The Associated Press
CANBERRA, Australia—An Australian soldier has been awarded the top military honour in the British Commonwealth for risking his life to save a wounded interpreter and injured soldiers during an ambush in Afghanistan.
Trooper Mark Donaldson became the first Australian in 40 years to be awarded the coveted Victoria Cross.
He also became the 97th Australian to receive the top military award for bravery in wartime since the South African Boer War of 1899-1902.
Introduced by Britain’s Queen Victoria in 1856, the Victoria Cross is the highest military honour for countries that once were part of the British Empire.
Donaldson, 29, was awarded the cross for courage when an armoured patrol of Australian, U.S., and Afghan troops was ambushed by a superior force of insurgents in Uruzgan province on Sept. 2 last year.
His convoy was pinned down by fire from machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades for two hours.
The citation said “he deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire in order to draw attention to himself and thus away from wounded soldiers,” his citation said.
The Special Air Service Regiment trooper later survived intense machine gun fire unscathed when he crossed 90 metres of open ground to rescue a wounded Afghan interpreter and carry him to safety.
Donaldson, who was slightly wounded in combat three weeks before the battle that earned him the rare medal, said he hopes to return this year to Afghanistan, where 1,000 Australian troops are serving.
Eight Australians have died.
