Digger given final salute

The Weekend Australian ^ | 19th July 2008 | Andrew Fraser

[naturalman1975]

SAS signaller Sean McCarthy lived in many places in his 25 years; yesterday, to the sound of military bagpipes, he was buried in his final resting place.

Nearly 1000 people attended the funeral, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church at Crystal Waters on the Gold Coast, of Signaller McCarthy, who was killed last week by a roadside bomb while he was on patrol in southern Afghanistan.

Earlier, there had been a private family service for Signaller McCarthy, the sixth Australian soldier to be killed while on active duty in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson attended the funeral.

The service, while closed to the media, attracted a wide cross-section of mourners, from Signaller McCarthy's old school friends from Trinity Lutheran College on the Gold Coast to Mr Rudd, who comforted family and friends after the service.

Others to attend the funeral service included Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support Mike Kelly, a former soldier who served in Iraq, Queensland Deputy Premier Paul Lucas, Vice- Chief of the Defence Force Lieutenant General David Hurley, and Chief of the Army Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie.

Army chaplain Gary Stone said Signaller McCarthy had "run the race of life well".

"Sean Patrick McCarthy was a loving son, loving brother, loving relative and mate," the chaplain told the service.

"You have shown the greatest love a person could show and we salute you."

[naturalman1975]

If there's a trip one way, he said,
Into battle grim for me,
Don't let them say when I am dead:
He died to save democracy;
Nor let them say: He fought to free
Enslaved nations, white or brown;
Just print these simple words for me:

He would not let his cobbers down.

[naturalman1975]

[dfwgator]

Thank you for posting this story, always good to be reminded that we are not alone in this fight.

[LasVegasMac]

Thank you for posting the story and the pics.

Stupid monitor got all blurry again.

RIP, Sean Patrick McCarthy.

Thank you.

[tanuki]

A loss for all of us.