Posted on 05/18/2003 7:30:48 AM PDT by knighthawk
An SAS soldier who almost single-handedly fought off 20 Iraqi special forces troops in a fierce battle to capture a missile site was yesterday awarded the medal of gallantry by the Prime Minister, John Howard.
Presented at a ceremony in Perth to coincide with the arrival of Australia's special forces contingent to Iraq, it was the first citation for the 2000 Australian personnel involved in the war against Iraq.
Trooper X - a machine-gunner from the 1st SAS regiment, whose identity cannot be revealed - used the brute force of the latest weaponry and precision sniper fire to protect his patrol from numerically superior enemy forces.
The SAS patrol, typically a team of six in two heavily armed long-range patrol vehicles, came under heavy fire in the western Iraqi desert as it approached a military command and control post.
Standing exposed at the back of one of the vehicles and "disregarding his own safety", Trooper X first unleashed a Javelin shoulder-held anti-tank missile at one of two Iraqi vehicles pursuing the SAS, quickly disabling it.
Trooper X then fired off machine-gun rounds against scattering Iraqi troops before launching a second Javelin missile at the other vehicle, hitting it with full force. Spying remnant Iraqi forces setting up a mortar, Trooper X pulled out his rifle and, with his first rounds, hit the base of the mortar tube, exploding it in the face of the Iraqi combatants.
While some Iraqi soldiers soon began to surrender, others were determined to keep up the fight after taking cover.
Further "judiciously placed" shots flushed out the remaining enemy and ensured the mission to destroy the missile site was completed successfully and without injury. "Throughout this engagement, Trooper X demonstrated skills and composure of the highest standard," his citation read.
"He acted with very little direction and his decision and subsequent actions had significant impacts on the outcome of the engagement."
Further awards for ADF personnel are expected and the Government is considering a medal for all those who participated.
Rallies to welcome home the troops are planned for Sydney and Perth later this month.
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