A HAMPSHIRE soldier killed in Afghanistan is set to receive a top military award.
Senior military personnel say they expect bomb disposal expert Olaf Schmid, from Winchester, to be given the George Cross.
Staff Sergeant Schmid, 30, of the Royal Logistic Corps, was killed as he dealt with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Helmand Province last month.
It was his last day on the job before he was due to fly home after his tour of duty with 2 Rifles Battle Group, and rejoin his wife Christina and fiveyear- old stepson Laird, for a two-week break at their home in Harestock.
Now top military sources expect him to be recommended for the medal instituted in 1940 by George VI, in recognition of “acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger.”
Staff Sgt Schmid, known to family and friends as Oz, had previously disarmed 64 Taliban roadside bombs in five months.
The George Cross has been awarded 159 times in 69 years.
An alternative would be a posthumous Distinguished Service Order (DSO).
A decoration instituted by Queen Victoria in 1886, it was originally to reward junior officers in the Army for distinguished service or acts of gallantry against the enemy but after a review in 1993, is now awarded for distinguished leadership during active operations.
When Staff Sgt Schmid’s body was repatriated 11 days ago, Christina led the mourning at Wootton Bassett.
Over the weekend she revealed the contents of some of the letters he had sent home.
He wrote to her: “Your picture protects me and I leave it there to watch over me.
“Staying alive is like a lottery, patrolling the Afghan badlands is playing Russian roulette with your feet.
“Dealing with bombs is easy; it’s the getting shot at whilst doing your job that makes me run.”
Mrs Schmid also said how her husband had been keen to “step back” after the tour of duty to train more people in what he did.
“He was out there for so long because there are so few of them,” she said.
Mrs Schmid also said her husband was a preserver of life.
“He took the time to defuse these devices proper so they didn’t cause destruction,” she added.
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