Iraq Veteran's Harrowing Sniper Attack and Inspiring Recovery
Simon Brown, a 46-year-old veteran, has shared the traumatic details of the sniper attack in Iraq that left him blind in 2006. The former corporal in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers was shot in the face during a rescue mission near Basra Palace, with the bullet entering his left cheek and exiting through the right.
The Fateful Mission That Changed Everything
On December 6, 2006, Brown was part of a mission to rescue six stranded soldiers. He was commanding a 40-tonne Warrior tank when his unit came under fire after arresting a bomb maker. "We flipped a coin basically and I won the toss," Brown recalled about deciding which vehicle would lead the operation.
When dust obscured visibility and his tank ended up in a ditch, Brown put his head out of the turret to assess the situation. "I felt the impact on the side of my face as the bullet struck me here," he said, pointing to his left cheek. "And it came out here" pointing to his right.
Immediate Aftermath and Critical Injuries
Brown described feeling blood gush from his head down his legs. "My legs were getting damp and warm. And it was the blood from my face," he said. His jaw had broken in four places and his palate collapsed, threatening suffocation. He had to use his thumb to hold up his mouth and keep his airway open during the journey back to base.
Both cheekbones were shattered, his jaw broken in multiple places, both eye sockets damaged, and his left eye completely removed. He now has about a dozen metal plates in his face and only about 20 percent vision in his remaining eye.
Seventeen Days in Darkness
Brown slipped into a drug-induced coma that lasted 17 days. "For the next 17 days it was dark," he recalled. He was flown back to Britain and treated at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, waking up on Christmas Eve with only light perception in his remaining eye.
"My world fell apart. I'd lost my career; I'd lost my job and I'd lost my future," Brown said. "I just felt cheated and robbed. When you go through adversity, all your focus goes on what you've lost."
Turning Point and Remarkable Recovery
The turning point came when Brown heard on the radio about two soldiers killed in an IED attack. "That was the catalyst moment," he explained. "The moment you realise you're a survivor, not a victim, you know, and survivors get up. They don't give up."
With support from his family and the Royal British Legion, Brown rebuilt his life. He eventually became mayor of his hometown of Morley in West Yorkshire in 2024. "I want other veterans to know 'you are not alone' and that despair can be replaced with hope," he emphasized.
Royal British Legion's National Remembrance
The Royal British Legion has announced a national event to mark 15 years since the Iraq War ended. A Service of Remembrance will be held at the National Memorial Arboretum on May 22. The conflict, which began in 2003 and officially ended in May 2011, claimed 179 British armed forces members and injured approximately 6,000 others.
Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, stated: "Experiences of modern conflict, such as Iraq, can be complex and difficult to talk about, and many people are only just coming to us now for help. The RBL is here to provide life-long support to the Armed Forces Community."
Another veteran, John Devlin, 36, from Liverpool, who was shot in the shoulder by a sniper in Iraq, credited the charity with saving his life. "I know I'd be dead without the Royal British Legion," he said, having been diagnosed with PTSD after his deployment at age 18.
