A soldier from the Kinloss Army Barracks has been commended for his heroism in the Middle East at a ceremony which unveiled a lasting tribute to his comrades.
The Queen recently revealed a towering memorial sculpture in London, designed to honour the UK forces who served in the Gulf region, Iraq and Afghanistan between 1990 and 2015.
More than 800 UK military personnel and civilians died during the three wars.
Among the invited guests at the gathering was Staff Sergeant Donald Campbell, a member of the Moray base’s 39 Engineer Regiment.
SSgt Campbell was in attendance, following his sterling service in Afghanistan seven years ago which earned him the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, a distinction which is second only to the Victoria Cross.
In March 2008, he drove an unarmoured and unprotected vehicle through an enemy killing zone – and dodged a hail of bullets by inches.
The Army confirmed that Ssgt Campbell, who was then 26, was “under very intense, accurate fire for a considerable amount of time”.
He stared down enemy ranks as he moved his vehicle towards them and ploughed head-on into the line of fire.
When in position, Ssgt Campbell climbed out of his cab to release the pipes into a ditch in front of him – which allowed the following armoured vehicles to cross.
Ssgt Campbell refused to seek cover even when bullets, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire shattered the windows of his cab.
A Kinloss Army Barracks spokeswoman added that the entire base was proud of his wartime heroics.
She added: “We were delighted that Ssgt Campbell could attend and we know he thoroughly enjoyed taking part in this important event.”
Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, described the plaque as “a permanent reminder of the contribution of so many British [troops] to Iraq and Afghanistan”.
