(no subject)

[den]

Australian and Indonesian military pallbearers carry the coffins into a C-130J Hercules.
Photo: PHILLIP CULLINAN Sydney Morning Herald.

The bodies of nine Australians killed when a Sea King helicopter crashed on a mercy mission in Indonesia, will arrive home in Australia this afternoon. SMH

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced earlier today that he would join the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader when they meet the coffins on the tarmac at Sydney Airport.

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

That's lovely. It's so sad for me when folks who are just helping out are killed in the process.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

Still under investigation. The Sea Kings are 30 years old, though. Well maintained, but old.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

Just a few little things that have the finger pointers screaming "SEE! SEE!" One Sk had a fire on board 18 months ago, and one had a rotor failure 10 months ago just as it touched down.

Ground reports say there was a lot of black smoke before the SK went down. No way this was pilot error (a term I hate when it's easy to blame the dead.)

[elektron.livejournal.com]

A Canadian one crashed onto the deck of an aircraft carrier around the time of Afghanistan. They're not great.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[goodluckfox.livejournal.com]

Batty, I'm very sorry for the loss of your countrymen. They were all heroes. If I had to choose the circumstances of my own death, I would want it to be in the line of duty, helping others.

Loxley

[zhenzhi.livejournal.com]

very sad. this made me feel sadder by far than the death of the pontiff.
i actually shed tears when i saw this on the news. :-(

As a Military Man...

[ionotter.livejournal.com]

...I can definitely feel the pain you're feeling right now. I've worked with the Royal Navy and they're good blokes, one and all, and I know how much the Australian people care about them.

You'll not be alone in shedding a tear and raising a glass, mate.

Re: As a Military Man...

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

The Indonesian President is pushing to have them awarded the Indonesian equivalent of the medal or honour, but we don't have a process that will award them anything for peacetime honours. The Opposition Leader is pushing to have something in place like a Medal Of Honour, but DSMs and VCs are purely combat medals.


(By the way, a Bitish Marine got a VC in Iraq, the first since the Falklands and the first non-posthumous one since Korea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_Beharry )