Ben Roberts-Smith

Benjamin "Ben" Roberts-Smith (born 1 November 1978) is a former Australian soldier and a recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia, the highest award in the Australian honours system. His Victoria Cross, together with his Medal for Gallantry awarded during a tour of Afghanistan in 2006, make Roberts-Smith the most highly decorated member of the Australian Defence Force and any other Commonwealth army in recent years.

Roberts-Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia for his actions during a helicopter assault into Tizak on 11 June 2010 as part of an offensive in the Shah Wali Kot region, while serving with the Special Air Service Regiment during the War in Afghanistan. He was presented with the medal by the Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, in a ceremony in Perth on 23 January 2011. In 2006, Roberts-Smith was awarded the Medal for Gallantry for a previous action in Afghanistan.

Military career
Roberts-Smith joined the Australian Army in 1996. After completing his initial employment training at Lone Pine Barracks in Singleton, New South Wales, he was posted to 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR). Initially part of a rifle company, he eventually reached section commander in the Direct Fire Support Weapons Platoon. With 3RAR Roberts-Smith was deployed to East Timor twice, the first time as part of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) in 1999.

After completing the SASR selection course in 2003 and completing the SASR reinforcement cycle, Roberts-Smith was posted to 3 Squadron. With 3 Squadron, Roberts-Smith was a member of training and assistance teams throughout South East Asia and took part in operations off Fiji in 2004. He was also part of personal security detachments in Iraq throughout 2005 and 2006. Roberts-Smith was deployed to Afghanistan on three occasions, in 2006, 2009 and again in 2010.

Victoria Cross
On receiving the award, Roberts-Smith said he was honoured and humbled; I am so very proud to have taken part in the action with my mates. This award also belongs to them and to the Regiment. To my family, my beautiful wife Emma and our baby girls, Eve and Elizabeth, thank you for your enduring support and encouragement. I think for everyone there including myself what's going through your mind is you just won't let your mates down. It's just like being on a football team, you don't let your mates down, you go as hard as you can until the game's won.

Roberts-Smith is expected to continue to fight as a frontline patrol commander following the receipt of the Victoria Cross. He said that "[O]nce you reach patrol commander, that is the pinnacle for an SAS operator. You are now the man."

On 11 February 2013 several News Limited newspapers wrongly reported that Roberts-Smith had decided to leave the Army and take up a business career. Later that day the Department of Defence issued a statement on Roberts-Smith's behalf in which he stated that he was taking a period of leave and intended to remain a member of the SASR.

Post-military
In October 2013, Roberts-Smith formally announced that he was leaving the full-time Army, but would continue to serve in the part-time Army Reserve. In a press conference Roberts-Smith stated that he is currently studying an MBA at the University of Queensland and intends to pursue a corporate career.

Personal life
Roberts-Smith is married to Emma and they have twin daughters, Eve and Elizabeth, who were aged five months at the time of Roberts-Smith being awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia. He is a member of the Hale School class of 1995. Roberts-Smith was named the new number-one ticket holder of Fremantle Football Club in March 2012.

He is the son of Major General Len Roberts-Smith, RFD, QC, the former Commissioner of the Corruption and Crime Commission of Western Australia and a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, and Sue Roberts-Smith. His brother, Sam, is an opera singer who graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

Honours and awards