His name is Kevin Wheatley aka "Dasher", a Warrant Officer of the Australian Army and part of a special training advisory group known as the “Team”. Wheatley enlisted at the age of 19 in 1956, rose through the ranks very quickly and in early 1965, he deployed to South Vietnam.
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On 13 November 1965, his team was inserted in the Tra Bong valley on a search and destroy mission alongside a CIDG platoon. Accompanying the team was Warrant Officer R. J. Swanton. A few hours into the mission, the team made contact with the enemy and a fire fight ensued. Wheatley saw that Warrant Officer Swanton had been hit in the chest, and requested an air strike and a CASEVAC. As the firefight intensified, it looked clear that Warrant Officer Swanton was dying from his wounds, regardless, Wheatley refused to abandon him. He began to half drag, half carry Warrant Officer Swanton, under heavy machine-gun and automatic rifle fire, out of the open rice patties. As the rest of team was evacuating, a CIDG soldier told Wheatley that the Viet Cong were only some ten meters away and urged him to leave his dying comrade. Again, Wheatley refused and was last seen pulling the pins from two grenades and calmly awaiting the Viet Cong; holding one grenade in each hand. Shortly afterwards, two grenade explosions were heard, followed by several bursts of small arms fire.
The two bodies were found at first light next morning after the fighting had ceased, with Warrant Officer Wheatley lying beside Warrant Officer Swanton. Both had died of gunshot wounds.
Warrant Officer Wheatley had the clear choice of abandoning a wounded comrade and saving himself by escaping with his team, or stay with Warrant Officer Swanton and thereby facing certain death. He deliberately chose the latter course.
For his actions, Warrant Officer Wheatley was awarded the Victoria Cross; one of only 4 Aussies to receive it during the Vietnam War. He left a wife and two children behind. #stayzero #zerofoxtrot #vietnamwar