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1232 lines
22 KiB
Text
1232 lines
22 KiB
Text
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WEBVTT FILE
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1
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00:00:04.760 --> 00:00:07.400
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With the Prime Minister's
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announcement that Corporal
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Willie Apiata
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2
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00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:10.240
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has been awarded the Victoria Cross,
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3
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00:00:10.280 --> 00:00:17.040
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the 35-year-old soldier must now
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face a national press conference.
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And he's not looking forward to it.
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4
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00:00:17.080 --> 00:00:20.360
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From where I come
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from, from the job I do,
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5
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00:00:21.520 --> 00:00:24.080
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even giving a little is too much.
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6
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00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:27.000
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And when you're ready, just start.
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7
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00:00:30.440 --> 00:00:34.320
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Lieutenant Colonel Mike Shatford
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briefs the press on the rules.
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8
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00:00:34.360 --> 00:00:40.800
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I'd like to outline the process
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that will happen today so we're
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all clear on the rules of the game.
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9
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00:00:40.840 --> 00:00:47.040
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Corporal Apiata has only just
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found out about this huge honour.
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It is quite overwhelming,
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10
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00:00:47.080 --> 00:00:51.880
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so I would ask that you go as
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easy as you possibly can on him.
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11
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00:00:54.360 --> 00:00:58.320
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Willie's moment of reckoning
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cannot be delayed any longer.
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12
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00:00:58.360 --> 00:01:04.960
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I don't think anyone could prepare
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themselves for what I walked into
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that morning.
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13
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00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:07.880
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I'm right behind you.
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Cheers, sir.
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14
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00:01:10.320 --> 00:01:13.120
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CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK, APPLAUSE
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15
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00:01:13.520 --> 00:01:16.920
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Just standing there...
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just unreal, eh.
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16
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00:01:17.320 --> 00:01:19.320
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Just real emotional.
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17
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00:01:20.440 --> 00:01:24.560
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Willie Apiata joins yet another
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group of elite people.
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18
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00:01:24.600 --> 00:01:28.880
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This is the first award of
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the Victoria Cross for NZ.
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19
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00:01:30.800 --> 00:01:37.000
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His is the first and the only
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Victoria Cross to be awarded
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to a NZ serviceman
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20
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00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:41.520
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since the end of the
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Second World War.
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21
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00:01:41.560 --> 00:01:45.960
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The questioning quickly turns
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to that night in Afghanistan.
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22
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00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:50.880
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Hey, I was doing my job, eh,
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and just looking after my mates.
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23
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00:01:50.960 --> 00:01:52.960
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It was the...
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24
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00:01:54.240 --> 00:01:58.040
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What was going through
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your mind at that time?
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25
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00:01:58.240 --> 00:02:00.240
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TENSE SILENCE
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26
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00:02:03.600 --> 00:02:07.200
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You can sense the
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anticipation of the press
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27
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00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:12.760
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to get some information out of
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you so they can tell your story.
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28
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00:02:13.640 --> 00:02:15.640
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'Where's my buddies?'
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29
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00:02:16.040 --> 00:02:18.040
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'How can I help them?'
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30
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00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:25.200
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During this incident, did you feel
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fear? What was the feeling that went
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through you as you were doing this?
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31
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00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:27.240
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Um...
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32
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00:02:29.160 --> 00:02:35.160
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At the time, I was just... doing
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what I've been trained for. Doing my
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job.
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33
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00:02:36.040 --> 00:02:40.520
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Look out for my mates.
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Watch each other's back, and...
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34
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00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:43.920
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The heat of the moment.
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I can't really say at this time.
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35
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00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:49.640
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There was a lot of fire going on.
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You weren't worried about being hit?
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36
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00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:53.480
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< I think it's probably time to
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take the questions somewhere else.
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37
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00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:59.000
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< Willie is quite overwhelmed by the
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situation, and perhaps we can talk
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more about other things.
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38
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00:02:59.040 --> 00:03:06.480
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Do you see yourself, perhaps, as the
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living legend, as others might do
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from this day forward?
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39
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00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:09.000
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I see myself as Willie Apiata.
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40
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00:03:09.640 --> 00:03:12.520
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I'm just an ordinary person and...
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41
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00:03:14.640 --> 00:03:16.640
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this is me.
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42
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00:03:21.480 --> 00:03:26.000
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This is one of the hardest things
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I've ever had to do, actually.
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43
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00:03:26.040 --> 00:03:28.560
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Good one. All done.
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Thank you, sir.
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44
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00:03:28.600 --> 00:03:30.800
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It was a great job.
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Cheers, boss.
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45
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00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:36.360
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It was an enormous amount of
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pressure on him to present himself.
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I think he did a great job.
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46
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00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:42.040
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But Willie was just Willie. He was
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just being himself. That is him.
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That is Willie the man.
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47
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00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:48.560
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After facing the cameras, Willie
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asked for a private moment with the
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people who helped him through it.
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48
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00:03:48.600 --> 00:03:53.800
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I've always been a man of few
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words, but I need to say something.
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49
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00:03:56.040 --> 00:04:02.040
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Since 9 o'clock yesterday, it's just
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been an unbelievable experience.
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50
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00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:07.480
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The old 12 o'clock news today,
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that sort of really hit home for me.
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51
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00:04:07.880 --> 00:04:14.960
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I'd just like to thank you all for
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everything that you've done in the
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last three years,
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52
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00:04:15.800 --> 00:04:17.800
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building up to this day.
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53
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00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:22.760
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I can't believe I only just found
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out 9 o'clock yesterday about all of
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this,
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54
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00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:30.680
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but thanks very much. I... Words
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can't explain how much I appreciate
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what you fellas have done.
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55
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00:04:31.520 --> 00:04:33.520
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Thank you. Kia ora.
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56
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00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:35.560
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APPLAUSE
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57
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00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:39.680
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You're gonna get sick of us.
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Cheers, Willie.
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58
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00:04:41.280 --> 00:04:43.280
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Cheers.
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59
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00:04:48.880 --> 00:04:52.280
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BERNADINE OLIVER-KERBY: NZ has a
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new living legend - a man who
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displayed...
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60
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00:04:52.320 --> 00:04:58.320
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Back at the hotel, Willie watches
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his story lead the national news for
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the second time that day.
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61
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00:04:58.360 --> 00:05:04.840
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...hasn't changed me at all.
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I'm still one of the boys, back at
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work, and always will be.
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62
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00:05:04.880 --> 00:05:06.880
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Awesome.
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Yeah.
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63
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00:05:07.400 --> 00:05:13.760
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63 media stories about Willie.
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Online coverage through NZ spreading
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to Australia, France, the UAE.
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64
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00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:18.080
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This is just an awesome...
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thing that's happening.
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65
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00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:19.040
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I know. >
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66
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00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:22.800
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I didn't think it'd be
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that big at all. But...
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67
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00:05:25.880 --> 00:05:29.080
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it just felt like it almost
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went global, just like that.
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68
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00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:34.480
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Some messages of support for
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Corporal Willie Apiata. From Snoop
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in South Korea.
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69
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00:05:34.520 --> 00:05:36.320
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READS: It makes me proud
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to be a Maori again.
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70
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00:05:36.360 --> 00:05:42.000
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From Sunny. (READS) Salaam, peace.
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God bless you and your family for
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the ultimate good deed you did.
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71
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00:05:42.040 --> 00:05:47.040
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Dean in Queensland. (READS)
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'Kia ora, Willie. Well done, from
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the bros in Iraq. Kia kaha, Deano.
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72
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00:05:47.080 --> 00:05:52.240
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'Nice one. If I see you in the
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pub, it's my shout.' (CHUCKLES)
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Hey, get that guy's name.
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73
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00:05:52.280 --> 00:05:54.800
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For those charged with
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keeping the secret,
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74
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00:05:54.840 --> 00:05:59.760
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the public announcement of Willie's
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Victoria Cross has gone off without
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a hitch.
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75
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00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:02.000
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Cheers to you and the team.
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76
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00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:03.040
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The relief it was out there.
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77
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00:06:03.080 --> 00:06:08.080
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For me, it was a great relief
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because I'd sat on it for some
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10 months or so.
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78
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00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:11.480
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Suddenly, it wasn't a secret
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that had to be kept any more.
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79
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00:06:11.520 --> 00:06:18.720
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In just a few hours, Corporal Willie
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Apiata of the NZSAS has become an
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official NZ hero.
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80
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00:06:19.080 --> 00:06:20.840
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But a reluctant one.
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81
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00:06:20.880 --> 00:06:25.880
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Before they announced it, I'd
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finally sort of put it to rest.
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82
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00:06:26.320 --> 00:06:31.960
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But it's resting no more. It's gonna
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be there now for the rest of my
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life.
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83
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00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:37.800
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But, you know, you'll never forget
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that night. It'll always be there.
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84
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00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:43.360
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MACHINE GUNS FIRE
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|
85
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00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:49.640
|
||
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Following the 9/11 attacks, an
|
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international coalition was on the
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hunt for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
|
||
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|
||
|
86
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00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:54.080
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||
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Among those pursuing the
|
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terrorists were the NZSAS.
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|
87
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00:06:54.680 --> 00:06:59.120
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||
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Renowned trackers, they're one of
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the world's leading Special Forces.
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88
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00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:06.360
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Highly skilled, the NZers were able
|
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to penetrate far behind enemy lines
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in all environments.
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89
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00:07:06.400 --> 00:07:11.800
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They were ideally suited for
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the rugged Afghanistan landscape.
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90
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00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:14.000
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BOOM!
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91
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00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:25.800
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Operating in small convoys of
|
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motorcycle pathfinders and
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armed patrol vehicles,
|
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|
||
|
92
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00:07:25.840 --> 00:07:32.000
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The NZSAS faced an elusive enemy
|
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that had used the local terrain to
|
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deadly effect
|
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93
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00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:35.320
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||
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against the Russian
|
||
|
army years before.
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|
||
|
94
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||
|
00:07:40.520 --> 00:07:45.680
|
||
|
Among those hand-picked for this
|
||
|
deadly mission was Corporal
|
||
|
Willie Apiata.
|
||
|
|
||
|
95
|
||
|
00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:52.960
|
||
|
You have all these things that may
|
||
|
happen to you, but you resort to
|
||
|
the training that you've been given.
|
||
|
|
||
|
96
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||
|
00:07:53.000 --> 00:08:00.000
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||
|
Moving through villages, the NZ
|
||
|
troops gathered intelligence on
|
||
|
any suspicious movements.
|
||
|
|
||
|
97
|
||
|
00:08:00.040 --> 00:08:05.320
|
||
|
We're chasing information, and
|
||
|
information to us is currency.
|
||
|
|
||
|
98
|
||
|
00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:11.680
|
||
|
Good information could lead
|
||
|
them directly to the enemy.
|
||
|
|
||
|
99
|
||
|
00:08:14.080 --> 00:08:16.080
|
||
|
BOOM!
|
||
|
|
||
|
100
|
||
|
00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:24.840
|
||
|
On this occasion, a cache of guns,
|
||
|
explosives and rocket-propelled
|
||
|
grenades were taken from the enemy.
|
||
|
|
||
|
101
|
||
|
00:08:24.880 --> 00:08:31.760
|
||
|
But Corporal Willie Apiata's patrol
|
||
|
would not be so lucky on their next
|
||
|
encounter.
|
||
|
|
||
|
102
|
||
|
00:08:38.800 --> 00:08:45.200
|
||
|
Their time in the capital has gone
|
||
|
to plan, and the commanding officer
|
||
|
and his team head back to base.
|
||
|
|
||
|
103
|
||
|
00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:47.760
|
||
|
But changes in Willie's
|
||
|
life are apparent.
|
||
|
|
||
|
104
|
||
|
00:08:47.800 --> 00:08:53.480
|
||
|
The first person to ask him for an
|
||
|
autograph sort of said, 'Would you
|
||
|
mind giving me an autograph?'
|
||
|
|
||
|
105
|
||
|
00:08:53.520 --> 00:08:59.320
|
||
|
Willie said, 'Sure,' and looked at
|
||
|
me and wasn't quite sure what to do.
|
||
|
|
||
|
106
|
||
|
00:08:59.320 --> 00:09:03.480
|
||
|
I've never been asked for one, so
|
||
|
it's new to me. I said, 'Well, just
|
||
|
put your name.'
|
||
|
|
||
|
107
|
||
|
00:09:03.520 --> 00:09:06.200
|
||
|
So he did. He wrote
|
||
|
'Willie' and handed it back.
|
||
|
|
||
|
108
|
||
|
00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:14.240
|
||
|
I said, 'We can do it better next
|
||
|
time.' So now he signs himself
|
||
|
'Willie Apiata, VC', as he should.
|
||
|
|
||
|
109
|
||
|
00:09:23.280 --> 00:09:30.280
|
||
|
Corporal Willie Apiata returns to
|
||
|
base and back to the routine of a
|
||
|
Special Forces soldier. He hopes.
|
||
|
|
||
|
110
|
||
|
00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:35.200
|
||
|
He was welcomed back, and it was
|
||
|
business as usual, as far as the
|
||
|
guys were concerned.
|
||
|
|
||
|
111
|
||
|
00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:38.960
|
||
|
Handshakes - not too many
|
||
|
man hugs go on around this place.
|
||
|
|
||
|
112
|
||
|
00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:42.080
|
||
|
Doesn't matter if he's wearing the
|
||
|
Victoria Cross on his chest.
|
||
|
|
||
|
113
|
||
|
00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:46.520
|
||
|
If he does something wrong,
|
||
|
he's gonna know about it.
|
||
|
|
||
|
114
|
||
|
00:09:46.520 --> 00:09:50.960
|
||
|
I was coming in every morning -
|
||
|
still do PT as usual every morning.
|
||
|
|
||
|
115
|
||
|
00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:55.480
|
||
|
Get your feet back on the
|
||
|
ground working with the lads.
|
||
|
|
||
|
116
|
||
|
00:09:56.080 --> 00:10:00.240
|
||
|
Doing some shooting, just getting a
|
||
|
bit of cordite back in the nostrils.
|
||
|
|
||
|
117
|
||
|
00:10:00.280 --> 00:10:03.960
|
||
|
Getting your eye back in and
|
||
|
making sure you're still doing it.
|
||
|
|
||
|
118
|
||
|
00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:06.000
|
||
|
GUN FIRES
|
||
|
|
||
|
119
|
||
|
00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:14.600
|
||
|
Despite his attempts to return to
|
||
|
normality, everything has changed
|
||
|
for Willie Apiata.
|
||
|
|
||
|
120
|
||
|
00:10:14.640 --> 00:10:18.880
|
||
|
He's the only corporal in the
|
||
|
NZ military with his own office.
|
||
|
|
||
|
121
|
||
|
00:10:18.920 --> 00:10:24.520
|
||
|
He's only a corporal. He's got his
|
||
|
own office, but he's gotta answer
|
||
|
|
||
|
122
|
||
|
00:10:25.040 --> 00:10:28.320
|
||
|
a couple of hundred emails
|
||
|
and letters every few days.
|
||
|
|
||
|
123
|
||
|
00:10:28.360 --> 00:10:32.000
|
||
|
I don't think other corporals
|
||
|
around here would want to do that.
|
||
|
|
||
|
124
|
||
|
00:10:32.040 --> 00:10:37.280
|
||
|
Messages have flooded in from
|
||
|
politicians, celebrities, sporting
|
||
|
heroes, war veterans
|
||
|
|
||
|
125
|
||
|
00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:43.720
|
||
|
and other proud regiments from every
|
||
|
part of society and corner of the
|
||
|
globe.
|
||
|
|
||
|
126
|
||
|
00:10:44.560 --> 00:10:48.160
|
||
|
You get a feel of how the
|
||
|
people are feeling out there.
|
||
|
|
||
|
127
|
||
|
00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:52.960
|
||
|
The response from them was
|
||
|
awesome. It's just overwhelming.
|
||
|
|
||
|
128
|
||
|
00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:58.880
|
||
|
It's been an interesting process. A
|
||
|
lot of people have asked for Willie
|
||
|
to go and speak or be at events.
|
||
|
|
||
|
129
|
||
|
00:10:58.920 --> 00:11:05.440
|
||
|
I think a lot of people forget that
|
||
|
Willie's actually still a soldier
|
||
|
and he's a soldier in the SAS.
|
||
|
|
||
|
130
|
||
|
00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:08.040
|
||
|
I'm trying to keep things
|
||
|
as normal as we can.
|
||
|
|
||
|
131
|
||
|
00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:12.280
|
||
|
Trying to schedule events as best
|
||
|
we can to... not to disrupt him.
|
||
|
|
||
|
132
|
||
|
00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:15.160
|
||
|
If possible, get him out
|
||
|
for a jump with the lads.
|
||
|
|
||
|
133
|
||
|
00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:18.560
|
||
|
But Willie's newfound
|
||
|
status is now inescapable.
|
||
|
|
||
|
134
|
||
|
00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:22.880
|
||
|
Even at work, a member of the flight
|
||
|
crew ambushes Willie for an
|
||
|
autograph
|
||
|
|
||
|
135
|
||
|
00:11:22.920 --> 00:11:28.320
|
||
|
while he prepares for a training
|
||
|
jump with other members of the unit
|
||
|
and the troop.
|
||
|
|
||
|
136
|
||
|
00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:30.360
|
||
|
Is that you? >
|
||
|
|
||
|
137
|
||
|
00:11:30.880 --> 00:11:32.880
|
||
|
ENGINE ROARS
|
||
|
|
||
|
138
|
||
|
00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:41.840
|
||
|
(SHOUTS)
|
||
|
|
||
|
139
|
||
|
00:11:56.280 --> 00:12:02.320
|
||
|
A few brief moments of isolation
|
||
|
under canopy offer Willie his only
|
||
|
relief from the attention.
|
||
|
|
||
|
140
|
||
|
00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:06.280
|
||
|
But there is one set of faces
|
||
|
that Willie is desperate to see.
|
||
|
|
||
|
141
|
||
|
00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:09.720
|
||
|
My family's suffering at
|
||
|
the moment, eh.
|
||
|
|
||
|
142
|
||
|
00:12:10.040 --> 00:12:15.520
|
||
|
But I know I've just gotta be
|
||
|
patient and I'll get that time
|
||
|
at home.
|
||
|
|
||
|
143
|
||
|
00:12:15.680 --> 00:12:20.280
|
||
|
Over the next few days, media
|
||
|
interest intensifies on
|
||
|
Willie Apiata
|
||
|
|
||
|
144
|
||
|
00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:25.520
|
||
|
and the actions in Afghanistan
|
||
|
that led to his Victoria Cross.
|
||
|
|
||
|
145
|
||
|
00:12:25.520 --> 00:12:27.160
|
||
|
GUNS FIRE
|
||
|
|
||
|
146
|
||
|
00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:33.520
|
||
|
Meanwhile, Willie learns the
|
||
|
financial and personal pressures
|
||
|
all VC winners must face.
|
||
|
|
||
|
147
|
||
|
00:12:33.560 --> 00:12:39.720
|
||
|
I was concerned, as any commanding
|
||
|
officer would be, when one of his
|
||
|
subordinates is in this position.
|
||
|
|
||
|
148
|
||
|
00:12:39.760 --> 00:12:42.440
|
||
|
I was concerned for him, personally.
|
||
|
|
||
|
149
|
||
|
00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:47.800
|
||
|
While some recipients have succumbed
|
||
|
to the substantial dollar value of
|
||
|
the medals,
|
||
|
|
||
|
150
|
||
|
00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:50.920
|
||
|
others have suffered a greater toll.
|
||
|
|
||
|
151
|
||
|
00:12:51.160 --> 00:12:59.960
|
||
|
There are enough stories of Victoria
|
||
|
Cross winners that have ended up
|
||
|
destitute, or drunk and destitute.
|
||
|
|
||
|
152
|
||
|
00:13:00.160 --> 00:13:08.160
|
||
|
We certainly didn't want that to
|
||
|
occur, and there's no inclination
|
||
|
that it's likely to, either.
|
||
|
|
||
|
153
|
||
|
00:13:09.680 --> 00:13:16.280
|
||
|
After much demand, the media
|
||
|
are granted a series of closely
|
||
|
supervised one-on-one interviews.
|
||
|
|
||
|
154
|
||
|
00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:20.960
|
||
|
All right. If you guys will follow
|
||
|
me. Well, welcome to the unit.
|
||
|
|
||
|
155
|
||
|
00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:25.880
|
||
|
But the very private soldier is
|
||
|
still uncomfortable with his public
|
||
|
role.
|
||
|
|
||
|
156
|
||
|
00:13:25.920 --> 00:13:30.720
|
||
|
I never thought I'd ever be
|
||
|
talking to the media about it. Yeah.
|
||
|
|
||
|
157
|
||
|
00:13:30.760 --> 00:13:31.480
|
||
|
Hello.
|
||
|
|
||
|
158
|
||
|
00:13:31.520 --> 00:13:37.840
|
||
|
With his famous corporal on edge,
|
||
|
the CO lets everyone know exactly
|
||
|
where the boundaries lie.
|
||
|
|
||
|
159
|
||
|
00:13:37.880 --> 00:13:42.800
|
||
|
We're a discreet organisation.
|
||
|
We're not comfortable in the public
|
||
|
eye. It's not what we do naturally.
|
||
|
|
||
|
160
|
||
|
00:13:42.840 --> 00:13:47.280
|
||
|
We're just trying to balance what NZ
|
||
|
needs from Willie and what Willie
|
||
|
needs.
|
||
|
|
||
|
161
|
||
|
00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:53.840
|
||
|
Given that the SAS, you know, builds
|
||
|
its reputation on anonymity, isn't
|
||
|
that shot for him now?
|
||
|
|
||
|
162
|
||
|
00:13:53.880 --> 00:13:59.480
|
||
|
No, not at all. He still has
|
||
|
anonymity with a gas mask on,
|
||
|
doesn't he?
|
||
|
|
||
|
163
|
||
|
00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:06.400
|
||
|
The media are no longer covering
|
||
|
the story for just NZ but for news
|
||
|
agencies around the globe.
|
||
|
|
||
|
164
|
||
|
00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:10.920
|
||
|
Last week, Willie Apiata
|
||
|
was this anonymous bloke...
|
||
|
|
||
|
165
|
||
|
00:14:11.160 --> 00:14:15.920
|
||
|
...and now you're having to do all
|
||
|
these horrible interviews with us.
|
||
|
(LAUGHS) >
|
||
|
|
||
|
166
|
||
|
00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:22.040
|
||
|
The public and NZ wanna know who
|
||
|
I am. It's a soldier in the NZSAS,
|
||
|
and that's who I am.
|
||
|
|
||
|
167
|
||
|
00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:26.080
|
||
|
We've been receiving messages
|
||
|
on our website by the hundreds.
|
||
|
|
||
|
168
|
||
|
00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:29.880
|
||
|
They generally wanted to know
|
||
|
who I was and how I was feeling.
|
||
|
|
||
|
169
|
||
|
00:14:29.920 --> 00:14:33.920
|
||
|
Yeah, it's still quite an
|
||
|
overwhelming thing that I'm going
|
||
|
through.
|
||
|
|
||
|
170
|
||
|
00:14:33.960 --> 00:14:36.760
|
||
|
And, you know, I'm taking
|
||
|
it one day at a time.
|
||
|
|
||
|
171
|
||
|
00:14:36.800 --> 00:14:40.200
|
||
|
You've said you'd rather face
|
||
|
the Taliban than the media.
|
||
|
|
||
|
172
|
||
|
00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:46.440
|
||
|
There's a couple of them, actually,
|
||
|
that were right up in your face,
|
||
|
but...
|
||
|
|
||
|
173
|
||
|
00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:54.120
|
||
|
we all know they just want a piece
|
||
|
of Willie Apiata, so we had to give
|
||
|
them a little bit.
|
||
|
|
||
|
174
|
||
|
00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:58.400
|
||
|
Put you in front of that and
|
||
|
take a photo as an honour.
|
||
|
|
||
|
175
|
||
|
00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:09.560
|
||
|
They're big words you don't really
|
||
|
like. You were just doing your job.
|
||
|
(LAUGHS) OK, mate.
|
||
|
|
||
|
176
|
||
|
00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:11.600
|
||
|
Um, so,... uh...
|
||
|
|
||
|
177
|
||
|
00:15:12.560 --> 00:15:16.960
|
||
|
Some journalists go fishing for
|
||
|
more details about Afghanistan.
|
||
|
|
||
|
178
|
||
|
00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:24.200
|
||
|
Now, Afghanistan. How long had
|
||
|
you been in Afghanistan when
|
||
|
this particular action happened?
|
||
|
|
||
|
179
|
||
|
00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:27.400
|
||
|
Probably no questions in
|
||
|
terms of the specifics, sir.>
|
||
|
OK, then.
|
||
|
|
||
|
180
|
||
|
00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:30.920
|
||
|
So, you were up against
|
||
|
a group of Taliban?
|
||
|
|
||
|
181
|
||
|
00:15:30.280 --> 00:15:31.840
|
||
|
No specifics on that. >
|
||
|
|
||
|
182
|
||
|
00:15:31.880 --> 00:15:37.240
|
||
|
(SIGHS) So, there's really no
|
||
|
more that you'd tell us about
|
||
|
Afghanistan?
|
||
|
|
||
|
183
|
||
|
00:15:37.280 --> 00:15:45.560
|
||
|
Not the specifics. There's reasons
|
||
|
for that. We're not being defensive
|
||
|
or trying to hide anything.
|
||
|
|
||
|
184
|
||
|
00:15:52.040 --> 00:16:01.120
|
||
|
In the hunt for Al Qaeda, Corporal
|
||
|
Willie Apiata's patrol travelled to
|
||
|
the remotest regions of Afghanistan.
|
||
|
|
||
|
185
|
||
|
00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:04.520
|
||
|
We would go to villages
|
||
|
to talk to the locals.
|
||
|
|
||
|
186
|
||
|
00:16:04.560 --> 00:16:09.040
|
||
|
In some places we'd go to,
|
||
|
they haven't seen soldiers
|
||
|
since the Russian days.
|
||
|
|
||
|
187
|
||
|
00:16:09.080 --> 00:16:11.840
|
||
|
Biblical is the only
|
||
|
thing that springs to mind.
|
||
|
|
||
|
188
|
||
|
00:16:11.880 --> 00:16:17.360
|
||
|
Donkeys, people carrying piles
|
||
|
of wood, mud huts. Very biblical.
|
||
|
|
||
|
189
|
||
|
00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:23.360
|
||
|
There were occasions we'd get
|
||
|
flowers thrown on to our vehicle
|
||
|
cos they were happy to see us.
|
||
|
|
||
|
190
|
||
|
00:16:23.400 --> 00:16:29.360
|
||
|
We're a different bunch, eh, as
|
||
|
Kiwis. We pretty much get on with
|
||
|
just about everybody.
|
||
|
|
||
|
191
|
||
|
00:16:29.400 --> 00:16:33.320
|
||
|
But greetings weren't
|
||
|
always so enthusiastic.
|
||
|
|
||
|
192
|
||
|
00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:42.160
|
||
|
We approached this village before
|
||
|
last light and thought, 'We'll visit
|
||
|
and let people know we're there.'
|
||
|
|
||
|
193
|
||
|
00:16:42.640 --> 00:16:49.560
|
||
|
The welcoming we got from that
|
||
|
village was quite hostile - just
|
||
|
in the way that they looked at us.
|
||
|
|
||
|
194
|
||
|
00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:55.880
|
||
|
We had been told, previously,
|
||
|
that the village was sympathetic
|
||
|
to Taliban.
|
||
|
|
||
|
195
|
||
|
00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:10.200
|
||
|
With the meeting set up for the next
|
||
|
day, the patrol moved away from the
|
||
|
village to make camp for the night.
|
||
|
|
||
|
196
|
||
|
00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:14.880
|
||
|
Some form of dominating ground that
|
||
|
we can fight from, that you feel
|
||
|
secure in,
|
||
|
|
||
|
197
|
||
|
00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:19.520
|
||
|
that have got eyes on,
|
||
|
basically, all around the fence.
|
||
|
|
||
|
198
|
||
|
00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:24.680
|
||
|
But the landscape failed to
|
||
|
offer an ideal location to lay up.
|
||
|
|
||
|
199
|
||
|
00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:29.160
|
||
|
There was still a lot of
|
||
|
ground that we couldn't see into.
|
||
|
|
||
|
200
|
||
|
00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:33.480
|
||
|
Hiding in the shadows, a
|
||
|
hostile army was amassing.
|
||
|
|
||
|
201
|
||
|
00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:44.320
|
||
|
At the end of this first week,
|
||
|
Willie gets a much-needed short
|
||
|
break.
|
||
|
|
||
|
202
|
||
|
00:17:44.360 --> 00:17:48.680
|
||
|
No media, celebrity
|
||
|
snapshots or personal minders.
|
||
|
|
||
|
203
|
||
|
00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:51.080
|
||
|
I really needed it.
|
||
|
Just to clear my head.
|
||
|
|
||
|
204
|
||
|
00:17:51.120 --> 00:17:54.480
|
||
|
Get my head around it and get
|
||
|
some closure with my family.
|
||
|
|
||
|
205
|
||
|
00:17:54.520 --> 00:17:58.160
|
||
|
They hadn't seen me since
|
||
|
this thing started,
|
||
|
|
||
|
206
|
||
|
00:17:58.200 --> 00:18:03.120
|
||
|
and they were starting to tear the
|
||
|
TV apart every time I was on.
|
||
|
|
||
|
207
|
||
|
00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:08.200
|
||
|
Willie heads south to see his
|
||
|
partner and son and his biggest
|
||
|
follower.
|
||
|
|
||
|
208
|
||
|
00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:11.320
|
||
|
Only my mum really understood
|
||
|
what it was about.
|
||
|
|
||
|
209
|
||
|
00:18:11.360 --> 00:18:17.840
|
||
|
Once it had come out on the TV,
|
||
|
basically, the rest of my family
|
||
|
finally realised.
|
||
|
|
||
|
210
|
||
|
00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:21.800
|
||
|
You know life's not the same any
|
||
|
more on the home front, don't you?
|
||
|
|
||
|
211
|
||
|
00:18:21.840 --> 00:18:25.600
|
||
|
My mum's followed me through
|
||
|
my career ever since the first day
|
||
|
|
||
|
212
|
||
|
00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:28.960
|
||
|
when I went away to do my
|
||
|
first weekend of army training.
|
||
|
|
||
|
213
|
||
|
00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:31.840
|
||
|
Jeepers. I didn't
|
||
|
know you had all these.
|
||
|
|
||
|
214
|
||
|
00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:34.880
|
||
|
Oh, that was when I
|
||
|
came back from Afghan, eh.
|
||
|
Mm.
|
||
|
|
||
|
215
|
||
|
00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:37.320
|
||
|
After a few years in
|
||
|
the Territorial Army,
|
||
|
|
||
|
216
|
||
|
00:18:37.360 --> 00:18:44.200
|
||
|
his mother would also see Willie's
|
||
|
disappointment after an unsuccessful
|
||
|
first attempt to join the NZSAS,
|
||
|
|
||
|
217
|
||
|
00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:47.840
|
||
|
an old injury denying
|
||
|
his chance of selection.
|
||
|
|
||
|
218
|
||
|
00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:53.120
|
||
|
I was pretty gutted about that, but
|
||
|
I had a good unit that I was with at
|
||
|
the time,
|
||
|
|
||
|
219
|
||
|
00:18:53.160 --> 00:19:01.160
|
||
|
put me back into work and says,
|
||
|
'Hey, there will always be another
|
||
|
opportunity', and I knew that.
|
||
|
|
||
|
220
|
||
|
00:19:02.360 --> 00:19:08.960
|
||
|
After serving in East Timor, Willie
|
||
|
tried for the NZSAS selection again
|
||
|
in 2001.
|
||
|
|
||
|
221
|
||
|
00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:11.400
|
||
|
This time, he made the grade.
|
||
|
|
||
|
222
|
||
|
00:19:12.520 --> 00:19:19.840
|
||
|
Holy Father, bless this food we're
|
||
|
about to devour. Bless this house.
|
||
|
Bless our journey. Amen.
|
||
|
|
||
|
223
|
||
|
00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:24.800
|
||
|
As a combat trooper, Willie is away
|
||
|
on training and operations much of
|
||
|
the year,
|
||
|
|
||
|
224
|
||
|
00:19:24.840 --> 00:19:28.520
|
||
|
so he spends all his remaining
|
||
|
time with his partner and son,
|
||
|
|
||
|
225
|
||
|
00:19:28.560 --> 00:19:33.160
|
||
|
as they come to terms with
|
||
|
the changes in Willie's life.
|
||
|
|
||
|
226
|
||
|
00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:42.400
|
||
|
Nowadays, no matter how tired I am
|
||
|
or how drained I feel, I'll always
|
||
|
make time to spend with my boy.
|
||
|
|
||
|
227
|
||
|
00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:47.320
|
||
|
I know that's all he wants - to
|
||
|
be with Dad. He's away so much.
|
||
|
|
||
|
228
|
||
|
00:19:48.800 --> 00:19:50.800
|
||
|
POIGNANT MUSIC
|
||
|
|
||
|
229
|
||
|
00:19:56.120 --> 00:19:58.120
|
||
|
(LAUGHS)
|
||
|
|
||
|
230
|
||
|
00:20:00.120 --> 00:20:02.120
|
||
|
Ah... we missed it.
|
||
|
|
||
|
231
|
||
|
00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:07.400
|
||
|
That's the one. You're
|
||
|
reeling it up a little bit.
|
||
|
|
||
|
232
|
||
|
00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:13.760
|
||
|
All too soon, Willie's weekend with
|
||
|
loved ones is over. Their next
|
||
|
meeting will be in Wellington,
|
||
|
|
||
|
233
|
||
|
00:20:13.800 --> 00:20:21.160
|
||
|
where the Governor-General will
|
||
|
present Willie Apiata with the
|
||
|
Victoria Cross in a public ceremony.
|
||
|
|
||
|
234
|
||
|
00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:23.400
|
||
|
POIGNANT MUSIC CONTINUES
|
||
|
|