The Christian Craighead Story

Valour Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

He who dares, wins.

To most people out there, the name Christian Craighead neither rings a bell nor does it spark any sort of recollection of tales of bravery. But it should. With this article I aim to change that and shed some light on the bravery of the man in question.

In January of 2019 five al-shabab jihadists stormed the Doucet D2 hotel complex, located in the Westlands district of Nairobi. Kenya, murdering 22 people in the process. The number would have been much higher if it wasn't for a masked hero who instead of running away, ran towards the gunfire. The jihadists were not prepared for what, or who, awaited them. The man in question is the aforementioned Christian Craighead. A former SAS (UK Special Forces) operator. A man as hard as nails.

So who is Christian Craighead? He joined the UK army at the age of sixteen in what was then known as, the junior leaders. He later joined the parachute regiment, before passing the selection for the pathfinder platoon. They are the reconnaissance element of the 16th air assault brigade and are specialist parachuters and reconnaissance soldiers. He took part in the invasion of Iraq where he inevitably saw his first firefights and had his metal tested in the crucible of war. His first kill was at point blank range using his secondary. After dipping his toes in the brutal world of combat, he decided that something was missing. He wanted to test his resolve further. He attempted the UK Special Forces selection for his third time in hopes of joining 22 SAS. They are the UK’s tier 1 Spec Ops force. The selection process for this world class unit, is famous for it's sheer grueling nature. The hills phase, located in Wales, is just the beginning of a process that can take up to six months. Chris managed to pass selection after his third attempt, highlighting the unrelenting nature of the man in question. Remember, as cliché as it sounds, it's not about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward.