A war hero has recalled the moment he lost his left arm in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan. Jaco van Gass, who lives in Sale with his wife, was on his second tour of the country in August 2009 when he and his team from the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment, were dispatched by helicopter to capture the head of a Taliban terror cell.
The operation was a success but as they made their way back to the helicopter, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at them which tore off his left arm and part of his leg. Despite this, Jaco was able to continue firing his gun at the enemy.
"It was when I was trying to hold my rifle in the correct position that I realised something didn’t feel right," he told The Mirror.
