A DECORATED Edinburgh soldier, who died trying to disarm a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan, was hailed as "the epitome of a hero" today after an inquest into his death.
Bomb disposal specialist Warrant Officer Gary O'Donnell, 40, of the Royal Logistic Corps, was blown up as he approached the device near Musa Qala in Helmand Province in September last year.
His widow, friends and colleagues paid tribute to his out
standing bravery, which prompted the Ministry of Defence to award him a second George Medal posthumously in March.
Speaking after today's inquest hearing, which lasted less than 30 minutes, WO O'Donnell's widow, Toni, who has a young child by him, said it "meant the world" to hear of the respect and admiration her husband commanded.
She said: "He was very brave. I know how brave he was now. He kept it to himself. I think he put it to the back his mind how dangerous it was.
Fighting back tears, she paid tribute to a "loving and wonderful husband and a great father".
"He played the guitar, he sang, he was a great family man. He was Gary. Nothing more you could say. He was wonderful," she said.
WO O'Donnell died after being called to a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED), which he attempted to dismantle, as he had previously done with another earlier that day.
Minutes later, army colleagues metres from the device heard the explosion that killed him instantly.
Corporal Andrew James Cobb of the Royal Signals, who worked closely with WO O'Donnell in Afghanistan, said he gave a short brief to his colleagues before proceeding out into the zone of the IED.
Speaking after today's hearing, Captain Michael Webb of the Royal Logistics Corps, part of the same unit as WO O'Donnell, said: "Every time he was on the ground removing a device he without a doubt saved lives. He was the epitome of a hero."
Cpt Webb said WO O'Donnell's two George Medals were "a spectacular acknowledgement of how brave he was", adding: "To be awarded it twice is extraordinary. The last person to do that was in the early 1980s and he was also in the same trade as Gary. It's not common to get one, let alone two."
Warwickshire coroner Sean McGovern recorded a verdict that WO O'Donnell died from blast wounds caused by an explosion while on active service as a member of the armed forces.
WO O'Donnell, known as Gaz, was born in Edinburgh and had 17 years of military experience.
The father-of-four's first George Medal – awarded for extreme bravery – was for the incredible courage he displayed while serving in Iraq in 2006.
He was also hailed a hero for defusing eight deadly boobytraps in a single day while in Afghanistan.
His second George Medal meant the first award of a Bar to the George Medal in 26 years.
The soldier's widow, Toni, gave birth to their second child, Ben, just nine weeks before he died.
The couple had one other child – Aiden, eight. WO O'Donnell also has two teenage children from another marriage.
Sergeant Lee Edward Davies of the Royal Engineers, who was around 40m away from the blast, told the inquest activity on the day of WO O'Donnell's death was as "normal".
He said of the operation: "These were things we had done many times before.
"As far as my job was concerned, everything seemed normal."
Cpt Webb told the inquest at Leamington Spa Town Hall his team went out the following day at first light to see whether the device could be dismantled and to find out what happened.
He also paid tribute to WO O'Donnell. He told the inquest: "His training was by the book and a lot of his training drills were exceptional.
"He was very good at his job: the best operative I have met."
At the end of the hearing, Mr McGovern said to members of WO O'Donnell's family: "Can I offer my condolences.
"He was a very brave individual. Sadly he lost his life."
Mr McGovern ordered that a flag at Leamington Spa would be brought to half mast until dusk as a mark of his respect, and that of the people of the town.
"It is clear that you have exemplified the dignity of a family and I can see where he gets that from.
"He is a credit to you, and you are a credit to him."
The full article contains 743 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
