OG war hero visits Gresham's

31 Mar 2008

An OG who survived a friendly fire attack by American soliders in Afghanistan recently visited Gresham's, delivering a spell-binding account of his experiences at war to members of the Gresham's Combined Cadet Force (CCF).

OG Lt George Seal-Coon was caught in the friendly fire attack last August alongside one hundred British troops from the Royal Anglian Regiment on a routine patrol near their base in the Helmand province.  After encountering hostile Taliban troops, the group retreated to an abandoned compound, as American F15 aircraft prepared to disperse the enemy from above.  However, a timing error of twenty seconds meant that the bomb intended for the Taliban was tragically dropped on the East Anglian troops instead.

The subsequent explosion killed three men and inflicted numerous injuries.  Lt Seal-Coon, who was  positioned only twenty feet from the blast, was later commended by his soldiers for his bravery and leadership, as he applied first aid to two of the dying men on the compound's roof while exposed to the enemy.

Lt Seal-Coon attended Gresham's from 1995 to 2000, a member of Farfield House.  He recently was awarded a Joint Commanders Commendation, alongside Lt Cpl Proctor, who also serves in the Royal Anglian Regiment.

Photo: Lt George Seal-Coon (credit: Justin Sutcliffe)