ONLY the quick reactions of his fellow soldiers has saved the life of one of four Australian Diggers wounded in a bomb blast in Afghanistan.
The soldier was seriously injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated during operations alongside the Afghan National Security Force in Uruzgan Province.
He was given immediate medical assistance on the ground before being evacuated by air and taken to a Kandahar medical facility for specialist treatment. He was then transferred to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
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| Australian troops assemble at Forward Operating Base Chuckajuy, Afghanistan. Picture: Craig Greenhill |
Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) Task Group, Lieutenant Colonel Trent Scott, said the soldier was lucky to be alive.
"The application of immediate medical assistance meant that a soldier's life was saved," he said. "The training our soldiers receive in preparation for deployment, together with access to first-class medical support, meant that our wounded soldiers received the best possible care at the earliest opportunity."
The other three soldiers were not as badly injured in the blast. One was being assessed by specialists in Kandahar, while the other two remained under observation after being treated at the scene and evacuated to Tarin Kot.
"The thoughts of all members of Combined Team Uruzgan and 3 RAR Task Group are very much with the families and loved ones of those wounded in this incident," Lt. Col. Scott said.
The Australian Defence Force said it does not release personal details of wounded personnel but had informed next of kin and was offering them support.
News of the blast came as New Zealand held a memorial service for three of its soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.The bodies of Corporal Luke Tamatea, 31, Lance Corporal Jacinda Baker, 26, and Private Richard Harris, 21, were returned to Christchurch on Thursday ahead of Saturday's service at Burnham Military Camp.
Read more from News.com.au
Josh Whittington
News Limited Network
August 25, 2012 1:11PM
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