Soldier Tim O'Donnell killed in Afghanistan

BY JONATHON HOWE AND MICHAEL FORBES

The family of a Kiwi soldier killed in Afghanistan says they are numb following his death.

Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell, 28, was killed when his three-vehicle patrol was attacked with explosives, rocket propelled grenades and gunfire in north-east Bamiyan Province overnight.

Two other soldiers, Lance Corporal Matthew Ball and Private Allister Baker, suffered serious injuries but are expected to survive. A local interpreter with the patrol was also hurt.

At a press conference at Linton Army Camp today, Mark O'Donnell said his son - honoured for his valour during a skirmish in East Timor - had wanted to be in the army since age four.

Mr O'Donnell said he talked to his son before he left for Afghanistan.

He said to be brave ''but not dead brave''.

''I told him I wanted him to come home. He just laughed and patted me on the back.''

Lieutenant O'Donnell's uncle Barry O'Donnell said the Government should not ''turn tail and run'' because of one casualty.

''I don't think you can go into these ventures without thinking there is going to be casualties, and as soon as there is one, change your mind and run away.''

Mark O'Donnell said the army had a job to do in Afghanistan.

''It would be a waste of Tim's life if we pulled out now.''

The family were feeling numb, with the devastation expected to set in over the next few days, he said.

Condolences from the Prime Minister and high ranking military officers had helped ease the pain.

SERIOUS ATTACK

Air Vice Marshal Peter Stockwell told a press conference in Wellington one of the wounded men suffered burns to 10 per cent of his body as well as cuts and abrasions.

Kiwi troops took shelter in a building after the ambush, before assistance was given by other Kiwi and local troops.

The second suffered cuts and abrasions, and what is believed to be a broken foot.

The Air Vice Marshal said he spoke to Lieutenant O'Donnell's mother this morning.

"It would be fair to say that he was what could be described as a free spirit, he pushed boundaries. That was very much part of his personality."

He said: "This is the event we didn't want to happen."

The team in Afghanistan were "responding well, they are getting on with their business," he said.

"They're looking after the wounded, and Tim, and continue to provide a difference in Bamiyan."

Prime Minister John Key has also spoken to Lieutenant O'Donnell's mother and expressed his sorrow on behalf of New Zealand.

"Our sympathies are with the family. When I spoke to his mother she was clearly very proud of her young man and rightfully so. I think through his record he has demonstrated to New Zealanders that he's been utterly committed toward protecting our best interests and serving us with great distinction."

Mr Key said he would attend the soldier's funeral, though no formal arrangements have yet been made.

He said she had asked him to pass on her sympathies also to the family of the injured two.

"I think that shows extraordinary bravery and courage on her part and also the strength of the wider military family when such a tragedy takes place."

Plans to bring Lieutenant O'Donnell's body home to New Zealand are underway.

He is the fourth New Zealand-born soldier to die in action there.

In March last year, a New Zealand-born soldier in the Australian Army, Corporal Mathew Hopkins, 21, of Christchurch, was shot dead in an intense fire-fight with Taliban insurgents near the village of Kakarak, 12km north of the Australian base at Tarin Kowt.

The others were former Aucklander Sean Patrick McCarthy, 25, a member of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) killed when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in 2008 and Labour leader Phil Goff's nephew, United States Army Captain Matthew Ferrara, 24, killed in a 2007 ambush.

It is the third tragedy to rock the Manawatu town of Feilding in a month after the killing of farmer Scott Guy and a plane crash that killed flight instructor Jess Neeson and her student Patricia Smallman.

Linton-based Lieutenant O'Donnell received a Distinguished Service Decoration award in the 2008 New Year's Honours for his services as a platoon commander in East Timor between November, 2006 and, May, 2007.

On April 5, 2007, his platoon encountered a crowd of about 1000 Fretilin Party supporters returning from an election rally in Dili.

The crowd, fearing attacks from opposition political supporters, had halted on the outskirts of Manatuto.

While the platoon secured a safe route, United Nations police began moving the Fretilin supporters across a bridge toward Manatuto, despite having been requested not to do so.

The crowd was ambushed by about 600 opposition supporters who threw rocks and fired steel darts and arrows.

The police escort was forced to withdraw, which left the Fretilin supporters stranded on the bridge.

Lieutenant O'Donnell intervened in the attack, which meant that his platoon came under attack and had to fire warning shots and aimed shots against their assailants.

His platoon pushed back the attackers and secured a route around Manatuto for the Fretilin supporters, who safely navigated the town without loss of life or serious injury.

Lieutenant O'Donnell graduated from Officer Cadet School in December 2005 into the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment and was posted to 1 RNZIR.

In 2008 he was posted to Burnham.

The Manawatu Standard first met Lieutenant O'Donnell while he was training in the Tararua Ranges for a Cambrian Patrol exercise in 2007.

Halfway through a 16km Tararua hill climb Lieutenant O'Donnell kindly offered to let reporter Christian Bonnevie carry his pack and gun, so as to get a taste of life on the trail. Bonnevie, who has since left the newspaper, had a number of dealings with Lieutenant O'Donnell following the training exercise.

"He was a bloody good guy," Bonnevie said today. "He was a young lieutenant and when I was there he was very accommodating and let me join in with his team, giving me all his gear and letting me run around.

"He had enormous respect from his colleagues and was quite clearly well-liked. He was always spoken of highly I've never heard a bad word said about him."

Bonnevie said Lieutenant O'Donnell was "embarrassed" by the attention he received after being awarded the Distinguished Service Decoration.

"He's not one of those guys who goes looking for recognition," Bonnevie said. "He was just a bloody good bugger."

 

- Manawatu Standard with Stuff and The Dominion Post