THE ONLY RECIPIENT OF NEW ZEALAND’S HIGHEST MILITARY HONOR

In 2004, Corporal Apiata carried out a mounted patrol in Afghanistan with the New Zealand SAS that was planned to run for several days. The soldiers had set out their security for the night when, at around 3:15 a.m., they were suddenly attacked by some 20 enemy fighters who had crept up under cover of darkness.

The insurgents opened fire with RPGs first, disabling 2 of the New Zealanders’ vehicles, followed by heavy machine gun fire at close range. Apiata was standing at one of the vehicles and was thrown off the hood by the impacting RPGs. Dazed but still in the fight, he immediately took care of the other 2 men in the vehicle, who had been wounded by fragments. Apiata took command of the squad and led the soldiers into cover behind the vehicle. There he found that one of them was in a life-threatening condition, bleeding heavily and losing consciousness again and again. At the same time, the three men were an easy target next to the brightly burning vehicle.

Surrounded by the enemy and with a comrade slowly bleeding out, Apiata was running out of time. So he ordered the less badly wounded soldier to move back on his own. Then he lifted the wounded NCO onto his shoulders and carried him 70 meters across open ground to the main body himself, where medics could take over. His comrades watched in disbelief as neither Apiata nor the wounded man was hit, with a heavy firefight going on all around them.

With the casualty in professional hands, the patrol could fight freely again. Apiata redistributed ammunition and then joined the main body to beat back the enemy force that outnumbered them. After about 20 minutes of fighting, the attackers were forced to withdraw, and the SAS soldiers went after them.The medical staff at camp later confirmed that the wounded NCO would most likely have bled to death if Apiata had not carried him to the medics in time.

For this act of courage, Cpl. Willie Apiata received New Zealand’s highest military decoration, the Victoria Cross for New Zealand. He is the only recipient of this decoration, and he still donated it and other medals to the country. The title “Most Trusted New Zealander” followed.

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