A Humble Hero - CPL Willie Apiata VC

Corporal Willie Apiata -

“I was doing what I am trained for”

It was just after 3am when the blast of the enemy rocket propelled grenades and machines gun fire ripped into the inky darkness of an Afghanistan hillside.

With his upper right arm shredded by shrapnel, and bleeding profusely, the young SAS soldier lapsed in and out of consciousness. He and his mates, including Willie Apiata, were caught in crossfire in the undulating starkness of the surrounding countryside.

Apiata, unhurt but stunned, was jolted off his vehicle. His critically injured mate at first told Apiata he could make the 70 metre run back to the safety of the main Kiwi group and to the medical assistance he so desperately needed. The men were no longer in darkness however. One of their vehicles was immobilised, and the other was on fire, illuminating the only pathway the men had to safety.

As his mate lapsed into unconsciousness and machine gun fire crackled around him, Apiata made a decision. Fully exposed in the glare of battle to heavy enemy fire and into the face of returning fire from the main troop position, he heaved the injured man onto his back and carried him uphill back to his base. That he was not injured, nor his mate further injured, remains one of life’s mysteries.

There was, in the words of an eyewitness. “a shitload of stuff coming towards them - rocket propelled grenades, machinegun fire, small arms fire. There were explosions everywhere, and they were caught in the middle – how they got through we will never know.”

With the injured man out of further harm’s way, Apiata rearmed himself and returned to join the skirmish. The troop could now concentrate entirely on winning the fire fight. After an engagement lasting about twenty minutes, the assault was broken up and the attackers - there were more than 20 of them, and about 12 New Zealanders - were routed with significant casualties, with the troop in pursuit.

Medical opinion is that had the injured man not received immediate medical attention, he would almost certainly have died. He has fully recovered from his injuries, and continues to work with the SAS. By his actions, Lance Corporal Apiata removed the tactical complications of the troop’s predicament in having to rescue the men.

The decision the then-32 year old Lance Corporal Apiata made in the mayhem of that night three years ago has changed his life irrevocably. Willie Apiata, now a corporal, has won New Zealand’s highest Honour, the Victoria Cross, for his actions in April 2004. The Victoria Cross is the highest recognition for valour in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of the armed forces of Commonwealth countries.

Corporal Apiata’s VC is the first awarded to a serving member of the SAS anywhere in the Commonwealth.

The award, announced on July 2, is the first New Zealand Victoria Cross to ever be awarded and the only Victoria Cross to be awarded to a New Zealander since WWII. In 1999 New Zealand introduced its own honours system, separate from the British honours system, replacing British decorations with its own awards. While the New Zealand VC is technically a separate award, the decoration is identical to the British design, including being cast from the same Crimean War gunmetal as the British VC.

Corporal Apiata, 35, learned he was to receive the award just over 24 hours before the Prime Minister Helen Clark, announced the news to the rest of the country.

At a press conference in Wellington on July 2 the softly spoken soldier said little about the actual incident, except to say he was “only doing my job and looking after my mates”. He managed a reluctant smile, but looked as though he would rather be anywhere else in the world other than fronting a throng of journalists and cameras.

“I was doing what I was trained for.”

He remains “good mates” with the man whose life he saved.

“I see him every day. We have a beer and talk, catch up.”

In a back room at Defence House, away from the media glare, a more relaxed but still subdued Willie Apiata chortles as he munches a sausage roll and answers an endless stream of cell phone calls from well-wishers.

The words “cheers, bro” and “I'm a bit overwhelmed” feature prominently in his conversation.

It’s back to work soon for this humble hero, who plans to “do a bit of pig hunting” to get used to the idea of having won the award.

“I just did what I was trained to do. It’s what mates do for each other.”