Gallantry medal for Newbury marine

Signaller Marine Mark Jackson has been awarded the highest ranking of 136 Operational Honours

A MARINE from Newbury who dived on top of a colleague to save him from a grenade blast while the pair were under attack in Afghanistan has been awarded a military gallantry medal second only to the Victoria Cross.

Signaller Marine Mark Jackson (pictured above), 28, from Wash Common, has been awarded a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, the highest-ranking of 136 Operational Honours, announced by the Ministry of Defence on Thursday.

One August night last year Mr Jackson was at his post as a sentry looking out into the deserted terrain from the patrol base at around 10pm during when he heard a metallic thud.

Upon peering through his night-vision goggles, he saw a cylindrical object rolling towards him and his fellow sentry, and immediately leapt into action.

Disregarding the threat to his own life, Mr Jackson, a former John Rankin and Park House pupil, rushed forward, picked up the device knowing it was an improvised grenade, and hurled it back towards the enemy as he cried out “grenade”.

Despite being an inexperienced marine on his first operational deployment, he instinctively threw himself on top of his comrade to shield him from the blast in an act of extraordinary selflessness.

The explosion destroyed a wall such was the force from the shrapnel, but without hesitation Mr Jackson and his colleague returned fire on their attackers, who fled into the Afghanistan desert.

This week Mr Jackson's father Adrian Jackson, who alternates his time between Newbury and Cyprus, has spoken of his immense pride at his son's honour.

“He got called in by his superiors and thought he was going to get a rollocking by his Commanding Officer. Then they told him he had been given the award,” he said.

“He didn't tell me straight away, he just mentioned it casually about a week ago. I was absolutely over the moon.”

Mr Jackson said he was overwhelmed when his son told him what he had done to earn the medal.

“He doesn't see it as doing anything special, he takes it all in his stride. He is so laid back and can't understand why he got singled out. They are all heroes out there.

“All his friends are very proud of what he has done, we've had loads of messages of support. We are proud of everyone out there who is fighting.”

Mr Jackson said another remarkable event happened to his son on the same night as his heroic act, after the two sentries had bedded down for the night in a compound.

The next morning, the bomb squad entered the zone and led a wire to what Mr Jackson had been using as a pillow.

It turned out to be a 400lb Improvised Explosive Device.

“He couldn't believe it, he was a bit in shock after that,” Mr Jackson said.

“They exploded it and it brought the whole building down.”

Mr Jackson said his son, who occasionally follows Liverpool FC, had tried twice to become a marine having wanted to join all his life, he successful on the second attempt, and it was his first tour of duty.

When not sleeping on unexploded bombs or saving lives, he can be seen around Newbury with his friends where he likes to go drinking.

Sometimes he and his father can be found enjoying a quiet in the Bowler's Arms, and Mr Jackson said the next time he goes in there he won't be buying a pint.

A total of 136 servicemen and women have been awarded honours, four posthumously.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, Damien Elvin, said: “Improvised grenades such as these are notoriously volatile and this one could have detonated at any moment, Jackson was well aware of the risk, his only thought was for the life of his comrade who had he hesitated for one moment, would have been killed.”