The Sun Millies Award to Top Naval Reservist

12 Jan

Sheffield based, Royal Naval Reservist Able Rate (AB) Michelle (Mich) Ping (37) was successfully awarded the Best Reservist in the Sun Military Awards (Millies) for saving the life of critically injured Highlander Craig Patterson whilst under a blizzard of Taliban fire in Afghanistan.

Amongst stiff competition heroine AB Mich Ping was presented with the Best Reservist award by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. She was later joined on stage by the soldier she saved Highlander Craig Patterson and his loved ones. 

Heroine Mich Ping told of her “amazing night” at the Millies, she added: “At one point Prince Harry put his arm around me and I was thinking, I’m just Michelle Ping from Sheffield”. On meeting Prince Harry she said: “The Prince is really down to earth, he just one of the boys”.

Walking onto the stage to meet Mich on sticks, Highlander Craig Patterson said: “Michelle saved my life definitely”. They were joined by his Mum Alison (50) and his girlfriend Louise Dalgarno (20), they both expressed their extreme gratitude to Mich’s bravery in saving Craig’s life.

Mich sprang into action after hearing “man down” after Craig was shot in the head while manning a gun post on a compound’s roof. Bravely, without any regard for her own safety she climbed straight onto the roof, got him off and patched him up; this whilst under heavy fire from the Taliban.

On saving Craig, Mich said: I just got straight up on the roof, there was lots of blood. I thought he was dead at first, then I thought, I’m not having this, my focus was on him and getting him down off the roof”.

AB Mich Ping, is no stranger to dangerous working, her day job is as a paramedic with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service working in Leeds as part of their gritty Hazardous Area Response Team. In the Royal Naval Reserves (RNR) she is an Air Engineering Mechanic, an experienced helicopter technician. Unusually, whilst deployed she was not performing her reservist role but that of her civilian occupation - a paramedic. Using these skills she worked tirelessly on the front line and made an outstanding contribution to the troops providing life saving medical cover.

The fourth annual Sun Military Awards, organised by the Sun newspaper in close association with the Ministry of Defence, took place at the Imperial War Museum in London on 19 December 2011.

A star-studded line up of royalty, politicians and entertainers paid tribute to the courage, sacrifice, achievements and excellence of the UK's Armed Forces.

The awards ceremony was hosted by Phillip Schofield and Amanda Holden. Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry were guests of honour at the event, billed as 'A Night of Heroes'.



Photographs by kind permission of The Sun