Major General B.W. (Hori) Howard, AO, MC, ESM (Retd)

Colonel Commandant The Royal Australian Regiment

Colonel Commandant The Royal Australian Regiment Corporation

15 Balfour Road

AUSTINMER NSW 2515

25 January 2011

Corporal Benjamin Roberts-Smith, VC, MG

The Special Air Service Regiment

Campbell Barracks

SWANBOURNE WA 6010

On behalf of the Royal Australian Regiment, and of the Royal Australian Regiment Corporation, which represents the thousands of soldiers who have served Australia in peace and war in our Regular Army Infantry units since World War II, I congratulate you on the most prestigious award of the Victoria Cross of Australia.

You have stated that you wear the award on behalf of your mates, and Infantrymen will know that to be true of all high honours won in battle. However, your personal courage and professionalism in the face of a determined and numerically superior enemy reflect great credit on yourself, and we salute you.

I am sure you know only too well already that a rare high award such as this one does enormous good for the Defence Force as a whole and the Army in particular, not just the individual or the unit, so we all benefit. Congratulations once again, and “Good Soldiering” for the rest of your career.

Duty First