Dannevirke: Mum thrilled with son's award

Sergeant David Duncan, of the New Zealand Army, playing wheelchair rugby at the Invictus Games in London this year. Sergeant Duncan has been awarded a defence force gallantry medal in special honours announced this morning. Photo / Supplied

Former Dannevirke woman Joy Rivers is over the moon her son has been awarded the New Zealand Gallantry Decoration (NZGD) in a special honours list announced this morning.

"He's my hero and deserves this and more. I'm so proud of him and he knows that," Mrs Rivers, who now lives at Mangamaire in southern Tararua, told the Dannevirke News.

Sergeant David (Johnny) Duncan of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps has been awarded his medal for exceptional gallantry in Afghanistan when he ran forward alone, exposed to enemy fire from both sides of the road, to rescue a seriously wounded soldier, enabling him to receive the medical treatment that saved his life.

"As far as my son is concerned he was just doing his job," Mrs Rivers said. "He doesn't like the limelight, but what he did that day went above and beyond. A bullet went into his inner thigh, luckily missing a major artery. When we got news of his injury it was a horrendous time for us."

On August 4, 2012, KIWI Company of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team was tasked with assisting a unit of the Afghan National Directorate of Security near the village of Baghak. Shortly after midday, nine of the company's vehicles, spread out over 400 metres on a narrow road, came under heavy small arms fire from concealed insurgent positions on the high ground on both sides of the road.

Sergeant Duncan was in command of a light armoured vehicle (LAV) which was part of a separate three-vehicle patrol positioned to the south of the vehicles which had come under attack.

As the battle with the insurgent forces intensified and KIWI Company sustained a number of casualties, the three patrol vehicles moved north to assist.

Approaching the contact site, the lead vehicle of Sergeant Duncan's patrol came under heavy fire from high ground to the north-east and west of their position.

As the lead vehicle came to a halt, Sergeant Duncan noticed a New Zealand soldier lying on the road in front of it exposed to insurgent fire.

Unable to get past the lead vehicle due to the narrow road, he manoeuvred his LAV behind it approximately 20 metres from the casualty. He dismounted his vehicle and ran into open ground.

After reaching the casualty, who had sustained a serious gunshot wound to the lower abdomen, Sergeant Duncan dragged him back until he reached the rear of the lead patrol vehicle, where he handed the casualty over to the company's nursing officer for treatment.

Sergeant Duncan then received a gunshot wound to his right leg as he returned to his own vehicle. Two soldiers, Lance Corporals Rory Malone and Pralli Durrer, died.

Sergeant Duncan's citation says, "His actions were in the finest tradition of the New Zealand Army."