An RAF pilot has been honoured by the Queen for his bravery in Afghanistan.
Brighton-born Flight Lieutenant Marc Heal was awarded the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross for saving 29 lives in the heat of battle.
The expert pilot captained a Chinook helicopter immediate response team (IRT) during Operation Panther’s Claw and was regularly sent to danger zones.
The 29-year-old, who commanded eight IRT missions, showed “unflinching courage” by rescuing the casualties in July last year.
His citation for the honour states that: "He consistently demonstrated exceptional levels of professional ability, combined with unflinching courage throughout, successfully extracting 29 casualties from the battlefield and delivering them into medical care.
"Throughout this most intense operational period, his superior flying skills, inspirational command of his crew and calmness under fire set an outstanding example of gallantry, professionalism and courage that undoubtedly saved lives."
The crew had been on call day and night for three days, manning the IRT Chinook at Camp Bastion.
In those three days they received eight call-outs to help with soldiers injured in the Babaji region during Operation Panther’s Claw.
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