yt-dlp/test_NZOnScreen_4_847f5c91af65d44b.en.SRT

WEBVTT FILE

1
00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:06.400
At the Battle of the Somme
in World War I,

2
00:00:06.520 --> 00:00:13.160
a NZ colonel led a formidable attack
on the German trenches that has
become legendary.

3
00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:19.000
With death in the air, he advanced
on the enemy, despite being hit by
machine-gun fire.

4
00:00:19.040 --> 00:00:26.640
Shot again and again, his body
shattered. He refused any help until
the Germans finally surrendered.

5
00:00:26.680 --> 00:00:30.200
For having inspired his men
with his own contempt for danger,

6
00:00:30.240 --> 00:00:37.520
this soldier was awarded the
greatest military honour of them
all - the Victoria Cross.

7
00:00:46.400 --> 00:00:48.400
BELL TOLLS

8
00:00:50.440 --> 00:00:56.440
The NZer was Lord Bernard Freyberg,
and his remains are buried in the
heart of the English countryside,

9
00:00:56.480 --> 00:01:03.640
where today, family and friends are
meeting at a special commemorative
service for him.

10
00:01:03.680 --> 00:01:10.520
Among the dignitaries, descendants
and attendants is a visiting member
of NZ's elite NZSAS -

11
00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:12.640
Corporal Willie Apiata.

12
00:01:12.720 --> 00:01:15.680
< You know Corporal Apiata?
Valerian Freyberg. How do you do?

13
00:01:15.720 --> 00:01:22.440
Like the man he has travelled so far
to honour, Corporal Willie Apiata is
a holder of the Victoria Cross.

14
00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:28.360
I never thought I would ever see
another NZer awarded one of that,
so...

15
00:01:28.960 --> 00:01:32.640
In just a handful of weeks, the
award has propelled a soldier

16
00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:36.400
used to a life of anonymity
into full public view,

17
00:01:36.440 --> 00:01:41.640
making him the star of the NZ
military and a hero to his country.

18
00:01:42.720 --> 00:01:49.800
The Victoria Cross - the result of
a selfless act of bravery in the war
in Afghanistan.

19
00:01:50.960 --> 00:01:53.560
It was a moment long forgotten,

20
00:01:56.840 --> 00:01:59.240
until just three months ago.

21
00:02:10.920 --> 00:02:12.920
Captions by Able.

22
00:02:12.920 --> 00:02:14.920
www.able.co.nz

23
00:02:14.920 --> 00:02:16.920
Copyright Able 2016

24
00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:26.000
At the headquarters of
NZ Special Air Service,

25
00:02:26.040 --> 00:02:31.320
the commanding officer is about to
release the biggest story in the
unit's history -

26
00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:34.000
one he has kept secret
for almost a year.

27
00:02:34.040 --> 00:02:38.240
When I took over from my
predecessor, he informed me of a
number of issues,

28
00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:43.160
and his parting shot was, 'Oh, and
by the way, you might wanna keep
your eye on this.'

29
00:02:43.200 --> 00:02:46.280
In 2006, the colonel
was handed a dossier

30
00:02:46.320 --> 00:02:52.520
recommending one of his corporals
receive the highest award for
gallantry, and, one month ago,

31
00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:58.840
the recommendation was approved by
the head of the Commonwealth,
the Queen.

32
00:02:58.880 --> 00:03:00.240
Do you wanna get Willie?

33
00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:03.360
The mana of this honour makes
the story too big to hide,

34
00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:08.520
so Corporal Willie Apiata must be
revealed to the NZ public tomorrow.

35
00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:10.560
Hey, Willie. Let's go.

36
00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:19.800
A five-year veteran of this unit,
Willie Apiata is oblivious to what
awaits.

37
00:03:20.320 --> 00:03:28.240
It's usually bad news for a corporal
to be dragged into CO's office on
any day, let alone a Sunday morning.

38
00:03:28.280 --> 00:03:30.280
Morning, Willie.
Boss.

39
00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:32.360
Have a sit down.

40
00:03:33.640 --> 00:03:37.360
Probably received the shock of
his life in the next five minutes.

41
00:03:37.400 --> 00:03:41.680
Laid out in front of Willie
Apiata were three letters.

42
00:03:41.720 --> 00:03:45.920
Just sorta wondering, you know,
'What the hell's going on here?'

43
00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:50.960
Opened the first letter and
started reading through and...

44
00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:57.720
yeah, it was... I was
quite speechless, actually.

45
00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:00.000
Yeah. And emotional.

46
00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:08.360
The Queen's representative - the
Governor-General - the NZ Prime
Minister and Minister of Defence

47
00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:12.960
confirmed that Willie Apiata will
receive the rarest of military
honours,

48
00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:18.360
making him one of just 12 holders
of the Victoria Cross alive in the
world.

49
00:04:18.400 --> 00:04:26.200
Didn't really get a chance for it
to sink in. I was on the way down
to Wellington that afternoon.

50
00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:37.040
As a Special Forces soldier,
the disclosure of Corporal Willie
Apiata's actions is unprecedented.

51
00:04:37.080 --> 00:04:42.360
He's also the first person to
receive the Victoria Cross for NZ.

52
00:04:47.880 --> 00:04:49.880
FLIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT

53
00:04:50.040 --> 00:04:57.800
Willie is flying by his commanding
officer, his regimental sergeant
major and a mentor from the unit.

54
00:04:57.840 --> 00:05:03.920
In Wellington, their job is to keep
Willie up close, but out of sight...
until tomorrow's announcement.

55
00:05:03.960 --> 00:05:07.800
It's hard enough for me, knowing,
but I wasn't receiving the medal.

56
00:05:07.840 --> 00:05:16.320
For Willie, it would be impossible
to sit on this secret, knowing that
his whole life was gonna change.

57
00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:24.880
The first step in this life-changing
event takes the group to an almost
deserted NZ defence headquarters,

58
00:05:24.920 --> 00:05:30.680
where the team responsible for
overseeing tomorrow's public
announcement has a long night ahead.

59
00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:33.400
Hi, Clive.
Gidday, how are you? >

60
00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:35.960
Clive Robinson. Willie Apiata.
Hi, Willie.

61
00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:41.600
Clive will measure you for your
uniforms and then we'll get photos.

62
00:05:39.760 --> 00:05:41.760
OK. Cool.
< All right.

63
00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:46.320
Straight away, Willie is sent for
a uniform fitting in an adjacent
building.

64
00:05:46.360 --> 00:05:50.040
One day, you'll have a
statue like this here.

65
00:05:52.960 --> 00:05:58.600
The statue of Brigadier Bernard
Freyberg, VC, is a reminder to
Willie of his new-found status.

66
00:05:58.640 --> 00:06:02.920
Look ahead, like you would. >
CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

67
00:06:01.520 --> 00:06:03.520
Great. >

68
00:06:07.280 --> 00:06:10.160
Your feet touched the ground yet? >

69
00:06:16.320 --> 00:06:17.880
Drop your arms by your side.

70
00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:23.040
Willie gets a new uniform befitting
the occasion of such an
announcement.

71
00:06:23.080 --> 00:06:29.240
You know, Willie's more comfortable
in a pair of gumboots and a pair of
old trackies or his hunting gear.

72
00:06:29.280 --> 00:06:36.360
The reality of it is that, you know,
that's not appropriate attire for a
public event.

73
00:06:36.640 --> 00:06:38.640
It's all organised.

74
00:06:38.880 --> 00:06:45.200
In the evening, Willie receives an
unexpected visit from the country's
most senior military commander,

75
00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:48.080
Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae.

76
00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:51.880
From 10.30am tomorrow,
you'll be wearing those.

77
00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:53.920
CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

78
00:06:57.880 --> 00:07:00.960
Good luck.
WHISPERS: Thank you, sir.

79
00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:05.800
See you tomorrow.

80
00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:16.600
Understandably nervous, Willie
is the first NZ recipient of the
Victoria Cross in 64 years.

81
00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:18.760
You've just gotta relax.

82
00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:20.800
You'll get plenty of this.

83
00:07:20.840 --> 00:07:25.920
It's a fairly daunting prospect to
know that you've gone from relative
anonymity

84
00:07:25.960 --> 00:07:29.440
to becoming a public figure
for the rest of your life.

85
00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:32.280
Three, two, one. Three, two, one.

86
00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:33.720
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

87
00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:37.040
OK, you can relax.

88
00:07:42.640 --> 00:07:46.880
Willie gets a crash course in
how to be an overnight hero.

89
00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:52.920
Willie's a very humble person by
nature and not prone to saying
too much.

90
00:07:53.160 --> 00:07:56.880
But that doesn't cut the mustard
with an announcement like this.

91
00:07:56.920 --> 00:08:01.240
Then people wanna know a little bit
about you and they wanna hear your
story.

92
00:08:01.280 --> 00:08:03.280
You're a hero.

93
00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:09.960
Absolutely. Now, you might need to
hear that a few more times before it
starts sitting comfortably,

94
00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:12.480
and you're gonna hear it a lot.

95
00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:19.960
As of tomorrow, when the first
radio bulletins go out, you are
a NZ celebrity. >

96
00:08:20.440 --> 00:08:27.120
People worldwide will be reading the
Prime Minister's announcement and
seeing your photo by 11am tomorrow.

97
00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:30.360
That's how big, how fast
it's all gonna happen. >

98
00:08:30.400 --> 00:08:34.440
It's gonna take a little while
to rattle round in between your
ears, >

99
00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:39.280
but I'm telling you now, bro,
it's the absolute reality. >

100
00:08:40.560 --> 00:08:45.520
It's like how you jump into the deep
end of a pool and you can't really
swim, eh.

101
00:08:45.560 --> 00:08:49.960
And you're treading so much water
trying to get back to the surface.

102
00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:52.520
At midnight, the
call is made to stop.

103
00:08:52.560 --> 00:08:55.400
We might tell them we're
there. 8am tomorrow?

104
00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:59.880
For Willie, a sleepless night lies
ahead, as he knows that tomorrow,

105
00:08:59.920 --> 00:09:05.520
NZ will be delivered the
groundbreaking news - they have a
new hero.

106
00:09:09.280 --> 00:09:11.560
RADIO BULLETIN MUSIC PLAYS

107
00:09:12.920 --> 00:09:17.800
Good morning. Welcome to Morning
Report on Radio NZ National.
It's the 2nd of July...

108
00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.560
There hasn't been much sleep
for Corporal Willie Apiata

109
00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:27.320
since the bombshell delivered by his
commanding officer yesterday that he
is to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

110
00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:33.960
Today, it's NZ's turn to find out,
along with his family and his unit,
the NZSAS.

111
00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:38.960
I'm still trying to get to grips
with what I've been awarded

112
00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:43.280
and the roller-coaster
ride that had just started.

113
00:09:47.520 --> 00:09:55.400
It's just before 8am and the NZSAS
soldiers head to Defence House in
preparation for the announcement.

114
00:09:55.440 --> 00:10:01.040
For Willie, it's the last time he
will walk in public unrecognised.

115
00:10:01.920 --> 00:10:06.000
It's cast a spotlight upon us
that we didn't necessarily want.

116
00:10:06.040 --> 00:10:14.040
It's certainly cast a spotlight
on Willie. I'm sure he would've
preferred to remain anonymous.

117
00:10:14.920 --> 00:10:21.120
The media briefing continues.
Because so many aspects of his
mission are deemed classified

118
00:10:21.160 --> 00:10:26.280
or highly sensitive, there are many
no-go areas for what Willie can say.

119
00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:28.320
< Did you shoot anyone?

120
00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:34.080
It just set boundaries for Willie,
what he could say within the
bounds of operational security,

121
00:10:34.120 --> 00:10:37.680
what he was comfortable with,
so that he had something to say.

122
00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:44.320
It will be obvious that someone was
trying to shoot you and your mates,
and they'll want you to say it.

123
00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:48.480
I'm thinking as a CO now. There are
realities. We are in Afghanistan.

124
00:10:48.520 --> 00:10:52.920
You know, a number of NZers might
like the fact that Willie's received
a VC,

125
00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:57.360
and there may be
some who aren't as...
Enthusiastic.

126
00:10:55.520 --> 00:10:59.240
...aren't as enthusiastic, and
I'm very concerned about that.

127
00:10:59.280 --> 00:11:03.480
Today's the big alligator.
One big alligator's gonna come.

128
00:11:03.520 --> 00:11:09.240
I think one of the questions will
be, 'What are you feeling?'
'What does your family think?' >

129
00:11:09.280 --> 00:11:15.400
Things like that. They just wanna
know you first, and, I think later
on, there'll be other alligators,

130
00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:20.040
but with this big one, eh,
it's, 'Who is Willie Apiata?'

131
00:11:23.640 --> 00:11:27.240
In the offices of the Minister
of Defence, aide Jeremy Seed

132
00:11:27.280 --> 00:11:30.720
is putting the last
touches to the press packs.

133
00:11:30.760 --> 00:11:38.160
The media have been called to a
special press conference by the
Prime Minister, starting in an hour.

134
00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:44.760
Meet me at 10.30, OK? That's out
there. Nah, I'm not telling you any
more. OK. Cheers, mate. See ya.

135
00:11:44.800 --> 00:11:47.880
They're all running around
like headless chickens- >
Oh, yeah. 'What's happening?'

136
00:11:47.920 --> 00:11:54.320
Meanwhile, Willie succumbs to nerves
for the first time and steps out for
a break.

137
00:11:54.360 --> 00:11:57.240
Countdown's getting closer, Sam.

138
00:11:58.800 --> 00:12:01.680
We're doing something
the unit just doesn't do.

139
00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:07.160
There's that public's... need and
right to know. It's already been
set out pretty clearly.

140
00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:11.480
You know, we're not some
organisation that is particularly
comfortable -

141
00:12:11.520 --> 00:12:15.920
feels this is necessary. We know
it's a requirement as a result of
the award,

142
00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:19.440
but as far as I'm concerned,
it's business as usual.

143
00:12:19.480 --> 00:12:24.640
The moment you say SAS, it tends to
draw publicity. I've never got my
head around that.

144
00:12:24.680 --> 00:12:31.160
We just go about our business, but
SAS, by the nature of its business,
is a secretive organisation,

145
00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:35.560
capable of very discreet operations.
And that draws public attention.

146
00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:40.600
People like to know things that
they're not allowed to know.

147
00:12:43.280 --> 00:12:45.280
September 11, 2001.

148
00:12:49.680 --> 00:12:52.480
A series of devastating
attacks on US soil,

149
00:12:52.520 --> 00:12:57.720
carried out by the terrorist
organisation Al Qaeda, shocked
the world.

150
00:12:57.760 --> 00:13:01.480
Their network of training camps
was traced back to Afghanistan,

151
00:13:01.520 --> 00:13:09.400
where, under the fundamentalist
Muslim army, the Taliban, they
operated with near impunity.

152
00:13:11.400 --> 00:13:16.160
Within days of 9/11, US forces were
in Afghanistan and on the offensive.

153
00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:18.200
Fire.
BOMB EXPLODES

154
00:13:19.040 --> 00:13:26.160
Their aim - to overthrow the
Taliban, capture Al Qaeda operatives
and their leader, Osama bin Laden,

155
00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:29.200
now the most wanted
man in the world.

156
00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:32.120
MACHINE GUNS FIRE

157
00:13:33.280 --> 00:13:34.360
GUN FIRES

158
00:13:34.400 --> 00:13:40.560
Much of Afghanistan quickly fell
under American control, but failure
to block all escape routes

159
00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:45.480
meant bin Laden and hundreds of his
most hardened fighters had slipped
the net.

160
00:13:45.520 --> 00:13:50.920
They were now hiding in
Afghanistan's remote mountain
regions.

161
00:13:53.800 --> 00:14:00.800
An international coalition,
led by US forces, set out to
track the terrorists down.

162
00:14:03.280 --> 00:14:10.600
Among those in relentless pursuit
was a small band of highly skilled
men from NZ's SAS unit -

163
00:14:10.640 --> 00:14:15.120
a member of the world's
most renowned special forces.

164
00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:22.080
Just hours ahead of his own press
conference, Willie undergoes a dress
rehearsal.

165
00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:27.880
The camera's here on tripods.
Everyone will sit there with
their notebooks.

166
00:14:27.920 --> 00:14:33.080
OK, Corporal. Can you tell us a
little bit about what actually
happened?

167
00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:38.400
We've got it here on paper -
the description of the events
that led you getting this honour.

168
00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:44.560
Nerves are shared by all as the
Minister and Chief of Defence make
final checks on the press release.

169
00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:49.200
He took it remarkably well. >
He seemed quite composed.

170
00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:48.480
Very composed. >

171
00:14:48.520 --> 00:14:50.520
And relaxed about it.

172
00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:53.720
Although apparently he's had
three cigarettes this morning.

173
00:14:53.760 --> 00:14:55.760
< (LAUGHS)

174
00:14:55.920 --> 00:14:58.520
How many people have you shot? >

175
00:14:59.800 --> 00:15:06.080
That is the worst question to ask
a soldier. If you wanna insult him,
that's the best way to do it.

176
00:15:06.120 --> 00:15:09.960
The carefully worded statement
gets some last-minute revisions.

177
00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:12.480
CELL PHONE RINGS
Hello, Jeremy speaking. >

178
00:15:12.520 --> 00:15:14.520
Adam. Adam!
Yeah? >

179
00:15:15.280 --> 00:15:22.680
Drop your cup of tea. This is the
final statement. We're to get it
in as many packs as we can.

180
00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:29.400
The men from Willie's squadron
gather at the unit and are the
first to hear the news.

181
00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:34.880
I'm disappointed to not be here
in person, and the reason for that
will become clear very soon.

182
00:15:34.920 --> 00:15:38.680
Today, I'm speaking to you about
something that, in my opinion,

183
00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:44.920
is the biggest event in the
history of the 1st NZ Special
Air Service Group.

184
00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:46.960
Hi, Jim speaking.

185
00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:50.480
It's 10.30. All the boys will know.
Yep.

186
00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:57.800
Big burden off your shoulders now. >
Oh, I know. Jeez. Crikey.

187
00:15:55.920 --> 00:15:58.720
How long did you know about that? >

188
00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:01.880
How long have I known about that?
Yeah.
10 months - since I took command.

189
00:16:01.920 --> 00:16:08.360
The wonderful thing was that I saw
it in the CDF's office, and it was
passed to the CDF and then to me.

190
00:16:08.400 --> 00:16:11.960
Signed by the Queen, and I
had a little moment myself.

191
00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:16.760
So I had a small appreciation of
what it would be like for him to
open that letter.

192
00:16:16.800 --> 00:16:21.320
He's earnt it. It's his. Doesn't
matter if he wants it or not.
He earnt it.

193
00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:23.880
Along with Corporal
Willie Apiata's VC,

194
00:16:23.920 --> 00:16:29.400
the Prime Minister announces three
other medals to be awarded for acts
of gallantry.

195
00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:34.160
Morning, everyone. We're here
this morning to note that the
Governor-General

196
00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:40.800
< has formally announced that the
Queen has approved four NZ Gallantry
Awards.

197
00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:47.920
As the Prime Minister delivers
the news to the nation, Willie
is finally allowed to call home.

198
00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:53.400
Corporal Apiata becomes the first
winner of the Victoria Cross for NZ

199
00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:58.440
under the Royal Warrant for
the NZ Gallantry Awards of 1999.

200
00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:08.120
RADIO: ...the Victoria Cross is
going to Corporal Bill Henry Apiata.

201
00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:11.920
The Prime Minister says Corporal
Apiata showed stunning courage

202
00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:15.520
by carrying an injured soldier
to safety while under fire.

203
00:17:15.560 --> 00:17:19.960
In no time at all, the story
spreads across the media.

204
00:17:20.520 --> 00:17:22.920
ONE NEWS INTRODUCTION PLAYS

205
00:17:23.560 --> 00:17:27.120
TV: A member of the SAS has been
awarded the Victoria Cross,

206
00:17:27.160 --> 00:17:32.760
making him the first NZer to receive
the award since the end of the
Second World War.

207
00:17:32.800 --> 00:17:38.600
That's when it finally hit home, eh.
Seeing it announced to the world.

208
00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:43.320
Corporal Apiata displayed
stunning courage and selflessness,

209
00:17:43.360 --> 00:17:49.160
risking his life to save a
colleague in a situation of
extreme danger.

210
00:17:49.520 --> 00:17:52.200
TV: That's Guyon Espiner, live.

211
00:17:52.520 --> 00:17:59.120
In that small amount of time before
the press conference when it was
announced,

212
00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:03.360
I was trying to get to grips with
all the things that were happening
to me.

213
00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:05.400
Worried?

214
00:18:06.840 --> 00:18:13.800
Until then, it had been all sort of
surreal. We'd talked about it, we'd
discussed how it was going to go,

215
00:18:13.840 --> 00:18:18.480
but that's a whole different thing
when you see yourself on the
national news.

216
00:18:18.520 --> 00:18:21.600
And for Willie Apiata,
it's a whole different thing

217
00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:26.920
when you have to front up at your
own national press conference.