Our People in NSW
Nathaniel Gerhardt - Crime Scene Investigator Afghanistan
Bondi’s Nathaniel Gerhardt, 28, reckons if his job was a TV series, it’d be called ‘CSI Afghanistan’.
The Army Captain leads a specialised investigation team at Multi-National Base Tarin Kot in Uruzgan province, spearheading a potent capability for the Australian Defence Force.
Nathaniel’s team analyses components from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to trace those responsible for the weapons, and enable the ADF and its coalition partners to work out the best methods of countering the threat.
“The work we do here is important,” said Nathaniel. “Almost every day we encounter some new way type of IED and the work we do to defeat these devices makes things safer.”
Procedures for clearing roads, bridges and paths of IEDs throughout Afghanistan are constantly evolving to counter the latest threat thanks to the intelligence gained by the WIT.
The team is also helping track down those responsible for the bombs.
“We’re like any forensics crime team back in Australia, we go out to the crime scene where the IED was laid, we dust the componentry for fingerprints and test for DNA to trace those responsible,” said Nathaniel.
Around 1550 Australian Defence Force personnel are currently serving in Afghanistan as part of Australia’s contribution to the international campaign against terrorism.
Nathaniel joined the Army 10 years ago, following in his father’s footsteps.
“My father spent 30 years in the same unit, 21 years in the Army and another nine as a civilian,” Nathaniel said.
“I’ve wanted to be in the Army since I was four years old and I wanted to go to Duntroon since I was about nine. It was always going to happen.”
And it did happen. After enlisting as a clerk, Nathaniel became a graduate of the Royal Military College – Duntroon in 2006, after completing an arts degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy.
“I loved my time at ADFA and Duntroon. I had so much fun and I learned so much. I feel like I owe the Army a lot. It’s pretty much given me everything that I’ve got in my life now,” he said.
This is Nathaniel’s first deployment to Afghanistan. He has already deployed to Iraq and East Timor.
“Afghanistan is a beautiful place and it’s such a shame that there’s so much violence and turmoil in the country, because the scenery is spectacular,” Nathaniel said.
“I hope the country can get back on its feet because it has such potential.”
When his tour of duty is over, Nathaniel is looking forward to catching up with his wife, Andrea, a flight attendant with Virgin Australia, and the rest of his family.
“I’ll be heading home to Bondi, where I’ll catch up with my wife and I’m really looking forward to seeing my sister and meeting my new-born niece,” he said.
“My parents will fly down from Brisbane and we’ll have a bit of a family reunion.
“After that my wife and I are looking to go over to the USA, getting a Winnebago and going for a driving holiday.”