Hats off to Trooper Mark Donaldson of the Australian Army:
A SOLDIER who deliberately drew enemy fire and then carried a wounded colleague to safety through a hail of bullets has been awarded the Victoria Cross.
The medal, inscribed with the words “For Valour”, was pinned to the chest of 29-year-old Trooper Mark Donaldson this morning in Canberra by the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce.
It is the first time in 40 years the honour has been awarded to an Australian.
Trooper Donaldson VC was recognised for exceptional gallantry in a firefight in Afghanistan last year. He is credited with saving the life of an interpreter.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the courage of his actions “leapt off the page” and would go down as Australian legend.
“Trooper Donaldson, the nation salutes you.”
Not just your own nation, either, mate. Good on ya.
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!
I’m sure that there is a LOT more to the story of what he did than the truncated version given. They don’t award that medal often, and selodom is the recipient there to have it pinned on.
Wow.
Australian SAS trooper.
This is an extremely rare award. As an Australian I am personally aware of maybe three or four being awarded to Australians in all of the 20th century, including as it did WW1, WW2, Korea and Vietnam. I might be wrong, but the number would be very very small.
My own dad was awarded the Military Cross for frontally assaulting and grenading a machine gun bunker while his company was pinned down in WW2 and that is two grades below a VC!
In typical military tradition the citation would tend to read very modestly, but this must have been an astonishing act of bravery.
The Sandy Berés are a breed apart. I salute you all.
Expat: For the record:
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,24920284-952,00.html?from=public_rss
“The Imperial Victoria Cross has been awarded to 96 Australians.
Four were awarded in Vietnam 1962-1972.”
BZ: In keeping with protocol Air Chief Marshal Houston then saluted Trooper Donaldson.
“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.”
Damn fine young man. I’m glad to know that our cousins from Oz are on our side, as we are with them.
And unless memory fails me, the MOH gets it’s wearer a salute from everyone, just like the VC.
As well it should. Those that wear such medals are on a plane all by themselves.
I’m happy for him and his family that his award can be celebrated together. Very nice acknowledgement by ACM Houston, who is a class act as always in these situations.
By contrast, I almost threw something at the television when our Gov-General Quentin Bryce, all radiant in hot pink, gushed all over Trooper Donaldson like a pop groupie and finally ended her speech by saying in cringeworth fashion, with hands held out:
“Trooper Donaldson, you’re my hero!!!”
Bleah. Not classy.
Byron, you recall correctly. It also comes with a small pension as well. I can’t remember the age at which it starts.
OzWitch: I thought our PM said that ‘in a hot flush’.
What’s more he’s headed back to Afghanistan later in the year for round two….
Well, Kevin is a celebrity groupie too, of course.
I can’t imagine John Howard stooping to that level of sycophancy. And even Bill Hayden had more dignity than the current GG.
Rudd’s a geek that reckons PM is his ticket to finally hang with the cool kids.
Howard was a mean spirited prick.
Pollies one and all.
Most of us are hard put to run with a load for 80 metres! Can’t imagine trying it with a rogue’s gallery of terrorists having a go at pin-the-grenade-on-the-digger with their RPGs.
But then, I figured the guy must have been made of something sturdy when I noticed he was a ginger serving in the Afghan desert. He must go through a platoon’s worth of sunblock himself!