THE attack came under cover of darkness. Without warning, rocket-propelled grenades slammed into two of the New Zealand SAS troop vehicles, the force of the blast throwing Lance Corporal Willy Apiata to the ground and wounding two of his fellow soldiers. One of the men, members of an SAS patrol in Afghanistan in 2004, was bleeding heavily after shrapnel had severed an artery, and was lapsing in and out of consciousness. Without immediate medical assistance, the soldier, identified only as Corporal D, would have died. The three men were isolated, pinned down by machinegun and rifle fire from an estimated...
