AN Army medic who saved two injured comrades’ lives despite being badly hurt herself in a suicide bomb attack wins the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery.

LCpl Sinead Dodds, from near Taunton, was in a control vehicle blown up by a civilian vehicle packed with explosives as she, her commander and driver provided cover for engineers clearing route 611 near an Afghan National Army Check Point.

Sinead Dodds, 21, of the Royal Army Medical Corps, 22 Engineer Regiment, said: “The first I knew of it was incredibly hot air in my face, a bright orange glow and then a huge bang.

“I remember being thrown about. I was knocked unconscious but was woken by the screams of the driver.

“I remember how hot it was and everything hurt. I thought my legs were broken at first. I couldn’t see anything because of the dust, not even my hand in front of my face.”

Despite suffering hearing loss and agonising pain, she sprung into action and freed herself from the debris to deal with the casualties.

She administered life-saving first aid to the commander, whose legs were trapped in the wreckage of the blazing vehicle, clearing his airway of blood, sitting him up and removing his body armour and also triaged the driver.

She returned to the vehicle to shout for help as the communications equipment had been destroyed, only for her hair to catch fire, causing minor burns to her head and face.

Sinead, a former student at Kingsmead Community School, Wiveliscombe, had injuries to most of her body but continued to provide direction to the first responders, including how to treat her own wounds, as they extracted the casualties from the crew compartment.

She said: “The emotions afterwards were crazy – really happy one minute, upset the next.

“I have no feelings about the people who did it. We survived, they died, so they didn’t achieve what they wanted.”