Army - The Soldiers' Newspaper

From left: WO2 Mark Keily, Sig Martin Wallace and Maj Dan McDaniel, all SASR, after their investiture in Canberra.
Photo by Sgt John Coombe, 1JPAU(P) This image has been digitally altered

Courage under Fire

By Cpl Alisha Carr
AS SIG Martin Wallace fought against a 1000-strong al Qa’eda force in Afghanistan earlier this year, the last thing on his mind was receiving the military’s third-highest bravery decoration – the Medal for Gallantry for courage under fire.

Presented his award by the Governor-General Dr Peter Hollingworth at a recent ceremony at Government House in Canberra, along with WO2 Mark Keily and Maj Daniel McDaniel who received other awards, Sig Wallace said when he and 80 coalition troops were besieged by the enemy it was a “pretty scary” situation.

Sig Wallace received the Medal for Gallantry for his action in hazardous circumstances while undertaking communications responsibilities in Afghanistan during Operation Slipper.

The citation read that he displayed gallantry and courage under fire when performing communications responsibilities during Operation Anaconda. He maintained composure under sustained heavy attack from enemy forces while performing his duties, attending to wounded and providing leadership to those around him.

About 100 SASR troops were involved in the US-led Operation Anaconda in March this year, where battle damage assessments indicated more than 500 enemy fighters were killed. A high proportion of those killed were attributed to the actions and professionalism of the Australian Special Forces.

Sig Wallace said he felt honoured to be selected from a group of excellent soldiers to receive the award.

“We landed early in the morning and walked straight into an ambush. Probably the heaviest fighting was around last light, when they managed to dominate both of the ridge lines and launched a ground assault from the north.

“By the end of that they had set up a machinegun in the south so they had us surrounded. That was probably the scariest part of the whole day.”

For 18 hours, machinegun fire, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and surface-to-air missiles hammered the encircled troops.

“There was no chance of reinforcements – they would have been cut to pieces by the surrounding force.

During the battle he helped hollow out a creek bed for almost 30 soldiers who had been wounded in the fight and, relying on his intensive training, helped direct a strike by AC-130 gunships on the enemy.

He said the air power and the greater capacity for the coalition soldiers to fight effectively at night saved them.

WO2 Mark Keily received the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Military Division for Meritorious Service to the ADF while employed as a Sergeant Major in the SASR.

The citation reads that his dedicated approach, tireless work ethic, superior leadership and personal example had significantly improved the peacetime and wartime capability of the SASR.

WO2 Keily said he was proud to receive recognition for work done over the past four years both on operations and in peacetime.

“I also see it as an award for others like me – I feel pretty honoured to be in a position to receive the award,” he said.

Maj Dan McDaniel received the Distinguished Service Medal for distinguished leadership in action while commanding the 1 SAS Sqn in Afghanistan during Operation Slipper.

The citation reads that he made tactically sound assessments and decisions and displayed excellent leadership under arduous conditions.

Maj McDaniel said he saw his award more as a reflection of the work the squadron undertook while deployed.

“I feel extremely proud to receive it but I want to give praise to all those blokes in the squadron who worked hard to achieve the aim of our mission,” he said.

Lt-Col Peter Gilmore, who will be presented with his award at a later date, will receive the Distinguished Service Cross for distinguished command and leadership in action as the Commander of the Special Forces Task Group.

Three remaining soldiers also receiving awards cannot be named because of operational security reasons.

WO2 Keily said all the soldiers in the west were happy to be back in Australia and were looking forward to spending Christmas with their family and friends.

Minister for Defence Robert Hill congratulated the soldiers and said they epitomised the professionalism, dedication and courage of the ADF.

“Their efforts in difficult and dangerous situations have been outstanding and have received international praise,” he said.

“They have done their nation proud and the awards are just recognition of a job well done.

“That the awards cover such a wide range of ranks reflects the quality and depth of leadership throughout the entire SF Task Group.”

He urged Australians to send messages of support to the large contingent of Australian Defence Force personnel who would be spending Christmas away from home this year.

“Given the ADF’s high operational tempo, there will still be a lot of personnel – both military and civilian – deployed far and wide over the holiday period.

“Our operations span the globe. From the Persian Gulf to northern Australian sea and air approaches, from East Timor to Bougainville, from Bosnia to Africa – ADF personnel are undertaking important war fighting, UN sanctions enforcement, border protection and peacekeeping work in Australia’s national interest.