KEY POINTS:
Corporal Willie Apiata's name exploded into the limelight last year when it was announced he was to be awarded a Victoria Cross (VC).
It was the first to a New Zealander in six decades.
The most eminent military medal was pinned on Corporal Apiata's chest by Governor-General Anand Satyanand on July 26, 2007.
Now the story behind how he was awarded it has been told in Willie Apiata VC, A Reluctant Hero, by Paul Little, released today.
It details his life, his entry into the armed forces and the night he and fellow SAS troops were bombarded, when he saved the life of the man he calls his mate. In April 2004, the SAS patrol was in a defensive position when it was attacked by about 20 enemy troops in the early hours.
When a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle, Corporal Apiata was blown off the truck bonnet he had been sleeping on.
One of the crew members was badly wounded by shrapnel and as the vehicle burned, enemy fire intensified.
His citation said that, in total disregard for his own safety, he stood up and lifted his wounded comrade.
"He then carried him across the 70m of broken, rocky and fire-swept ground, fully exposed in the glare of battle to heavy enemy fire and into the face of returning fire from the main troop position." He re-armed himself and rejoined the fight.
The wounded comrade would probably have died from his wounds had not Corporal Apiata carried him to safety, his citation said. His VC was only the 13th awarded since the end of World War II and the only New Zealand VC since 1946. He was the 22nd New Zealander awarded the VC.
"They can give you all the training in the world, but it's just a guide to help you get out of this sort of situation," Corporal Apiata said about the battle in the biography.
"It's up to the individual what he does in the moment. You can make a difference, or you can make it worse. It's combat. All the training you get is for that eventual day when the crap may hit the fan, and you know if you're there that it's not going to be nice. So I knew what to do, but I won't say I was cool, calm and collected."
After he had taken his mate to safety, Corporal Apiata said he returned to battle angry. "I was thinking 'they hurt my mate and woke us up early in the morning', and I wanted to get back and give them a seeing to.
"And they were sent packing, with their tails between their legs. We were still firing long after they'd stopped."
When Corporal Apiata returned to New Zealand after his tour, the first person he saw when he stepped off the plane was the man he saved and the man's wife.
"Thank you for carrying my husband to safety," she told him.
Also after he arrived home, Corporal Apiata's commander told him his name was going to be put forward for a medal. "No thanks," Corporal Apiata said.
"You're being put forward, Willie, regardless," was the reply.
When Corporal Apiata was later told he was to be presented with a VC, his reaction was subdued as he feared his name would be made public - something no SAS soldier aims for.
- NZPA
