first half of 2009.
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 22 Jul 10
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