Karl Ley | |
---|---|
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Rank | Warrant Officer Class 2 |
Unit | 11 Explosive Disposal Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps |
Battles/wars | Northern Ireland Iraq War Afghanistan War |
Awards | George Medal |
Sergeant Major Karl Ley Royal Logistic Corps is a British Army bomb disposal expert from 11 EOD Regiment who received a citation for the George Medal for Bomb Disposal duties in Afghanistan, where he defused more roadside IED's than anyone else during his six month tour of duty[1][2]
Biography
Personal Life
Born in Sheffield,[3] Ley is married and has three children.[4] As a child, Ley attended the Ecclesfield School.[5]
Early Career
Ley joined the British Army as an Ammunition Technician in the Royal Logistic Corps.[5]
Afghanistan
Ley was sent on Active Service with the British Army in 2010 as part of the task force engaged on Operation Herrick. During this period, Ley was a Staff Sergeant that was, at the time, engaged in Operation Moshtarak as part of the 15,000 troops involved in the operation. He was posted to the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) Task Force, who are responsible providng IEDD operations to the task force, not long after. During the operation, Ley was interviewed and commented that, "We were on MOSHTARAK before MOSHTARAK started. We had to make sure that the routes were clear of devices so that the infantry guys could pass through safely."[6] The number of IEDs that Ley recovered during his tour was 139 in the Helmand Province alone. This was " twice as many as any other bomb disposal expert."[4] Ley was classified as a "high threat operator", which was what lead to him being confronted with so many situations, once having to 42 bombs in a single village.[7]
Upon his return from his tour of duty, Ley was awarded with the George Medal on September 24, 2010[8] for "conspicuous gallantry whilst serving". The Medal is to be "presented by the Queen at a later date".[3] He also, along with his unit, received "service medals from the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Tim Stevenson."[9]
References
- ^ "George Medal for Army bomb expert", Press Association, September 24, 2010
- ^ "Kim Sengupta: Bomb diffusers have the most dangerous job", The Independent, May 25, 2010
- ^ a b "Warrant Officer Class 2 Karl Ley to receive George Medal". 24 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ a b "Sheffield bomb expert Karl Ley awarded bravery medal". BBC. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ a b "Bomb expert hailed a hero", Sheffield Telegraph, March 4, 2010
- ^ "C-IED troops make a difference to Op MOSHTARAK", Ministry of Defence, March 1, 2010
- ^ "Decorated bomb disposal expert describes his 'busy day'". The Daily Telegraph. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Operational Honours and Awards List: 24 September 2010". 24 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ Larcombe, Duncan, "Hurt Locker heroes home", The Sun, April 17, 2010