Posted on 07/02/2012 6:58:32 PM PDT by naturalman1975
An Australian Special Forces soldier has been killed as a result of a small arms engagement in the Chorah Valley, Afghanistan, yesterday afternoon (2 July 2012).
The soldier was shot in the chest during an engagement with insurgents while on a partnered mission with the Afghan National Security Forces to target a known insurgent commander.
The Chief of the Defence Force, General David Hurley extended his sympathy to the soldier's family and friends.
"Words cannot ease the overwhelming grief they feel today but I hope they can find comfort in the knowledge that this soldier served his country with pride and distinction," General Hurley said.
The patrol's advanced first aider provided immediate assistance and continued attempts to resuscitate the wounded soldier until he was evacuated by helicopter to the Role 2 Medical Facility in Tarin Kot.
"Sadly, despite the best efforts of all, attempts to resuscitate the soldier were unsuccessful," General Hurley said.
The soldier’s family has been notified and are receiving support from Defence.
The 40 year old Special Forces soldier was a member of the Perth based Special Air Service Regiment. He enlisted in the Army in 1990 and joined the Special Air Service Regiment in 1995 deploying on six operations during a career spanning more than 20 years.
This was his seventh tour to Afghanistan over an 11 year period.
The soldier's family has requested that personal details not be released at this time and we ask that you respect their privacy.
An ADF military dog was also shot and killed during the engagement.
He would not let his cobbers down.
This man will be added when details become known. May he be the last.
We soldiers of Australia
Rejoice in being free,
And not to fetter others
Do we go o’er the sea.
Prayers...
RIP.
(I'm off to look up the definition of "cobber" but I'll wager it means "mates")
Aussies make good, no, great Soldiers.
Love everyone of them I have served with.
I never had *that* privilege but I have had lots of contact with "ordinary" Aussies.Outstanding people! Simply can't imagine why Diggers would be any less so.
I simply do NOT want to hear how one of ours was killed or even all of the sympathy stuff. I want to hear how many of THEM were killed and how much they suffered before they expired. Quit posting all of the mushy stuff and tell us how the enemy was wasted. Thanks in advance.
We are allowed to mourn in any way we can or want. If you want to know about how many of the enemy are captured or killed simply sign up for the daily Department of Defense emails.
Be prepared to receive the notices of our lost sons, brothers, husbands and best friends.
Heartfelt prayers for the families who lost their loved one, and for MeneMeneTeklUpharsin, that he never experience this pain and sorrow and not have someone to cry with.
Sir,
I’ve been under fire and I’ve returned fire and every day I thank God for two things.
The first is that I thank him that I’m still here. The second is I thank him for the fact that I did not have to kill anyone to accomplish the first. I was prepared to do so - I fired as I was trained, at the centre of mass of my target, and for whatever reason, I missed where I was aiming, and in the end, he was taken down without the need to kill him.
Sometimes you have no choice but to kill. I am lucky enough that I was only called on to make that choice once in my life, and even luckier that in the end circumstances spared me from it.
I will never rejoice in the death of an enemy combatant. Terrorist scum - that’s a different matter - but not an enemy soldier. One of the things that makes us different is that we do our best to kill only when we have to and when we have to, we do it without joy and only because there was no better way.
And I will always mourn those who fall in the cause of freedom. Or because they did what they had to do to protect their friends.
I heard somewhere that, in the end, soldiers fight for each other. RIP dear man and comfort to your friends and family.
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