Despite having one himself, Corporal Mark Donaldson stills gets overwhelmed when he sees another Victoria Cross.
“It’s a bit of ribbon and a bit of gun metal; it’s actually kind of worthless to a degree, and I mean that in the greatest respect because what makes it special is the story that is attached to it, the person it was awarded to, and the greater team that they were a part of,” Corporal Donaldson said.
Soldiers from the School of Infantry soaked up the stories Corporal Donaldson shared during his visit to Singleton, like the time he reported to headquarters every hour for three days straight in various marching orders.
“You might think it seems tedious, but it generates a sense of urgency, sets standards, brings the team together, and it makes you understand that you can fail. It also lets you see the funny side of things,” Corporal Donaldson said.
Having a sense of humour got Corporal Donaldson through an evening in Afghanistan when he was hit by a roadside bomb, then witnessed a helicopter crash.
“So we got blown up, not too bad, one guy was busted up and needed to be extracted. The helicopter came in, bounced, and crashed. Chopper blades went everywhere,” he said.
“There were four of us and we had a guy in a stretcher. It was night time, dust was everywhere, I couldn’t see anything but a rotor blade flying past and rocks just whooshing past my head.
“The guy on the stretcher was still next to the crashed helicopter. We had to get him, but there he was, running towards us with the stretcher attached to his waist, a crack to his pelvis, maybe to his spine, too. He had an IV bag just trailing behind him, and he’s yelling ‘get this thing out of me’.
“It looked surreal, funny; I just remember laughing through the chaos. I remember the funny parts, that’s just me, that’s how I deal with it.”
Corporal Donaldson said he never thought he would have his own story of courage and gallantry, like other VC recipients, to share one day.
His speech centered on creating clarity, delivering success, generating energy, and the soldier.
Private Richard Mitchelle was inspired by the talk and said he understood how energy could be infectious, and the opportunities it created.
“It’s important to have good mates around you, to be a good soldier and a good bloke, whether you’re going through tough times or not. I’m going to try and keep the humour like Corporal Donaldson did,” Private Mitchell said.
Corporal Donaldson explained how the energy of a soldier only three days into his deployment helped him through the ambush that resulted in him being awarded a VC.
“There were four different directions of machine-gun fire, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms incoming; guys were getting wounded everywhere,” he said.
“We flanked the vehicles. They were shooting rockets, then we ended up on a small knoll overlooking engaging targets and I remember looking at him and saying, ‘you lucky bugger’.
“He looked back at me and asked what I meant. I explained how some take years to get into a gunfight, but here he was, straight into it.
“He looked back at me, nodded, and said ‘yeah, it’s pretty good hey?’.
“Just that little bit of cheekiness, that little bit of larrikinism, that energy that he was creating while getting shot at was super calming and motivating.”
It was at that moment that machine-gun fire ripped between them; they realised the enemy was on both sides of the valley.
“There’s a standard of skills, and a standard of personality that comes with this role. Let’s be honest, getting shot at can be scary, but also super exciting. You are infantry, what the hell do you think you’re going to be doing?” Corporal Donaldson said.
“Making it feel real” is what Corporal Donaldson hoped his presence would achieve as he linked stories from his career path to where he is now.
“Some of my greatest memories were from the training I did at Singleton. I remember the camaraderie; everything was new, everything was tough and a challenge. Yes, the training is a stepping stone, but it’s a period in time you shouldn’t forget,” he said.
“I know it sounds like an ’80s recruitment video, but be proud that you’ve joined the infantry, be proud that’s the corps you’ve selected, and just give it your all.”
