"He rang up this time to say that he got a medal from the Queen and even took a picture with her," said Purna Bahadur Pun. "Last year he had called to say he narrowly survived (an attack)." [break]
Pun´s son Corporal Dip Prasad Pun, 31, was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, second only to Victoria Cross -- the highest honor for bravery in the face of an enemy attack. On September 17, 2010, Dip Prasad single-handedly repelled an attack by 30 Taliban fighters on his checkpoint near Babaji in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan.
Attacked from all sides for 15 minutes by a determined enemy armed with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 rifles, Pun managed to prevent them from overrunning the checkpoint. He fired 400 rounds, launched 17 grenades and detonated a mine to repel the assault.
According to Dip´s family members, courage was his hallmark. "If I told him to accomplish something, he would accomplish it," said the overjoyed father, adding, "He has made the nation proud." A retired Indian Army soldier, Purna Bahadur felt his heart skip a beat when he saw on television his son receiving the award, according to Dip´s mother Lalmati. "He told me that I begot a great son," Lalmati said, adding, "My son must have done something good."
Dip Prasad, who did SLC from Kisani Secondary School, Myagdi, joined the British Army in 2000 at the age of 20. He is the first Nepali to receive the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross established in 1993 to honor soldiers demonstrating exemplary valor. Dip Prasad, whose grandfather was also in the British Army, was previously posted in Bosnia and Kosovo. Dip Prasad´s elder brother runs a grocery shop in Kathmandu, while a younger brother works with Singapore Police.
At school, Dip Prasad was an average but obedient student and a good athlete. "He was very disciplined and amiable," said Junga Bahadur Serbuja, principal of the school. "He used to settle quarrels among friends. He has made the school proud."
According to Dip Prasad´s elder brother Prem, the corporal was rejected entry into the British Army in the first attempt. But he was taken in the second time. "He doesn´t give up easily," Prem said. Dip Prasad´s parents filed visa application on Friday to share the joy with their son in Britain. Dip Prasad lives in Britain with his wife, a son and two daughters.
Related story
Nepal Army soldier sentenced to life for killing fellow soldier
