Posts Tagged ‘Australian Victoria Cross’

An Australian soldier, Trooper Mark Donaldson, doesn’t think himself as a hero. But most of Australia do.

Trooper Donaldson, 29, was awarded the VC medal, the nation’s highest military honour, for rescuing a coalition interpreter during fighting in Afghanistan last year. This was after he had drawn fire from Taliban troops to lead them away from his unit which had sustained injured. Showing great personal risk for others is the mark of a true hero Mark.

The Special Air Service (SAS) soldier is the first person to receive the Victoria Cross for Australia, which was established in 1991, to replace the Imperial VC awarded previously to 96 Australians.

Trooper Donaldson was travelling in a coalition convoy in Oruzgan Province on September 2 when it was ambushed by enemy forces.

In the chaos that followed, Trooper Donaldson ran, under machine gun fire, across nearly 100 metres of open ground to rescue a wounded interpreter.

He also deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire to draw attention away from injured soldiers.

Trooper Donaldson said he acted on instinct and didn’t think about the danger.

“I just saw him there, I went over there and got him, that was it.”

In keeping with military protocol, defence force chief Angus Houston, saluted Trooper Donaldson during Friday’s ceremony.

“As the highest-ranking member of the defence force, there has been no current serving member that I salute, until now,” he said.

“Tradition holds that even the most senior officer will salute a Victoria Cross recipient as a mark of the utmost respect for their act of valour.”

Mark, we salute you, for your bravery under fire and the true value of mateship you’ve shown.