Photo By Staff Sgt. Edward Garibay | Australian Army Pvt. Giles P. Garrett, infantryman for 5th Battalion, The Royal...... read more read more
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MIRABAD VALLEY, Afghanistan - It’s not uncommon for a soldier to have a birthday while deployed, but for Australian Army Pvt. Giles P. Garrett, infantryman for 5th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, his birthday in Afghanistan was a little different than most.
While most deployed soldiers can call home, write letters or even video chat, the Taroom, Queensland, native spent his 20th birthday in the cold mountains of Uruzgan province, amid the blasts of roadside bombs and midnight artillery strikes.
Garrett, nicknamed Gaz, lived outside for weeks without heat, showers or electricity, so he could protect engineers building a new patrol base in Mirabad Valley, an area northeast of Tarin Kot.
Feb. 27 marked Gaz’s second birthday away from home – last year he was in the jungles of Malaysia during a training exercise – so his mates decided to make it extra special and hold a celebration in the wilderness, cake and all.
A couple of the unit’s finest bush chiefs pulled together random sweets from their ration packs to bake the best self-serve pudding pancake desert in all of Mirabad Valley, if not all of Afghanistan, said Australian Army Lance Cpl. Kyle Randall, Gaz’s supervisor.
They called Gaz out into the open and surrounded him with menacing looks on their faces.
Suddenly, a man who could be seen with a huge child-like smile on his face while under enemy fire, turned stone faced. His eyes looked worried as they glanced to the floor.
“I thought they were going to belly slap me,” said Gaz.
Instead of the traditional one belly slap for every birthday, Gaz was greeted with his makeshift birthday cake and his huge innocent grin returned to his face, as laughter filled the air.
“You can’t help but be happy when Gaz is around,” said Randall.
As an added present, Gaz got to sleep in and didn’t have to pull night guard, but the best present of all, he said, was that he got to spend his birthday with his mates.
“They’re like a second family to me,” he said. “I’m just happy they’re here with me.”
| Date Taken: | 02.27.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.18.2011 00:14 |
| Story ID: | 67246 |
| Location: | MIRABAD VALLEY, AF |
| Web Views: | 297 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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