Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior - The Firearms Forum

jack404 · 02-25-2012, 03:48 AM

AT work, Australia's latest Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith is a lethal warrior, an elite, super fit and highly skilled killing machine.

But when he comes home he is a husband and a dad, happy to be with his wife Emma and frolic with twin daughters Elizabeth and Eve.

In fact, the strangest thing about his job is switching between the two roles, when he goes from killer to carer.

Corporal Roberts-Smith said it takes about two days to morph back to just Ben when he returns from a mission.

"When you come back from an operation you literally flick a switch, and within the space of two days you are back at home sitting at the table having dinner with your family," he said. "And then two weeks later you're deployed to a new theatre."

Speaking to Channel 7's Sunday Night program, the SAS corporal confirmed for the first time he and his four special forces comrades were victims of an intelligence failure, outgunned and outnumbered four to one when they went after an Afghan Taliban insurgent chief on June 11, 2010, a mission that led him to being awarded his VC medal.

The tattooed man-mountain, almost 2m tall with the body of a rugby forward, said he and his comrades on the "hunter-killer" mission in Tizak, in northern Kandahar, had no idea there'd be 10 Taliban commanders and bodyguards with their "target".

Their mission was to kill the Taliban boss, but it became a deadly day-long survival test.

"We didn't realise what we'd come up against and in the end it was basically four to one odds. And we were certainly out-positioned and out-gunned," he said.

In a candid interview, Cpl Roberts-Smith dismissed the dangers he faced in the 13-hour long battle.

Even now, he doesn't fear death and is happy to put his life on the line often to make Australia a better place for his 18-month-old daughters.

"To have the girls was easily the best day of my life - it took us a long time to have the kids," he said.

"(Our mission is) important because it needs to be done and there's no one else that's going to do it."

When asked if he was prepared to die he said: "Very much so ... I don't mean that in a theatrical sense, or I'm not being silly about it. I know what we are doing is actually stemming the flow of terrorism into this country.

"I think if I go away and I was to get killed on the next trip, and that was the way my life was meant to play out, then so be it. At least I've done it serving my country. And making this country that we love, all of us, a better place for our children."

The nation's most decorated soldier, who also won the Medal for Gallantry in 2006, came close to death numerous times during the VC mission. He first realised that his patrol might be in trouble when the US Blackhawk they were flying in began to take heavy fire from the ground.

Then an insurgent fired a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) that passed just below his feet as he hung out of the helicopter.

"That's probably the most vulnerable I felt all day because you are not in control," he said.

Once on the ground the Diggers were pinned down by fierce machine gun and small arms fire and it was clear to him that if he didn't act then one or more of his mates would be killed. They got to within 70m of the compound and were in a fig orchard with limited cover when he made his move.

"It just came down to the point that someone had to do something," he said.

"I wasn't going to sit there and do nothing and just watch my mates die rather than be me and have to face their families if they died ... anyone else would have done ... the same thing. I was able to move forward so I ran at the wall."

After killing an RPG-toting insurgent fighter, Cpl Roberts-Smith took out two enemy machine gunners in the main compound after a third was killed by a hand grenade his patrol commander threw.

By the time the smoke had cleared he and his patrol had killed 22 insurgents and captured five heavy machine guns and other weapons and ammunition.

Cpl Roberts-Smith, who has been a soldier since 17, does not dwell on the numbers he killed. That his patrol mates survived is what matters.

"Killing isn't winning. Winning is achieving your objective, bringing everyone home alive. If we'd lost one bloke that day I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now. You lose one guy then you've lost. It's not a win."

RunningOnMT · 02-25-2012, 04:30 AM

I'm glad he's on our side....wouldn't want to have this guy pissed off at me. My hat's off to this brave warrior.

cutter · 02-25-2012, 09:42 AM

I am so grateful and thankful for eople like this!!! Makes me feel very proud and gives me hope that there are still good folks around the world! To all of the brave men and women that put thier lives and family on the line (so I can write this) a deep heartfelt THANKS!!! I (we) will never forget!!!

rosierita · 02-25-2012, 11:37 AM

God bless him!

thanks for the post jack!

Dennis C · 02-25-2012, 10:24 PM

He is a stud!

76Highboy · 02-25-2012, 10:37 PM

What an awesome warrior and family man.

Marlin T · 02-26-2012, 01:05 AM

A tip of the hat and a nod of gratitude.
Thank you

armoredman · 02-26-2012, 12:27 PM

Outstanding. The pic made my wife a bit misty... Guess I need to work out more.

76Highboy · 02-26-2012, 07:45 PM

When I saw the size of the guy I said "Geez, I'd hate to have him coming at me". My wife looked at the pic and commented, "Oh, I wouldn't mind it if he was coming at me". I guess I'd better start working out and swimming too. Maybe some kind of heavy hair removal system too.

armoredman · 02-26-2012, 09:58 PM

76, lets go have a beer and commiserate...

76Highboy · 02-26-2012, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by armoredman

76, lets go have a beer and commiserate...

Two dudes like us gotta be able to take that hulk on,,,,,, ya think??? Hmmm. Ok, we'll just have a pitty party.

jack404 · 02-26-2012, 10:15 PM

could invite ya's to a BBQ sunday 22nd April ( weekend before ANZAC day )

he and mark D will both be here , and no need to take em on , they be on our side

76Highboy · 02-26-2012, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jack404

could invite ya's to a BBQ sunday 22nd April ( weekend before ANZAC day )

he and mark D will both be here , and no need to take em on , they be on our side

That would be fine. Just might leave the wife at home though.

armoredman · 02-26-2012, 11:26 PM

I'd love to go...kinda short on air fare.
Who was that lovely lass who made that song about the Diggers, "a pin up girl on the wrong side of the world", can't remember it now.

jack404 · 02-26-2012, 11:44 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BZ6a...layer_embedded

Beccy Cole she preformed for the troops in east timor as well ( caught that show )

armoredman · 02-27-2012, 08:47 AM

That's the one, thanks, loved that song.

02-25-2012, 03:48 AM	#1
jack404 Former Guest Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Australia Contributor Posts: 17,622	Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior AT work, Australia's latest Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith is a lethal warrior, an elite, super fit and highly skilled killing machine. But when he comes home he is a husband and a dad, happy to be with his wife Emma and frolic with twin daughters Elizabeth and Eve. In fact, the strangest thing about his job is switching between the two roles, when he goes from killer to carer. Corporal Roberts-Smith said it takes about two days to morph back to just Ben when he returns from a mission. "When you come back from an operation you literally flick a switch, and within the space of two days you are back at home sitting at the table having dinner with your family," he said. "And then two weeks later you're deployed to a new theatre." Speaking to Channel 7's Sunday Night program, the SAS corporal confirmed for the first time he and his four special forces comrades were victims of an intelligence failure, outgunned and outnumbered four to one when they went after an Afghan Taliban insurgent chief on June 11, 2010, a mission that led him to being awarded his VC medal. The tattooed man-mountain, almost 2m tall with the body of a rugby forward, said he and his comrades on the "hunter-killer" mission in Tizak, in northern Kandahar, had no idea there'd be 10 Taliban commanders and bodyguards with their "target". Their mission was to kill the Taliban boss, but it became a deadly day-long survival test. "We didn't realise what we'd come up against and in the end it was basically four to one odds. And we were certainly out-positioned and out-gunned," he said. In a candid interview, Cpl Roberts-Smith dismissed the dangers he faced in the 13-hour long battle. Even now, he doesn't fear death and is happy to put his life on the line often to make Australia a better place for his 18-month-old daughters. "To have the girls was easily the best day of my life - it took us a long time to have the kids," he said. "(Our mission is) important because it needs to be done and there's no one else that's going to do it." When asked if he was prepared to die he said: "Very much so ... I don't mean that in a theatrical sense, or I'm not being silly about it. I know what we are doing is actually stemming the flow of terrorism into this country. "I think if I go away and I was to get killed on the next trip, and that was the way my life was meant to play out, then so be it. At least I've done it serving my country. And making this country that we love, all of us, a better place for our children." The nation's most decorated soldier, who also won the Medal for Gallantry in 2006, came close to death numerous times during the VC mission. He first realised that his patrol might be in trouble when the US Blackhawk they were flying in began to take heavy fire from the ground. Then an insurgent fired a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) that passed just below his feet as he hung out of the helicopter. "That's probably the most vulnerable I felt all day because you are not in control," he said. Once on the ground the Diggers were pinned down by fierce machine gun and small arms fire and it was clear to him that if he didn't act then one or more of his mates would be killed. They got to within 70m of the compound and were in a fig orchard with limited cover when he made his move. "It just came down to the point that someone had to do something," he said. "I wasn't going to sit there and do nothing and just watch my mates die rather than be me and have to face their families if they died ... anyone else would have done ... the same thing. I was able to move forward so I ran at the wall." After killing an RPG-toting insurgent fighter, Cpl Roberts-Smith took out two enemy machine gunners in the main compound after a third was killed by a hand grenade his patrol commander threw. By the time the smoke had cleared he and his patrol had killed 22 insurgents and captured five heavy machine guns and other weapons and ammunition. Cpl Roberts-Smith, who has been a soldier since 17, does not dwell on the numbers he killed. That his patrol mates survived is what matters. "Killing isn't winning. Winning is achieving your objective, bringing everyone home alive. If we'd lost one bloke that day I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now. You lose one guy then you've lost. It's not a win." -->

02-25-2012, 04:30 AM	#2
RunningOnMT Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Akron, Ohio Contributor Posts: 4,720	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior I'm glad he's on our side....wouldn't want to have this guy pissed off at me. My hat's off to this brave warrior. __________________ "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"

02-25-2012, 09:42 AM	#3
cutter Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 633	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior I am so grateful and thankful for eople like this!!! Makes me feel very proud and gives me hope that there are still good folks around the world! To all of the brave men and women that put thier lives and family on the line (so I can write this) a deep heartfelt THANKS!!! I (we) will never forget!!!

02-25-2012, 11:37 AM	#4
rosierita Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 5,218	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior God bless him! thanks for the post jack! __________________

02-25-2012, 10:24 PM	#5
Dennis C Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: South Dakota Posts: 789	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior He is a stud! __________________ "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms. . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." - Thomas Jefferson

02-25-2012, 10:37 PM	#6
76Highboy Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Meridian, Idaho Contributor Posts: 7,094	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior What an awesome warrior and family man.

02-26-2012, 01:05 AM	#7
Marlin T Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New Mexico Posts: 7,857	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior A tip of the hat and a nod of gratitude. Thank you __________________ "But the simple truth--born of experience--is that tyranny thrives best where government need not fear the wrath of an armed people." Judge Alex Kozinski - United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government. - Thomas Paine Did you read todays GOOD shooting? >>>KEEPANDBEARARMS.COM <<<

02-26-2012, 12:27 PM	#8
armoredman Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Proud to be in Arizona Posts: 1,381	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior Outstanding. The pic made my wife a bit misty... Guess I need to work out more.

02-26-2012, 07:45 PM	#9
76Highboy Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Meridian, Idaho Contributor Posts: 7,094	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior When I saw the size of the guy I said "Geez, I'd hate to have him coming at me". My wife looked at the pic and commented, "Oh, I wouldn't mind it if he was coming at me". I guess I'd better start working out and swimming too. Maybe some kind of heavy hair removal system too.

02-26-2012, 09:58 PM	#10
armoredman Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Proud to be in Arizona Posts: 1,381	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior 76, lets go have a beer and commiserate...

02-26-2012, 10:15 PM	#12
jack404 Former Guest Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Australia Contributor Posts: 17,622	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior could invite ya's to a BBQ sunday 22nd April ( weekend before ANZAC day ) he and mark D will both be here , and no need to take em on , they be on our side

02-26-2012, 11:26 PM	#14
armoredman Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Proud to be in Arizona Posts: 1,381	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior I'd love to go...kinda short on air fare. Who was that lovely lass who made that song about the Diggers, "a pin up girl on the wrong side of the world", can't remember it now.

02-26-2012, 11:44 PM	#15
jack404 Former Guest Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Australia Contributor Posts: 17,622	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BZ6a...layer_embedded Beccy Cole she preformed for the troops in east timor as well ( caught that show )

02-27-2012, 08:47 AM	#16
armoredman Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Proud to be in Arizona Posts: 1,381	Re: Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith: A doting dad, deadly warrior That's the one, thanks, loved that song.