Hidden hero Colonel M receives top Australia Day honour for helping defeat IS in Iraq
‘Colonel M’ has today been recognised for his part in defeating Islamic State in Iraq. But unlike hundreds of other people being acknowledged by name with Australia Day honours, the identity of this northern beaches man can’t be revealed.
Manly
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This morning hundreds of ordinary men and woman will be getting the plaudits they deserve for their inclusion in the Australia Day honours.
But one northern beaches man will have to make do with the personal satisfaction of a job well done.
Because nestled among the hundreds of names is a curiously titled Colonel M who has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the highest honour of its kind.
“For distinguished command and leadership in warlike operations,” his citation reads.
It doesn’t nearly begin to do his service justice.
He enlisted in the Army at 16 and at 20 completed the SAS selection course.
“I was thoroughly determined. I trained for ten months to get ready. I’d pack march and run up and down hills in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and swim across Narrabeen Lake and Pittwater.”
From hundreds of applicants he was one of just 16 to make the cut.
Before long he was on operations, seeing action in Bougainville (1998) and East Timor (1999).In 2000 he worked in counter terrorism at the Sydney Olympics and following 9/11 he formed a crack counter terror unit at the request of then PM John Howard. He progressed through the ranks and served multiple tours of Afghanistan and Iraq.
But his inclusion in this year’s honours relates to operations in Iraq against Islamic State in 2017.
He flew out in May of 2017 with “a large contingent” of Australian servicemen and women under his watch.
As commander of the task force his mission was to assist Iraqi forces in driving IS out of their Mosul stronghold and ultimately Iraq.
“We knew it was going to be intense,” he said. “It turned out being perhaps the most significant urban warfare battle since World War Two.
“As a commander you have no peers. The buck stops with you.
“Before you fly out you’re there with the men and women and their spouses, partners and kids and you have to look them in the eye. You do feel that responsibility.
“The soldiers what they have signed up for but that responsibility weighs heavily.”
There were two parts to his job in Iraq. He was tasked with training Iraqi forces so they could defend themselves once Coalition forces had left. His men would also advise and assist the Iraqis as they went from street to street in Mosul. Firstly though he had to win the trust of the Iraqis.
“I believe in treating others as you’d wish to be treated,” he said. “That goes a long way.
“They knew that we (the Australians) had no agenda other than wanting to help them defeat IS and regain their sovereignty. So that helped a lot.”
Despite coming from very different worlds the Australians and Iraqis had a common enemy and soon gelled.
When not in battle they would play sport together, eat together and take pleasure in introducing their cuisines to one another.
“They love their chai tea. I drank a lot of that. A lot can be achieved over a cup of chai tea. We introduced them to Vegemite and they loved Tim Tams.
“Typically when Aussies go on operations we don’t take a lot of stuff like helicopters, unmanned aircraft, armoured vehicles and equipment. We beg, borrow and steal everyone else’s. Our currency is often Tim Tams.”
When Ramadan — during which Muslims typically fast — came to an end the Australians decided to put on a huge banquet for their Iraqi allies.
“It was things like that that really helped build that rapport and trust,” he said.
But banquets and games of football were the exception. Because on the battlefield the fighting was intense.
“IS are every bit as evil as you’ve heard,” he said. They would use small arms, explosives mixed with rudimental chemicals, pesticides, they would rig up kids with physical and mental illnesses and use drones to try and drop grenades on us.”
But their resolve did not falter as they cleared through Mosul.
Unlike previous deployments, the mission was not a typical Australian “boots on the ground” operation.
Instead Colonel M and his troops provided intelligence, equipment and training for the Iraqis and helped co-ordinate and synchronise operations.
“That’s what we brought to the party,” he said. “That and we could step in and help change the course of a battle if the Iraqis were under significant stress.”
After months of intense fighting and with thousands dead, the Iraqis declared victory in Mosul.
Colonel M and his men returned home, knowing they had done their bit to help rid the world of IS.
Colonel M slotted back into his life on the northern beaches with those around him blissfully unaware of the magnitude of what he had done.
And today, as your read this, he walks among us: an anonymous hero who will never truly get the recognition he deserves.
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