Medal 'victory' for forgotten Falklands hero

A paratrooper who was killed in the Falklands is in line to receive a top gallantry medal after his case was highlighted by The Mail on Sunday, sparking a remarkable U-turn by the Prime Minister. Corporal Stewart McLaughlin, 27, who was killed leading British soldiers during the Battle of Mount Longdon in June 1982, was denied a bravery award after commanders lost his handwritten citation. The recommendation was written just hours after Cpl McLaughlin’s death on the mountain overlooking the capital Port Stanley where British Paras took key enemy positions. Within two days of the battle, British soldiers were able to force the Argentinians to surrender. Cpl McLaughlin’s citation described how he had ‘fought like a demon’ and inspired young Paras in his section by charging towards enemy machine-gun fire shouting: ‘Come on lads, I’m bulletproof, follow me!’He was killed in the final throes of the battle and hours later his medal citation was misplaced when officers from the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, were forced to move to another HQ. Last month we reported how David Cameron had blocked a bid by the soldier’s family for Cpl McLaughlin to receive official recognition, telling them it was ‘simply not possible after this amount of time’ to look again at the case.Read More HERE