b. 1983 ?
DATE OF CGC ACTION: 01/04/2010 to 30/09/2010 Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Mark A Jackson CGC
Little is known about Mark Jackson, who served in “D” Company, Royal Marines, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. During a tour of Afghanistan in 2010, he was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, when he picked up and threw back an insurgent’s grenade before lying down on a comrade to protect him from the explosion. Mark later described his experience as “I was just a baby marine when I went out there.”
On 22 June 2011, he was presented with his CGC by Prince Charles (now King Charles III) at Buckingham Palace. His medal citation described how his “only thought was for the life of his comrade who, had he hesitated for one moment, would have been killed”. Recalling dealing with the grenade, he said: “I just thought that’s going to hurt and ran over and launched it back.” He added: “There are so many stories out there that are untold – so many lads that deserve this.”
After the investiture, Mark decided to propose to his then girlfriend, Rebecca Daniel in the Buckingham Palace Quadrangle. She accepted the proposal and is now his wife.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: WITH RECIPIENT.
