After almost 50 years, and more than six years of appeals and hearings, the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal has recommended that Ian Reid be awarded the Medal for Gallantry for actions taken in the Vietnam War.
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Mr Reid was just 20 years old when he exposed himself to enemy fire for at least 39 minutes in a paddy field in Vietnam in order to aid injured Private Noel William Cooper, who had sustained a wound to his jugular vein, with bleeding from the neck.
The Medal for Gallantry was introduced in 1991, and recognises "acts of gallantry in hazardous circumstances".
During a firefight at close range on the night of April 30, 1970, Mr Reid, who was a rifleman and medic with the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, followed the call for a medic to find that Private Cooper was severely injured. In Mr Reid's account to the Tribunal he said:
"my most vivid memory remains my search by touch for his wound and two of my fingers disappearing into the hole in his neck."
As per his training, Mr Reid knew that Mr Cooper's wound needed to be elevated above his heart, making it necessary for both Mr Cooper and Mr Reid to be sitting upright and exposed to enemy fire until an evacuation by helicopter. It was the first time Mr Reid had been required to act as a medic
Mr Reid had originally applied for the Victoria Cross Medal, the highest military honour available, but the process has not been simple. He says he made it clear to the hearing, as he had to the army, that he would be proud to be awarded the Medal for Gallantry. An application for Mr Reid, known as "flappers" to his comrades because of his prominent ears, was made many years ago, but colleague John Abernathy found that it had been rejected because an awards quota for the battalion had already been filled.
In 2011 a change in legislation allowed for people like Mr Reid to apply for military honours. A submission was made on his behalf by Mr Abernathy, who has called Mr Reid's actions "heroic".
While Mr Reid is happy with the recommendation, he wants to highlight the process which veterans must go through with the tribunal, which he calls "flawed".
"I am very pleased after all of this time to be recognised for my actions," Mr Reid said.
The recommendation from the tribunal is not the final step, with the decision needing approval from the minister for defence personnel before it can become final. A defence spokesperson told Fairfax Media that a decision has not yet been made on whether to award the medal to Reid, and that they couldn't advise when the decision would be made.
