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HERO HARRY’S SECRET WAR EXPOSED!

U.S. colonel reveals what really happened in Afghanista­n

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PRINCE HARRY stared death in the face as a British cavalry officer in Afghanista­n — but the real-life hero has always downplayed his combat experience!

Now, an American military man is breaking his silence to reveal the truth about the battle-hardened blue blood, whose military service has turned him into a target for jihadist radicals in Britain and around the world.

“Harry was in the thick of the fighting! He’s the real deal!” says Col. William Connor, a former South Carolina National Guardsman who served alongside the royal redhead in gun battles with Muslim radicals. “He came down range, got shot at, put his life on the line and led by example. He could have been in a safer position. But, clearly, he was willing to die.

“He was not Prince Harry, he was just Harry.” Now a new hubby married to American-born actress Meghan Markle, Harry was just 24 in 2007 and 2008 when he saw action in Helmand Province during bitter fighting with anti-government forces led by the Taliban.

But he proved to be a true war hero.

“The British during that time were losing a substantia­l number of people,” Connor recalls.

“There was a decent chance you would not come back. Harry must have thought on at least one occasion, ‘Yes, I could die,’ but he still went ahead and took this risk for his nation.”

Connor was at an outpost just 500 yards from Taliban lines when Harry arrived by helicopter on Christmas Eve 2007.

“He had no security. He really expected no special treatment,” says Connor. On New Year’s Day 2008, Harry fired his first shots in combat.

Later, he commanded a squadron of light tanks as they pushed through Taliban-controlled territory.

“We could hear Prince Harry on the radio,” Connor recalls.

“He sent an illuminati­on round up. Our guys were on rest and some pebbles came down. It was not his fault. The guys were saying, ‘Gosh darn, that Prince Harry!’”

Looking back, Connor says he was deeply impressed by Harry’s gutsy choice to serve on the front lines.

“I have seen people that have taken advantage of being VIP and getting different kinds of treatment,” says Connor.

“But he is so humble — and he was respected. That’s something that’s earned, not given. He had earned that respect among his men.”

 ??  ?? Col. WilliamCon­nor The young royal, then in his early 20s, earned the respect of fellow soldiers by refusing preferenti­al treatment and risking his life in the line of duty
Col. WilliamCon­nor The young royal, then in his early 20s, earned the respect of fellow soldiers by refusing preferenti­al treatment and risking his life in the line of duty
 ??  ?? The prince showed valor while servingove­rseas
The prince showed valor while servingove­rseas

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