Today in History, as it applies to me.

[Sentryduty]

7 PL, 2 Section after a sleepless night patrol and a successful counter ambush operation in Helmand Province on 29 April 2006, exactly one month to the day after Robert Costall was killed in the same region. A "B" vehicle under our escort had become stuck in soft sand just after mid-night, during the vehicle extraction an enemy ambush party was spotted in the open desert on thermal imaging at a range of 900m. They were engaged by our 4x LAV 3 armoured vehicles with 7.62mm machine guns and 25mm Bushmaster Autocannons, the enemy was successfully destroyed without any injury or damage to our forces.

12 of the spent casings from the firefight were retained on the LAV hull and were collected and retained as trench art. Each being refinished with ochre green powder coating and laser etched with the unit cap badge the names of the section members and the exact LOT number and serial from the ammunition fired in that firefight. Each was mounted on a small pedestal and distributed to the members of the section and 1 to the parents of Robert Costall. I still hold one of these casings as a member of that section.