It was a frightening example of what trained special forces can do.
Following the September 11 attacks on America, Prime Minister Helen Clark has offered our SAS to the US. New Zealanders may never know their role in the retaliation.
But thanks to a slightly more open policy in recent years - and a raft of books about the SAS in Britain - we do know a fair amount already about who they are and what they do.
What is the SAS?
The New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS) is the Army's covert wing, specialising in operations behind enemy lines. It has 70 to 100 troops and is stationed at the Hobsonville air base in Auckland.
The service is based on the British SAS. The nearest US equivalent is the Army's Green Berets, who specialise in counter-terrorism and search-and-destroy missions.
America has other special forces units likely to be used in the new war against terrorism. They are the Army's Rangers (shock troops suitable for quick raids), and Delta Force (hostage rescue and generally high-risk missions), plus the Navy's Seals (Sea, Air and Land teams specialising in unconventional warfare) and the Air Force's special ops team.
How does the New Zealand SAS work?
It is divided into two squadrons, with troops alternating between them each year. Green squadron specialises in long-range infiltration and reconnaissance. Black squadron is the counter-terrorist group.
Green squadron is the closest to conventional warfare. Its troops aim to get behind enemy lines - generally to spy, rescue hostages or attack. However, the SAS is not heavily armed so the success of any assault relies on stealth, surprise and speed, rather than firepower.
The squadron is organised into specialist teams, although these divisions are said to be flexible. For instance, the boats team trains to board targets such as oil rigs, ships and wharves. The mountain warfare team has expertise in climbing, rope skills and moving over snow.
On a mission, soldiers work in teams of four to six with specialist responsibilities, such as demolition, communications and navigation.
Has the SAS often been used in this way?
The country's first SAS squadron was selected in 1955 to join the legendary British 22 SAS regiment combating communist guerrillas in the Malaysian highlands.
Under the late Colonel Frank Rennie, the squadron gained a good reputation for their outstanding jungle-tracking abilities combined with an ability to establish a rapport with local people.
The unit was disbanded in 1957 but was re-established in the 1960s when it served in Thailand, on Malaysia's Borneo border with Indonesia and in Vietnam, where it worked under Australian command on reconnaissance and ambush missions. About 40 SAS members were among the first wave of New Zealand troops sent to East Timor.
The SAS says that it was not used in the Gulf War.
What about the black squadron?
This was formed after the bombing of the Hilton hotel in Sydney in 1978. Its role is simply to kill terrorists if the police and the Government believe there is no other option left.
So far it has never been used. Its deployment has to be approved by the Prime Minister and police remain in overall control of the operation. There has sometimes been territorial rivalry between the SAS and the police's special tactics group, which has similar responsibilities.
Black squadron members are crack marksmen, capable of hitting their targets at 600m by day and 200m by night. They travel three times a week to shooting ranges in Papakura, including a building known as the "killing house", where they practise in the dark with infrared sights, creeping into terrorist-infested rooms and opening fire.
As well as shooting bullet holes above journalists' heads, the SAS gave a second dramatic demonstration of their skills at their 1998 media open day. Former commander Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Martin - now the All Black manager - was explaining the routine for rescuing a hostage from a mock-up house.
After sipping water from a polystyrene cup and placing it on a table next to his groin, he said he would like to introduce the marksmen of the SAS.
The cup and its contents exploded, hit by a bullet from a sniper more than 50m away, as soldiers began storming the house.
Is it true that SAS recruits have to drink chicken blood as part of their training?
The SAS seems to be a victim of its own mythology here. For the record, chickens are killed during bush survival courses but the service insists they are simply eaten.
There are two intakes of training each year, lasting 14 days. Director of the Centre of Strategic Studies at Victoria University, Dr David Dickens, describes the successful applicants as the best and brightest privates, corporals and lance corporals, mainly from the infantry.
Only about 10 per cent make it through the initial course, which emphasises mental as much as physical toughness. In one test candidates reportedly have to make their way across Waikato farmland at night to map references, on a limited food intake at an average speed of 3kmh.
In another, they have to carry a 25kg jerry can across the Kaipara sand dunes. To finish, there is a 60km trek through Woodhill Forest near Muriwai. Some of those who pass the physical tests are still rejected after psychological tests.
The successful 10 per cent spend another six to nine months learning specialist skills, from medical training to parachuting. This section includes the service's infamous escape and evasion test, in which trainees are hunted down by their trainers, often in thick bush.
What equipment do they use?
The bullet holes drilled above the head of the two Herald journalists came from Heckler and Koch machine pistols. SAS troops are said to prefer Steyr or M16 rifles but the marksmen tend to choose their own.
Is the SAS in Afghanistan?
The Sunday Times in London has reported that a British SAS team has been fired upon by the Taleban. Last Friday the Herald reported that New Zealand SAS members could be working with the British SAS. The Ministry of Defence and Helen Clark have denied this.
Map: Opposing forces in the war against terror
Afghanistan facts and links
Full coverage: Terror in America
