Young hero 'betrayed by Government'

Trooper Chris Finney, of the Blues and Royals, was just 18 when he tried to rescue injured colleagues from a burning vehicle which was under attack from American A-10 "tankbuster" aircraft during the Iraq War in 2003.

Mr Finney, who has since left the Army and works in a call centre, was talking for the first time about how troops were not given enough equipment, and the pressure of being awarded the prestigious medal.

He told the Mail on Sunday: "The usual grumbling by soldiers at the politicians who determine their fate has for me hardened into real anger."

He said he was given a resettlement allowance of £500 when he left the Army, while politicians are given between 50% and 100% of their annual salary to help them adjust to life after Parliament.

"What makes me even more furious is the demonstrable lack of respect shown by the Government to those who have paid the highest price and made the ultimate sacrifice: the war dead," he said.

He questioned the absence of ministers at repatriation ceremonies and said Prime Minister Gordon Brown's call to Simon Cowell after Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle had a breakdown was a "slap in the face" for the parents of hundreds of soldiers killed serving their country.

Mr Finney added that there was "still not enough" kit for troops and said: "I am not alone in feeling betrayed and let down by this Government.

"My growing maturity brought an understanding of the workings of Whitehall and Downing Street and a sense of betrayal by the successive governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. I fell out of love with the Army and put in my papers."

Mr Finney also said the award of the George Cross - the highest award for acts of conspicuous gallantry performed by men or women when not in the face of the enemy - "placed upon me - a boy soldier - a burden of expectation that I could never fulfil". He said the "glittering career predicted for me simply didn't happen".