British Royal Marine tackles bomber, saves dozens of comrades
This brave man upholds the finest traditions of the British military.
Regards
From The Daily Mail:
Hero Marine rugby-tackles suicide bomber and says 'Don't tell mum, I don't want her to worry'
By Jaya Narain
Brave: Sergeant Noel Connolly didn't want his elderly mother to know he'd rugby-tackled a suicide bomber
A hero soldier who saved the lives of 30 comrades after rugby-tackling a suicide bomber pleaded to his sister: 'Don't tell mum.'
Sergeant Noel Connolly, 41, saved dozens of colleagues when he threw himself at the Taliban fanatic as he approached an army base in Afghanistan.
The bomber was pushing a motorcycle packed with more than 150lb of high explosives towards the base.
Sgt Connolly went to intercept him and ordered him to stop before spotting a tell-tale toggle switch attached to the handlebars.
The Royal Marine dived on the bomber, grabbed him by the shirt and managed to haul him away from the bike.
Sgt Connolly modestly never mentioned the incident to his family until his worried sister Breda wrote to him.
She asked him if the exploits of the then unnamed soldier and had anything to do with him and he said: 'Yes, but don't tell mum.
In a letter from the frontline, Noel, 41, wrote: 'Let's just say the sergeant concerned was Mancunian, about 5ft 7ins, with grey hair and supports Man City. You can do the maths, as the Yanks would say.'
She said: 'He doesn't talk about what happens when he's away. But when I heard the news that a sergeant had stopped a bomber, I wrote to him and he admitted he'd been involved but said 'Don't tell mum'.
'Our mum is a devout Catholic and has been praying for him every day since he has been away. Noel wrote to her telling her that everything was quiet and he wasn't in the danger zone because he didn't want to worry her.'
Sgt Connolly, of Manchester, and the 600 other Royal Marines of Plymouth-based 42 Commando returned to Britain on Thursday.
His wife Lorraine, who is a Navy servicewoman, and two teenage daughters were at Exeter airbase to welcome him home.
The youngest of seven children, he joined the Marines 22 years ago and has served in danger zones around the world.
Sgt Connolly and his unit were occupying an abandoned school in Afghanistan's Kandahar province when they received warning of an impending attack.
He said: 'I was near the school when I caught a fleeting glimpse of a motorbike. I told all my lads to expect a bomber.
'The motorcyclist looked lost. He turned the bike around up the track and came back. I grabbed two lads and went to intercept him. I had no idea if he was the bomber. The only way of finding out was to challenge him.
The sergeant said he then stepped into the road and, speaking Pashtu, he ordered the man on the motorcycle to stop.
He added: 'He stalled the bike and fell off, then started pushing it away from us.
Eventually he stopped again, straddled it and turned to face us. I closed in on him and as I got to within ten metres there was a loud crack from halfway down the bike.
'That's when I saw a small toggle switch had been fitted to his handlebars. As soon as he went for the toggle again I rushed him. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him off.'
The motorbike's frame was found to contain 154lbs of explosive. The bomber was handed to police and jailed for 18 years.
Sgt Connolly added: 'I'm not brave. Someone had to stop him.'
But Noel didn't want his 81-year-old mother Mary to find out about his act of bravery in case she got worried he was putting himself in harm's way.
Breda Connolly, of Fallowfield, Manchester said: 'It was always understood that we wouldn't talk with mum about what he was doing. Now that he is coming back from the tour, she's learned about it but she is just very relieved.
'Noel is a true Mancunian. We are so proud of him. He is a Royal Marine through and through and is dedicated to the job.'
His mother Mary, who has two grown-up daughters and five sons, said: 'I'm just happy that he is home safe. I thank God that nothing happened to him.'
