Distraught friends and relatives of the British soldier killed in Iraq hailed her as ‘a true hero’ and an ‘incredible force of nature’.
Lance Corporal Brodie Gillon died when Iranian-backed gunmen fired missiles on a military base on Wednesday.
She was the first British soldier to be killed in combat during the current fight against Islamic State.
As the Foreign Secretary welcomed ‘swift and decisive’ US air strikes launched in retaliation to the attack, which also killed two American servicemen, tributes were paid.
Lance Corporal Gillon’s cousin Robert Gillon said: ‘You are a true hero, taken from us doing what you loved doing, and done so well.’
Lance Corporal Brodie Gillon, 26, has been named by the Ministry of Defence as the servicewoman who was killed in a rocket attack on Camp Taji, near Baghdad, Iraq
The soldier – who qualified as a Class 1 Combat Medical Technician in 2018 – was a reservist with the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry and served with the Irish Guards Battle Group.
The 26-year-old from Ayr, Scotland, juggled her training with work as a sports physiotherapist. Her clients included Hollywood star Chris Pine during the filming of Netflix’s drama Outlaw King about Robert the Bruce.
In a Facebook post, she said she was ‘loving’ Army life. In 2015 she wrote: ‘Exactly one year ago today I joined the Army, last night I spent my night in a Land Rover off road convoy driving absolutely s******* my trousers!
‘Got to love it tho!’
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab yesterday backed the US air strikes launched in response to the attack blamed on an Iranian-backed militia.
He said: ‘The response to the cowardly attack on coalition forces in Iraq has been swift, decisive and proportionate. We will continue working with our partners to ensure those responsible for these deplorable acts will be held to account.’
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also welcomed the US strike, saying: ‘When we and others are attacked, we reserve the right to defend ourselves.’
Before going to Iraq, Lance Corporal Gillon worked as a therapist at Glasgow-based Sports Therapy Scotland. Boss David Jenkins said she would have had a ‘bright future’ in the field and added: ‘Almost daily we had clients asking after her so everyone here is very upset. Everyone wanted to be treated by Brodie.’
Brenda Wallace from Glasgow was treated by the soldier after hurting her foot. She paid tribute to the ‘gorgeous, vibrant, incredible force of nature’. She added: ‘Brodie was the most stunning, strong, bright and brave young woman.’
The 26-year-old from Ayr, Scotland, juggled her training with work as a sports physiotherapist. Her clients included Hollywood star Chris Pine (pictured) during the filming of Netflix’s drama Outlaw King about Robert the Bruce
Foreign secretary Dominc Raab, pictured leaving Downing Street on Thursday, has praised the US Air Force’s ‘swift, decisive and proportionate’ response after a Coalition camp was struck by missiles outside of Baghdad, Iraq
And Lillian Tait wrote on Facebook: ‘You were my best friend. Fifteen years of friendship just wasn’t long enough but I was one of the lucky ones to have spent so many amazing times with you.’
The foreign secretary has welcomed US retaliatory air strikes in Iraq, calling them a ‘swift, decisive and proportionate’ response to a missile attack that killed the British servicewoman and two American troops.
US fighter jets struck five weapons storage facilities on Thursday, in response to Kataib Hezbollah’s missile attack on the Taji camp in Iraq.
Lance Corporal Brodie Gillon, 26, along with two American troops, was killed when 15 small rockets hit the military camp to the north of capital Baghdad on Wednesday.
According to the US Defence Department, 14 other military personnel were injured.
This morning foreign secretary Dominic Raab praised America’s response, which it hopes will stop the paramilitary group from carrying out further attacks.
Mr Raab said: ‘The response to the cowardly attack on Coalition forces in Iraq has been swift, decisive and proportionate.
‘We will continue working with our partners to ensure those responsible for these deplorable acts will be held to account.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace described LCpl Gillon as ‘a shining example of what our Armed Forces and Reserves stand for,’ before warning Britain would have a ‘strong response’ to ‘those who seek to harm our armed forces’
‘UK forces are in Iraq with Coalition partners to help the country counter terrorist activity and anyone seeking to harm them can expect a strong response.’
The praise was echoed by defence secretary Ben Wallace, who warned people who ‘seek to hurt our armed forces can expect to receive a strong response’.
Mr Wallace said: ‘The coalition stands shoulder to shoulder in Iraq. Our forces work together to help the country resist the malign activity of terrorists.
‘When we and others are attacked we reserve the right to defend ourselves.
‘We support the right of the United States to defend themselves, as they have done tonight.
‘We reiterate that those who seek to harm our armed forces can expect to receive a strong response.’
LCpl Gillon had served as a Reserve with the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry, who specialise in reconnaissance and gathering intelligence on enemy targets and local environments.
She joined the Armed Forces in September 2015 as a Combat Medical Technician, and had been working as a sports therapist in Scotland while not on duty. She qualified as a Class 1 Combat Medical Technician in 2018.
The reservist was killed while volunteering as part of the Irish Guards Battle Group during their deployment to Iraq, the MoD confirmed.
Her commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Leek, Commanding Officer Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry, said: ‘LCpl Brodie Gillon was a hugely popular character in the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry and we are proud and humbled to have served with her in our ranks.
‘She was a larger than life soldier who was determined to deploy on operations, help others, develop herself and gain practical experience.
‘She had already achieved a great deal in her relatively short time with us and it was abundantly clear that she was destined for great things in her civilian and military careers. Her loss is keenly felt.
‘My deepest condolences go to her family and loved ones. They are in my thoughts and prayers, and those of the wider Regimental family.’
US soldiers walk around at the Taji base complex in Iraq which hosts Iraqi and US troops (pictured in 2014)
Army Colonel Myles Caggins, the Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson retweeted these images of rocket launchers yesterday when confirming the attack on Taji base in Iraq
Deputy Commander Field Army, Major General Celia Harvey OBE QVRM TD DL, said L/Cpl Gillon was fulfilling a ‘long-term ambition’ to serve on an operational tour in Iraq.
She said: ‘As a Combat Medical Technician, she was carrying out an essential role as part of a closely-knit team, helping to bring stability to Iraq.
‘She was a soldier who showed fantastic commitment and determination, combined with a fun-loving personality.
‘On behalf of the British Army, I offer my deepest condolences to L/Cpl Gillon’s family and loved ones for their loss. She made the ultimate sacrifice and will always be remembered.’
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said it was clear L/Cpl Gillon was a ‘shining example of what our Armed Forces and Reserves stand for’, as he sent his condolences to her family.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured during Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s questions) said: ‘It is with deep sadness that I learned that a UK soldier was killed in the attack’
US officials last night said it was too early to assign blame, but any indication that Iran-backed militia were responsible could ignite a new round of military escalation between the United States and Iran.
In a tribute earlier today, Boris Johnson said: ‘It is with deep sadness that I learned that a UK soldier was killed in the attack at the Taji military base last night. My thoughts go out to their loved ones at this extremely difficult time.
‘Our servicemen and women work tirelessly every day to uphold security and stability in the region – their presence makes us all safer.
‘The Foreign Secretary has spoken to the US Secretary of State and we will continue to liaise with our international partners to fully understand the details of this abhorrent attack.’
This is while defence secretary Ben Wallace called the attack a ‘cowardly and retrograde act’.
‘The men and women of the UK armed forces are in Iraq to help that country establish stability and prosperity. The people that did this are not friends of Iraq.
‘My thoughts are with the families of those whose loved ones have been killed or injured. We shall not forget their sacrifice and will ensure those who committed these acts face justice.’
US officials last night declined to quantify the number of troops and military contractors among the dead and wounded and noted that the information was just coming in and could change.
Army Colonel Myles Caggins, a US military spokesman in Iraq, said that more than 15 small rockets hit Iraq’s Camp Taji base at around 7.35pm in Iraq on March 11.
US soldiers fighting the terrorist group known as ISIS in Iraq are seen in an image posted on Twitter by national security correspondent for Voice of America Jeff Seldin. Two service members killed during a raid Sunday were not identified pending notification of next of kin
Earlier on Wednesday, the Iraqi military said no casualties had been reported in the attack.
Camp Taji, located just north of Baghdad, has been used as a training base for a number of years.
There are as many as 6,000 US troops in Iraq, training and advising Iraqi forces and conducting counter-terror missions.
Iran-backed paramilitary groups have regularly been rocketing and shelling bases in Iraq that host US forces and the area around the US Embassy in Baghdad.