Daniel Alan Keighran, (born 18 June 1983) is an Australian soldier and a recipient of the
Victoria Cross for Australia
The Victoria Cross for Australia is the highest award in the Australian honours system, superseding the British Victoria Cross for issue to Australians. The Victoria Cross for Australia is the "decoration for according recognition to persons w ...
, the highest award in the
Australian honours system
The Australian honours and awards system refers to all orders, decorations, and medals, as instituted by letters patent from the Monarch of Australia and countersigned by the Australian prime minister at the time, that have been progressively ...
. Keighran was awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia for his actions in the
Battle of Derapet
The Battle of Derapet was fought near the village of Derapet in the Tangi Valley in Deh Rahwod District, Deh Rahwod, Orūzgān Province, southern Afghanistan, between a combined Australian Army and Afghan National Army patrol and Taliban forces on ...
on 24 August 2010, during the
War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:
*Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC)
* Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709)
*Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
. He was presented with the medal by the
Governor-General of Australia,
Quentin Bryce
Dame Quentin Alice Louise Bryce, (née Strachan; born 23 December 1942) is an Australian academic who served as the 25th governor-general of Australia from 2008 to 2014. She is the first woman to have held the position, and was previously the ...
, at a ceremony in
Canberra on 1 November 2012. Keighran is the third soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia, and the first member of the
Royal Australian Regiment
The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) is the parent administrative regiment for regular infantry battalions of the Australian Army and is the senior infantry regiment of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. It was originally formed in 1948 as a t ...
so awarded.
Early life
Keighran (pronounced: KEAR-''ran'') was born in
Nambour
Nambour is a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 11,187 people.
Geography
Nambour is north of the state capital, Brisbane. The town lies in the sub ...
, in the
Sunshine Coast hinterland region of Queensland, on 18 June 1983.
When Keighran was in Year 5, he moved with his family to
Lowmead, approximately north west of the Queensland regional city of
Bundaberg.
His family lived on a "forty-acre block" where his parents bred
paint horse
The American Paint Horse is a breed of horse that combines both the conformational characteristics of a western stock horse with a pinto spotting pattern of white and dark coat colors. Developed from a base of spotted horses with Quarter Hors ...
s. His mother also taught
dressage, and his father occasionally organised
rodeo events.
Keighran attended school in nearby
Rosedale and graduated from high school in 2000. That year Keighran was a torchbearer for the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...
torch parade and received a
Pierre de Coubertin Award in recognition of his "Olympic spirit".
Military career
Keighran joined the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...
in 2000. Prior to Afghanistan, he had served in
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...
and
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
.
He was promoted to
lance corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...
in 2005 while within Mortar Platoon of the Support Company,
6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in Brisbane, Queensland, on 6 June 1965 and has since then served in a number of overseas deployments and conf ...
(6 RAR). In 2006 he deployed to Iraq as a
Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle
}
The Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle or Infantry Mobility Vehicle is an Australian-built four-wheel drive armoured vehicle. The Bushmaster was primarily designed by the then government-owned Australian Defence Industries (ADI), and is cur ...
driver, and in 2007 to Afghanistan with the Special Operations Task Group in the same role. He was promoted to
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...
in 2009, and was posted to D Company, 6 RAR.
Victoria Cross for Australia
Keighran was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions while serving with the
6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in Brisbane, Queensland, on 6 June 1965 and has since then served in a number of overseas deployments and conf ...
, in a fire fight with insurgents during the
Battle of Derapet
The Battle of Derapet was fought near the village of Derapet in the Tangi Valley in Deh Rahwod District, Deh Rahwod, Orūzgān Province, southern Afghanistan, between a combined Australian Army and Afghan National Army patrol and Taliban forces on ...
on 24 August 2010, an action of
Operation Slipper
The Australian contribution to the war in Afghanistan has been known as Operation Slipper (2001–2014) and Operation Highroad (2015-2021).
Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations and the size of the forces deployed have varied and ADF invol ...
.
During the battle, Keighran "with complete disregard for his own safety" repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to draw fire away from a team treating a battle casualty (Keighran's friend Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney). Keighran's actions were key in allowing the Coalition forces to withdraw without further casualties.
Post-military career
Keighran now serves in the
Australian Army Reserve posted to Army Headquarters.
His civilian career was in the mining industry in
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, where he worked in the
Frog's Leg Gold Mine until early 2015.
Honours and awards
Keighran's Victoria Cross for Australia and accompanying medal group are on loan to the
Australian War Memorial for display in the Hall of Valour.
Keighran from 2001 until 2011 wore the
Presidential Unit Citation awarded by the United States.
Notes
References
External links
TV coverage of presentation ceremonyfrom the
NewsOnABC official channel on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
Copyright photos of Keighran and his wifefrom the Australian Defence Image Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keighran, Daniel
Living people
1983 births
Military personnel from Queensland
Australian Army soldiers
Australian military personnel of the Iraq War
Australian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Australian recipients of the Victoria Cross
People from Kalgoorlie
People from Nambour, Queensland
Recipients of the Meritorious Unit Citation