Captain Beattie commissioned into the Royal
Irish Regiment on 29 April 2005, having previously
served as Regimental Sergeant Major of his
1st Battalion. He was posted to Afghanistan
on 24 July 2006 as the Operations Officer
in the embryonic Joint Security Coordination
Centre, working closely with Afghan National
Security Forces in Lashkar Gah. His
overall exemplary performance has been cited
separately.
On 10 September 2006 Captain Beattie volunteered
to be a Liaison Officer with seventy Afghan
National Police (ANP), part of a larger Afghan/ISAF
force to recapture the town of Garmsir from
the Taliban – a vital role. Heavy
fighting began on 11 September with an assault
on a canal bridge and it soon became apparent
that whilst individual policemen were prepared
to fight, they lacked leadership, training
and organisation. Under pressure, committed
to the fight and temporarily stalled, the
police looked to Captain Beattie for help.
There was no option for him but to take responsibility
and, through an interpreter, he set about
reorganising, teaching assaulting skills
and conducting house clearances on the job,
by personal example and under fire.
For the next 10 days his inspiration and
example gave moral and physical resolve to
the Afghans and was absolutely key to the
eventual success of the operation.
From 11th to 23rd September, Captain Beattie was in close
combat and under heavy fire every day.
In the initial phase he personally led the
fight and guided police in an advance over
1.5 km, outflanking Taliban positions and
unhinging their defences. He helped
clear compounds and houses, often on his
own and seized the District Centre.
He then organised the town defences against
enemy counter-attack.
Captain Beattie committed many acts of bravery
on this operation that were witnessed by
the Chief of Police, two British Officers
and a British journalist, but one occasion
stands apart. On 18th September he led a joint Afghan Army and
Afghan Police patrol to reinforce exposed
police checkpoints under enemy fire.
The patrol was ambushed by Taliban who allowed
the leading vehicles to pass through the
killing zone before springing the ambush
on Captain Beattie’s two vehicles –
his own vehicle taking several direct hits.
He immediately fought back with his commander’s
machine gun and began extraction drills.
The second vehicle in his patrol became bogged
in and Captain Beattie stopped under heavy
fire to hitch it up so it could be towed
out of danger. At the same time he
continued to suppress the enemy with his
weapons and called for close air support.
The enemy being just 100 metres away, he
had to call in a series of extremely close
air support strikes on Taliban positions.
This gave the Afghans a chance to regain
the initiative and drive the Taliban
away.
Captain Beattie’s conduct throughout
this twelve-day operation was above and beyond
the call of duty. His role was to pass
information, not to fight. But in order
for the mission to succeed he calculated
seizing of the initiative was essential.
Throughout the action he placed himself selflessly
in positions of extreme danger and his clear-thinking
and robust leadership inspired an Afghan
success is exemplified in his calm extraction
of a vehicle and crew under enemy fire.
His outstanding courage, leadership and selfless
action under constant enemy fire turned the
tide of events in Garmsir. He is deserving
of the highest recognition.
Captain Beattie was awarded the Military
Cross in December 2006.
