By IAN DRURY
Last updated at 6:21 PM on 25th November 2010
A Royal Air Force pilot has received the highest military flying honour for picking up five seriously-wounded soldiers despite his helicopter being badly-damaged in a Taliban attack.
Flight Lieutenant Tim Pollard received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroics on the battlefield in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
His twin-rotor Chinook was hit by an insurgent's bullet which damaged the rotor brake cylinder, spraying him with highly flammable hydraulic fluid.
Ignoring the risk of the cockpit bursting into flames, he courageously landed the helicopter to pick up the severely-injured troops.
His selfless bravery and coolness under pressure during the incident earned him the gallantry award.
He was given the prestigious medal in an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace today.
Ft Lt Pollard was part of the British Armed Forces' Immediate Response Team, which is deployed to evacuate and treat the most serious battlefield casualties in a specially-kitted out Chinook helicopter.
Effectively an operating theatre with rotor blades, it carries a four-man medical unit to deal with Category A casualties - those who cannot walk and are at immediate risk of dying.
On December 15 last year, Ft Lt Pollard was scrambled to pick up five grievously-wounded soldiers when a Taliban suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated himself at the vehicle checkpoint in Sangin, Helmand Province.
Two British servicemen - Lance Corporal David Kirkness, 24, and Rifleman James Brown, 18 - and two Afghan soldiers later died from the injuries inflicted when they tried to stop the insurgent blowing up a market packed with civilians.
Read more: Flight Lieutenant Tim Pollard received the Distinguished Flying Cross
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