Ben Parkinson (British soldier)

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Lance Bombardier

Ben Parkinson
Born (1984-03-31) 31 March 1984 (age 40)
Doncaster
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchArmy
Years of service2000 to 2019
RankLance Bombardier
Unit7 Para Royal Horse Artillery
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan 2001 - present
AwardsMBE

Ben Parkinson MBE[1] (born 31 March 1984[citation needed]) is a former British paratrooper, veterans' campaigner and author.[2] He is the most severely wounded soldier to survive the War in Afghanistan.[3] Both his legs were amputated, he broke his back and suffered lasting brain damage when the Land Rover he was travelling in struck a landmine in 2006.[4] He defied his doctors' expectations by learning to walk and talk again[5] and regularly raises money for veterans' charities.[6][7] His case forced the Ministry of Defence to significantly increase compensation payouts to wounded British soldiers.[8]

Early life[edit]

Parkinson was born in Doncaster, in South Yorkshire. He has two brothers, including a non-identical twin, Dan. Parkinson left school at 16 without any academic qualifications.[citation needed]

Military career[edit]

Parkinson joined the Army at 16 and attended at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate. He joined 7 Para RHA, an airborne artillery regiment, in December 2001[9] and in 2003 he served with British forces in the US-led invasion of Iraq. He also served on a Nato peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.[10]

On 6 September 2006, he was part of a large armoured convoy in northern Helmand province, near the town of Musa Qala, when the WMIK open-top Land Rover he was travelling in hit a suspected anti-tank mine, left over from the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.[citation needed]

Parkinson was thrown out of the gun turret and landed around 15 metres from the overturned vehicle. His comrades found him unconscious and struggling to breathe. The patrol's combat medics Corporal Paul Hamnett and Corporal Matthew Oliver saved his life by performing an emergency surgical cricothyroidotomy.[11] The procedure, at the limit of their training, involved slicing into his windpipe with a scalpel and inserting a breathing tube below the obstructions in his throat.[citation needed]

He was flown by RAF Chinook helicopter to the main British base at Camp Bastion where surgeons removed his spleen and amputated both his legs above the knee.

He was evacuated back to the UK and underwent multiple surgeries at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham before being transferred to the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in London and then to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court.

He left the Army in 2019.[12]

Recovery[edit]

Parkinson was told he would never walk or talk as a result of his injuries, but he has repeatedly defied his doctors' expectations.[13]

In June 2012, he successfully carried the Olympic flame through his home town of Doncaster and was cheered on by thousands of wellwishers as he walked on prosthetic legs.[14]

In 2015 he underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy at a clinic in Scotland to try to repair his brain damage.[15]

Charity work[edit]

Parkinson is a patron for the veterans' charity Pilgrim Bandits and regularly takes part in their fundraising events and expeditions[16][17] including parachute jumps, cycle rides, kayaking and arctic treks.

He volunteers as a Poppy Seller in Doncaster to raise money for the Royal British Legion[18] and also supports Help For Heroes.[19]

Author[edit]

In 2021 Parkinson released an autobiography Losing the Battle, Winning the War: How we can all defy the odds we're given.[20] It was described as a "reflection of what heroism really means".[21]

Awards[edit]

In 2008 he won The Sun newspaper's Overcoming Adversity award at its inaugural Millies ceremony in London.[22] He was presented the award by former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

In 2013 he was appointed an MBE by Prince Charles[23] in recognition of his charity work.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Injured soldier Ben Parkinson receives MBE honour". BBC News. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Doncaster war hero Ben Parkinson to tell life story with release of new book". www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Soldier who lost legs in Afghanistan walks again". ITV News. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. ^ "TEN YEARS ON: The incredible journey of Doncaster's humble hero Ben Parkinson". www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  5. ^ "War hero's pioneering brain treatment". BBC News. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Ben Parkinson walks a mile for charity". ITV News. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Injured soldier Ben Parkinson starts 1,000-mile cycle ride". BBC News. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Disabled soldier's pay-out victory". The Guardian. 2 September 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Injured soldier overcomes adversity to carry Olympic Flame". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  10. ^ "The long road back to life". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  11. ^ Heathcote, Charlotte (29 April 2021). "A reflection on heroism and Graham Norton and Dawn French novels reviewed". mirror. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Britain's Most Injured Afghan War Veteran Leaves Army". Forces Network. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  13. ^ "War hero's pioneering brain treatment". BBC News. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Olympic torch relay: Injured soldier walks with flame". BBC News. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  15. ^ "War hero's pioneering brain treatment". BBC News. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Pilgrim Bandits". Pilgrim Bandits. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Injured soldier Ben Parkinson starts 1,000-mile cycle ride". BBC News. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Yorkshire Poppy Appeal starts at Huddersfield service". BBC News. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Ben Parkinson opens Help for Heroes fun day". ITV News. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  20. ^ Heathcote, Charlotte (29 April 2021). "A reflection on heroism and Graham Norton and Dawn French novels reviewed". mirror. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  21. ^ Heathcote, Charlotte (29 April 2021). "A reflection on heroism and Graham Norton and Dawn French novels reviewed". mirror. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  22. ^ "UK's military heroes recognised". 17 December 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  23. ^ "War hero's pioneering brain treatment". BBC News. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
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