Armed Forces heroes celebrated at The Sun Military Awards
The Millies are awarded for inspiring individual and collective achievements from within the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force
Personnel from RAF Odiham, who won the Hero at Home - Unit award
The Sun Military Awards - otherwise known as the Millies - have recognised incredible acts of heroism and resilience within the Armed Forces for the twelfth year running at a red-carpet ceremony at London’s Banqueting House.
The crew of HMS Argyll won the Hero Overseas - Unit award for saving the lives of 27 sailors from a huge fire onboard a large cargo ship in the Bay of Biscay during their return from deployment.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended and presented the Hero at Home - Unit award to 18 and 27 Squadron Royal Air Force for their dedication to the recovery effort during flooding in Lincolnshire and their work to reinforce the dam at Whaley Bridge.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson hosted the nominees at a reception at 10 Downing Street
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who met the nominees at a reception at 10 Downing Street before attending the awards show, said:
Our Armed Forces serve with expertise, dedication and resilience and are the best in the world. The Sun Military Awards allow us to celebrate the brilliance of our Armed Forces and reward examples of extraordinary service. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners and thank you to The Sun and BAE Systems for organising this wonderful event.
The Judges’ Special Award was awarded to The Royal British Legion’s Veteran’s Ship which took 300 Second World War veterans on a moving voyage to the official D-Day 75th anniversary commemorations in the UK and France.
Pte Fin Doherty, who won the Inspiring Others award, stands with Alexandra Burke on the red carpet
Famous faces from the worlds of film, music and sport attended the ceremony and were on hand to present the awards to the winners, including armed forces supporters Ross Kemp and Baroness Karren Brady and sports stars Mark Foster and Rebecca Adlington. Music stars Liam Payne and Alexandra Burke also attended to show their support.
The winners of The Sun Military Awards are:
Hero at Home – Individual
Lance Corporal Craig Daniels – for saving the life of a fellow soldier who was hit by a lorry close to Catterick Garrison.
Hero at Home – Unit
18 and 27 Squadron, Royal Air Force – for their work aiding the recovery effort during flooding in Lincolnshire and reinforcing the dam at Whaley Bridge.
Hero Overseas – Individual
Flight Lieutenant Aaron Kerry – for leading a mission to recover a platoon of French paratroopers in territory with known Daesh activity in Mali.
Hero Overseas – Unit
HMS Argyll – for saving 27 sailors from a huge fire onboard a large cargo ship in the Bay of Biscay.
Best Reservist
Lieutenant Commander Tracy MacSephney – for developing a product that transformed the way the UK Armed Forces protect merchant shipping in the Gulf.
Inspiring Others
Private Fin Doherty – for successfully passing out at Army Foundation College Harrogate and being awarded Junior Regimental Sergeant Major, honouring his brother who was killed in Afghanistan.
Overcoming Adversity
Craig Monaghan – for his work in helping veterans to transition to civilian life and becoming the first soldier wounded in Afghanistan to represent his country in Rugby Union.
Innovation Award
The Scar Free Foundation – for funding and carrying out research which aims to minimise the impact of scarring and limb loss among injured Armed Forces personnel.
Support to the Armed Forces
All Call Signs – for providing a vital service that has supported over 500 veterans and service personnel to date, offering a peer-to-peer messaging app to help find veterans who have gone missing.
Judges’ Special Award
The Royal British Legion’s Veteran’s Ship