9/18/2015

Don't Mess With The Ghurkas

As I've mentioned more than once, the fiercest fighting men in any military aren't US Navy SEALs, US Marine Corps Recon, US Army Special Forces, Rangers, or Delta Force. They aren't British SAS or SBS commandos, Russian Spetznaz, or German GSG-9 troopers.

They are the Ghurkas, part of the British Army since 1815. They are fearless fighting men. They do not know the meaning of surrender, and being out numbered merely means they have a target rich environment. Two of the more recent examples of their combat prowess showed everyone that no one f**ks with the Ghurkas, even when they're outnumbered, out of ammo, or retired.

In Afghanistan in 2010, Acting Sergeant Dipprasad Pun single-handedly fought off 30 Taliban soldiers. As Pun was keeping guard on the roof of a checkpoint, the attackers came at the complex from all sides with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s.

It took less than an hour for Pun to kill them all. He went through all of his ammo—400 rounds and 17 grenades, as well as a mine that detonated—to defeat each attacker. When he ran out of ammo, a Taliban soldier climbed up to the roof, only to be hit with a machine-gun tripod that Pun threw at him.

Pun's valor was rewarded with a Victoria Cross, the highest British military decoration awarded for bravery.

The Taliban learned the hard way that if they go up against the Ghurkas they're going to die.

Here's another example:

In 2011, 35-year-old retired Gurkha Bishnu Shrestha was riding a train in India when 40 robbers stopped the train and began stealing passengers' belongings. Still carrying his kukri knife, the Gurkha took on the robbers, themselves armed with knives, swords and pistols. Shrestha managed to kill three robbers and injure eight others, which persuaded the other robbers to flee. The retired soldier also saved another passenger from rape.

I think these guys would give the SEALs a run for their money and come away the winners. As the saying goes, “Mess with the Best, Die like the Rest.”