WEBVTT FILE

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The day has finally arrived for the
investiture of the Victoria Cross.

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And Corporal Willie Apiata has been
joined by members of his family for
the monumental occasion.

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It was really great that my family
could come down and experience that
with me.

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It's the first time we ever
got all of my family on a plane.

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My mum's never flown. My two
older sisters have never flown.

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I wanna come with you.

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You know Daddy'll be
there waiting for you, eh.

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Give us a kiss. Eh?

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Willie's journey to Government House
will take only 15 minutes, but it's
a day three years in the making.

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The unit, at the time, raised a
recommendation and arrived at the
Chief of Defence Force's office.

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The recommendation went to the
offices of the Prime Minister,
where previous awards were compared.

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It was then pushed further,
to Buckingham Palace.

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Dates, events and actions were
rigorously checked, double-checked
and checked again.

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As such, they then recommended to
the Queen that maybe Willie should
be considered for a Victoria Cross.

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In 1857, Queen Victoria awarded the
first Victoria Cross. Today, Willie
will receive a bronze medal cast

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from the same cannon metal
dating back to the Crimean War.

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Good luck, mate.
Thank you, sir.

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It's all sort of
coming home to roost?
Yep. I'm there.

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< Make no apologies, but...
(LAUGHS) Nah, it's no worries.

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While other distinguished
guests arrive,

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Willie catches up with other
personnel who will be decorated
for their acts of bravery.

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We know what happened that day, and
no words really have to be spoken.

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Good to see you, mate. How's
everything been? Are you managing?

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Yeah. Managing, mate.

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I thought you did a great job on TV.
I mean, it would have been bloody
shit...

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I was in Australia and I saw him.

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They had to tell you to shut up (!)
(LAUGHS)

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Here you go, Daddy's
gonna put you down now, OK?

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Yeah.
Cos you're heavy. You're a big boy.

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I'm not a big boy. I'm a little boy.

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Among those keen to greet Willie is
a former All Black captain and the
chief of the NZ Army.

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Meanwhile, his mother
chats to a familiar face.

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Usually when you come to Parliament,
no one's there and it's about
2 o'clock in the morning.

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(LAUGHS)

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As the press arrive at Government
House, a very private ceremony is
already taking place inside.

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Ladies and gentlemen, Their
Excellencies the Honourable Anand
Satyanand and Mrs Susan Satyanand.

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Three other medals are to be
awarded for acts of gallantry.

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Each of you has, as members of the
1st NZ Special Air Service Group,

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rendered distinguished
service to our country, NZ.

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Quite often, a lot of our work is
not acknowledged, and nor should it
be.

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But in this particular instance,
these individuals, representative
of the SAS group,

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were being recognised and they had
the opportunity to be in a very
dignified way.

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But the celebrations of today are a
far cry from the events of three
years ago.

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During a tour of Afghanistan, an
NZSAS patrol was forced to lay up
for the night

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in terrain that offered
limited defensive protection.

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As the crew of Corporal
Willie Apiata's vehicle slept,

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a small army of insurgents lay
under the cover of darkness

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with rocket-propelled
grenades and machine guns.

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If something's gonna happen, it'll
always happen when you least expect
it. And, hey. That's what happened.

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BOMB EXPLODES

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The whole car erupted,
basically, as the first RPG hit.

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BOMB EXPLODES

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I woke up standing up, with my
sleeping bag around my ankles.
Blown off the bonnet.

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BOMB EXPLODES

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You could feel all the over-pressure
coming off it, as well, plus all the
small arms in the background.

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MACHINE GUNS FIRE

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I just crawled as low as
I could to the vehicle.

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MACHINE GUNS FIRE

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The RPGs and machine-gun rounds
ripped through the vehicle
commander's arm.

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I remember him looking for the entry
and exit and looking right through.

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MACHINE GUNS FIRE

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The three of us were at the
back of the wagon, pinned down.

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The whole wagon was shaking.

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The bullets ripping
through the metal.

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MACHINE GUNS FIRE

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RPG rounds hitting it after
that. One after the other.

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MACHINE GUNS FIRE

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BOMB EXPLODES

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I sort of lost count on how many
rockets, I suppose, hit the wagon.

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I think I might have
counted about five or so.

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With support nearly 100m away,
the vehicle commander was rapidly
bleeding to death.

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I can remember my body going into
peripheral shutdown and I can
remember my feet...

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losing feeling in my feet as
the blood drains to your core.

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Imagine turning a tap or hose on,
and the water splashing on the
ground.

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As the enemy approached, the
NZers faced certain death.

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I don't think anyone could have come
to help us. We had to get ourselves
out.

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The moment has finally arrived
for Willie to receive the
Victoria Cross.

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All right. >

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On your lead, my liege.

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Good luck.

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There are two caveats placed
on awarding the Victoria Cross.

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The first is a singular brave act
or deed. Secondly, the nature of
that act must be such

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that it turned the tide of the
battle that was being conducted.

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I also read that you have to
have a 90% chance of dying.

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PIANO PLAYS 'GOD SAVE THE QUEEN'

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As Governor-General, I have the
authority and privilege on behalf
of Her Majesty the Queen >

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to confer the honour of the
Victoria Cross for NZ >

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on Corporal Bill Henry Apiata of
the NZ Special Air Service Group. >

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You are the first person to
receive the Victoria Cross for NZ.

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Corporal Bill Henry Apiata, NZ
Special Air Services, of Papakura.

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Well done.

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I'm very privileged to share
this special NZ moment with you.

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You should wear it with great pride.

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All the best to you.
Thank you, Your Excellency.

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Tena koe.

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When he pinned it on my chest, it
was like one of the heaviest things
I've ever carried, eh.

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For such a small, small thing.

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APPLAUSE

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I felt very proud
that day, you know.

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Things had finally sunk in by then,
and I just felt very proud for my
country.

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Yeah, well, I've always been a man
of few words and I'm still trying
to get used to the press and that.

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It's been a very emotional
and humbling experience today.

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All the NZers out there that have
supported me and sent me all those
messages,

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I'm still reading through them all
and I will read them all. They are
very heart-warming messages.

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I've given up being
surprised by these guys.

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Just when you think they're at the
level of their endurance or the
level of their capabilities,

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they'll always come out with more,
so... In his particular instance,
he's done a fantastic job.

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After a day surrounded by the
country's leaders, a proud family
gets a brief moment to themselves.

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That is so precious.

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Man, that's gonna be loaded by
the time you're finished...
(LAUGHS)

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Hey, you're cutting the time, eh.
Yeah, no. I understand that.

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You can say goodbye to them.

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I love you, my brother.

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Yeah, you look after yourself.

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See you when you come home.

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Love you.

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Love you too, sis.

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Cheers, boss. Thanks.

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And then, at the end of the most
important day of his life, Willie
is finally alone.

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I was just, like, be at peace with
myself for just those few moments.

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You know, and take in
all the day's events.

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Because even though it was the end
of the day, the journey wasn't over
yet.

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If Corporal Willie Apiata thought
after receiving the Victoria Cross

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he would quietly return to his
former life in the NZSAS, he was
mistaken.

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The award brings great opportunity
and great privilege, but it also
brings tremendous responsibility.

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Instead of resuming normal duties,

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Willie and the Victoria Cross are
sent on a week-long publicity
road trip.

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Everybody wanted to meet Willie,
wanted Willie to appear at events.

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The launch pad for the tour is
Waiouru, the main training base
for the NZ Army.

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Double march! Hup! Hup!

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Already, the impact of Willie's
new celebrity status is apparent.

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The corporal's accommodation is
upgraded to one normally reserved
for VIPs.

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When the CO said, 'We're crashing at
the Homestead, I was like, 'Whoa.'

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I'm a lieutenant colonel. I don't
stay at the Homestead. It's not the
place a corporal would stay.

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Normally, you'd be
in the barracks there.

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BOTH LAUGH

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At Waiouru Military Museum, Willie
literally comes face to face with
his new-found fame.

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It's been amazing, the amount
of public interest in here.

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We've had a couple of panels down
there for about six months. Hardly
anyone notices.

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This has been up since last week and
certainly, the interest in it's been
amazing.

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All will be transferred
permanently down to the main museum.

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That's the Falklands and the Gulf.

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The museum is home to
NZ's Gallantry Awards.

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All the Victoria Crosses that we
hold here, but obviously, all real.
This one's Charles Upham's.

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Willie's actions have placed him
beside the likes of Charles Upham -

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NZ's most famous double VC
winner - and Bernard Freyberg.

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In these surroundings, for the first
time, this humble soldier is not
alone.

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I don't see myself as a hero. Just
doing my job out there that day.

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SCHOOL BELL RINGS

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Next up - Palmerston North Boys'
High. The school has a proud
military past.

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Many former pupils fought and lost
their lives during the two World
Wars.

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We are absolutely honoured to be
visited by this delegation from the
SAS and Corporal Willie Apiata, VC.

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He displays many of the qualities
dear to this school. His courage and
humility are an example to us all.

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School stand. >

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BOYS CHANT HAKA

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This symbolic act of 1600 boys is
a heartfelt demonstration of the
groundswell of national pride.

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And his companions are briefly
thrown into the world of
Willie Apiata, VC.

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My gosh, you guys
make me feel special.

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CO. There you go.

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People are immensely proud
as a result of his decoration.

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I'd like to introduce
you to my wife.
Kia ora.

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It seems everyone wants a
moment with Willie Apiata.

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Anywhere I go now, the garage or
corner dairy, people always come up
now. 'Hey, are you Willie Apiata?'

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From playgrounds to parade ground,
Willie has brought much honour to
all ranks.

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Soldiers out there are just so
proud. This is a big lift for the
NZ Defence Force as a whole.

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MEN CHANT HAKA

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For Willie, an emotional
trip is nearly at an end.

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The last port of call is the
Infantry Battalion's 50th
celebrations,

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where he is to present
a special gift.

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APPLAUSE

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It says, 'Corporal Willie Apiata,
VC - the 1st NZ Special Air Service
Group.'

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APPLAUSE

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To acknowledge what this really
means to us as a war-fighting
organisation,

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putting aside the political
correctness, we're talking about
killing the Queen's enemies.

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The example of close combat and
the requirement of the bond between
soldiers is timeless -

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transcends the technology we
have. I thank you for this.

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Soldiers fight for a reason. They
don't necessarily, in the heat of
battle, fight for Queen and country,

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or anything other than the
man on their left and right.

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MACHINE GUNS FIRE

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In Afghanistan, three NZSAS soldiers
were trapped behind a burning
vehicle,

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their commander bleeding to death.

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I know enough about med through the
unit to know that it was an arterial
bleed.

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Attempts to reach the first
aid only drew more fire.

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Their chances of survival
were disappearing fast.

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Soon as a vehicle like that has some
type of fire, it turns itself into a
lead magnet.

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BOOM!

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GUNS FIRE

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You could definitely see one of the
vehicles that had come up to support
us engaging quite hardcore.

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MACHINE GUNS FIRE

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The vehicle was getting hit hard,
cos it was visible by the assault
force, which was only about...

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probably 25m away.

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Things intensified to... Just had a
feeling if we stayed any longer, we
wouldn't last much longer.

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We would probably all have
come home in a box.

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MACHINE GUNS FIRE

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Their rate of fire had increased
even more and that was when Willie
decided, 'We're outta here.'

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Chucked him on my shoulder.
I said, 'Let's go, mate.'

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Then we headed off back towards
where we knew our guys were.

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It certainly never came into
anyone's mind that we'd ever
leave anyone behind.

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Their only hope - run through the
firefight to the support vehicle.

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You just keep going till you...
either go where you wanna go or
you get dropped.

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Running up that hill...
the ground was on fire.

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MACHINE GUNS FIRE

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Tracer whipping through the air.

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I didn't feel no weight at all.

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Adrenalin pumping through your body,
just knowing you have to cover that
area to get him to safety.

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I don't know how to really
explain it better, but...

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you've got everything that you've
learnt from the moment you're born

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up till that moment
flowing through your body,

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trying to help you get out
of that situation alive.

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Against unbelievable odds, Corporal
Willie Apiata made it unscathed

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and delivered his wounded commander
to a waiting medic. But the battle
was far from over.

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It's the end of the road trip,
and there's only one place
Willie Apiata wants to be.

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00:18:14.840 --> 00:18:20.240
It was what I've been waiting for,
eh - to come home, bring the medal
back to the unit.

214
00:18:20.280 --> 00:18:26.080
Bring it back to the lads. And say
to them, 'Here, boys. This is for
us.'

215
00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:30.000
Whoo. Hey, boys.

216
00:18:31.600 --> 00:18:33.600
Hey, brothers.

217
00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:37.240
How's it going, bro?
Willie. Congratulations.

218
00:18:37.280 --> 00:18:39.280
Congratulations, man.

219
00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:40.640
Thank you, bro. Buddy.

220
00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:42.960
Hey, bro.

221
00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:46.320
Cheers, there, brother.

222
00:18:47.160 --> 00:18:49.240
< So good to be in
here with a beer.

223
00:18:49.280 --> 00:18:57.160
All these real formal things that
we've been to - this is the only
place I can let my hair down, eh.

224
00:18:57.520 --> 00:18:59.520
BELL DINGS

225
00:19:00.040 --> 00:19:05.480
Just like to say is, just kia ora to
everybody here, eh. Kia ora koutou.

226
00:19:05.520 --> 00:19:12.920
I am proud and honoured to wear this
VC. It was- I didn't ask for it.
It was bestowed upon me,

227
00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:20.480
and what my thoughts are is, I carry
it for us bros - the lads who were
there that day,

228
00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:27.360
the lads that are here now, the ones
that are past and the ones that are
in the future.

229
00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:34.400
Bros, it's so grounding to come home
because you fellas are my levellers.
You will always keep me the same.

230
00:19:34.440 --> 00:19:39.120
And that's how I wanna be,
one of the lads with you fellas.

231
00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:43.960
So, tena koutou, tena koutou,
tena koutou katoa.

232
00:19:46.560 --> 00:19:47.760
Cheers, brothers.

233
00:19:47.800 --> 00:19:49.400
GLASSES CLINK

234
00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:50.800
GLASSES CLINK

235
00:19:50.840 --> 00:19:52.840
GLASSES CLINK