Stourbridge war heroine on 24-hour call to go anywhere in the world in new army role
Dec 28 2009 by Steve Bradley, Birmingham Mail
A STOURBRIDGE soldier who became the first woman to win the Military Cross has been training for a role which could soon see her sent anywhere in the world.
Lance Corporal Michelle Norris, 22, is a combat medic serving with the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment which has just taken responsibility as the Spearhead Land Element.
This involves being on 24-hour notice to move to any part of the world where British military help is needed.
In 2006, six months after training, LCpl Norris found herself in Iraq and showed outstanding bravery treating her vehicle commander when he was shot in the face.
Under heavy sniper fire she got out of her vehicle and climbed up it to reach the commander. She then dragged him to safety despite one bullet even hitting her rucksack.
She said: “It was just an instant reaction to jump out of the vehicle and treat him. I saved his life.”
In preparation for the SLE role, which could see them dealing with anything from natural disaster to civil unrest, Michelle joined the 900-strong Royal Irish Battlegroup on Salisbury Plain for a three-week exercise designed to test the soldiers’ resilience and capability in a range of different scenarios.
Through driving rain, the men and women moved across the Plain to secure towns and villages, freeing hostages, dealing with detainees and both civilian and military casualties along the way. In a spectacular night-time clash with ‘enemy’ forces, flares hurled through the sky as the troops stormed a village.
The battlegroup organised and carried out a series of helicopter drops across the training area, delivering humanitarian aid.
LCpl Norris, who has been in the Army for five years, said: “This exercise is good because it allows me to brush up my infantry skills rather than just medical skills. Now that I’m attached to an infantry unit I’ll be out on the ground with them as a company medic on any future tours.
“Because of the Military Cross some of the lads have a bit of banter with me about being a war hero but it’s just a joke. I know that I’m not perfect that I still have a lot to learn. For me, every day’s a school day.”
