Craig so grateful to lifesaver Michelle

SHARPSHOOTER Craig was only 21 when he flew out to serve in war-torn Helmand province.

The region was a lawless war zone where British forces played a daily deadly game of cat and mouse with the enemy.

Craig was only days into his deployment when he became pinned down on a building’s roof with his squad.

The devastating shot to his head happened as he manned a rooftop gun position in a compound that was under heavy fire from the Taliban.

Speaking about his ordeal previously, Craig said: “We were on an operation and had been dropped in the middle of nowhere. The platoon commander had decided it was too hot to carry on.

“We entered a nearby compound and, because I was a sharpshooter, I was put on the roof.

“We got into a firefight and a couple of the boys came up to help me as we came under suppressing fire from machine guns and a sniper.

“We couldn’t move, and I tried to find the sniper. I put my head up but the sniper was zeroing in on my head and he got me.

“The bullet went right through my helmet. I don’t know what I did after I got shot but the guys who were with me said I was trying to keep on shooting.”

Michelle Ping (below), a Royal Navy reservist who braved a hail of enemy fire to save Craig’s life, was mentioned in despatches in recognition of her courageous actions.

Craig would have died if not for Michelle.

Craig added: “As soon as she saw my eyes she thought I was dead.

“But she told me she shouted at me, ‘I’m not having that’ and she shook me back to life and looked after me.

“I’m so grateful for what she did. She saved my life – we’re best of friends.”

Modest Michelle said: “I’d get back on that roof again tomorrow.”

Pte Paterson suffered a brain injury as the bullet drove through a neat puncture in the front of his helmet and punched a large exit hole at the back.

He was airlifted to Kandahar, where an American surgeon carried out a delicate operation on his head, removing a piece from the top of his skull and inserting a titanium plate held in place by 32 tiny screws.

Craig said: “I now have a metal plate in my head – although I have kept the piece of my skull in an envelope upstairs as a war souvenir.”

Despite his injuries Craig, who now works in an electrical shop, has become a tireless charity fundraiser, raising thousands for injured servicemen.

He carried out a 500 mile bicycle for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, which helped him.