Inquest of Corporal Mark Wright GC 17 October 2008
Cpl Wright was posthumously awarded the George Cross for his actions.
The inquest of Corporal Mark William Wright GC from The 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2006, has concluded.
Cpl Wright, 27 from Edinburgh, died when a routine patrol encountered an unmarked minefield in the region of Kajaki, Helmand Province on Wednesday 6 September 2006.
On, Friday 17 October 2008, coroner Andrew Walker recorded a narrative verdict in the inquest and stated that those responsible for failings that led to Cpl Wright's death should "hang their heads in shame".
The Commander of Joint Helicopter Command, Rear Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt, said:
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Corporal Mark Wright GC at this difficult time. The heroic actions of Corporal Wright and those injured in this incident were motivated by a selfless desire to save their comrades.
"I am responsible for the provision of all battlefield helicopters and crews to both Afghanistan and Iraq and I am confident that our current resources enable our forces to meet the tasks that they face. In the spirit of our shared efforts in Afghanistan, resources are pooled across the countries fighting there. In addition to UK Chinook, Apache, Sea King and Lynx helicopters, our forces can also access significant numbers of other types of helicopters provided by our allies.
"We do not expect our forces to use helicopter winches to extract personnel from minefields because of the lethal risks involved. I would like to pay tribute though to the outstanding bravery of the US helicopter crew that assisted in the recovery of Cpl Wright and his injured comrades."
Armed Forces Minister, Bob Ainsworth said:
"Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Corporal Mark Wright GC at this very difficult time. Corporal Wright lost his life attempting to save one of his comrades and this same selfless heroism was shown by all those involved in this tragic incident."
"We have listened to the Coroner's comments and all of the evidence that was presented. I would like to reassure Corporal Wright's family that we are determined to learn all of the lessons that we can.
"We have agreed to pay compensation to Corporal Wright's family and we will ensure this happens with as little distress to them as possible.
"I pay tribute to the US helicopter crew that recovered Corporal Wright and the other UK soldiers, they showed extreme bravery in extreme conditions."
