But men like 85-year-old Don Seki, who lost an arm to a burst of machine-gun fire, play-down his own heroism in helping to rescue the "Lost Battalion."
VOA: standard.2009.11.04
In previous tours in 2009, the battalionlost Lance Corporal Chris Harkett when he was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) as he provided covering fire on a Taliban stronghold near Musa Qala.
Lt Col Gerald Strickland MBE, Commanding Officer 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, said that with Major Bowman's death, the battalion had lost a "brave" and "truly courageous" commander who had led with a "rare determination".