You think? There's no doubt at all about New Zealanders, NZ Cpl William *Big Willie* Apiata being a recent Victoria Cross recipient, the first New Zealander to not only receive the VC since WWII..., but to return home alive with it.
Posted on 03/13/2008 1:04:58 PM PDT by Stoat
NT soldiers bound for frontline
REBEKAH CAVANAGH
14Mar08
TERRITORY soldiers are to become Australia's first frontline troops since the Vietnam war.
A squad of Darwin-based Diggers are being deployed to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban.
The 15 artillerymen from 8/12 Medium Regiment at Robertson Barracks will fight alongside British troops.
The gunners will be based in the dangerous southern province of Helmand -- the same area where Prince Harry was serving before being sent home last month after his top-secret deployment was revealed by an Australian magazine.
It will be the first time Australians have manned a gun line on operations since Vietnam in 1973.
The Helmand province has been the scene of some of the fiercest and bloodiest conflicts between British troops and the Taliban in Afghanistan in the past two years.
But Defence said the Darwin gunners, who could not be named for operational reasons, were well-prepared after spending the past six months in Britain training for their mission.
They will be deployed as part of the UK-led Task Force Helmand -- commanded by Brigadier Andrew Mackay -- and will form part of the gun-line supporting operations in the province.
On the ground, they will be heavily armed and will don desert camouflage attire, including bullet-proof vests.
They will use 105mm L118 light guns -- a similar weapon to the Australian Defence Force's L119 Hamel -- from forward bases.
Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon yesterday wished the NT soldiers the best of luck on their tour of duty.
"These soldiers have worked extremely hard in the preceding months and have formed a key component of Task Force Helmand's fire support capability,'' he said.
"I wish them all the best for their deployment and am sure that their proficiency and skills will be highly valued by the UK and International Security Assistance Force personnel they support.''
Mr Fitzgibbon said the deployment was a further demonstration of Australia's commitment to restoring security to Afghanistan and the Defence Force's long-standing relationship with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence.
Helmand is the heart of Afghanistan's drug-producing poppy industry.
The above link should open up a video player; if it doesn't work, try this page:
News.com.au Top stories News from Australia and around the world online News.com.au
(scroll 1/3 of the way down the page and select video titled: "Specialist gun training for Aussie - Fifteen Australian soldiers have finished a specialist five month gun training....")
Ping
It was my belief that Aussie SAS troopers had been in Afghanistan since almost the beginning.
I'm sure that they have been; the article is making the distinction here of "Front Line" soldiers.
I think it's actually a case of the reporter not knowing what a "gun line" is.
It will be the first time Australians have manned a gun line on operations since Vietnam in 1973.
I confess it did sound rather odd to me when I first read it; thanks to all for the clarifications.
You think? There's no doubt at all about New Zealanders, NZ Cpl William *Big Willie* Apiata being a recent Victoria Cross recipient, the first New Zealander to not only receive the VC since WWII..., but to return home alive with it.
Naw, mate, that's just fellas from a 4x4 club from out back of Woop Woop....
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