President Ivan Gašparovič on Monday, August 22, bestowed a medal of bravery on a Slovak soldier, identified only as Martin T., for saving the life of an Australian soldier following an explosion in Afghanistan last year, the TASR newswire reported.
The incident occurred on December 19, 2010. A bomb went off under a car with the two soldiers in it.
"After I got out of the vehicle, which was ripped to pieces, I provided medical assistance to the patient, stabilised him and arranged for medical evacuation," said the soldier, a member of a paramedic unit. He also spoke about his involvement in elite units, describing his work as 'a mission'.
Martin T.'s bravery medal is the first awarded to a soldier for nearly six years. Michal Forgách was similarly decorated in 2005 for helping to protect a US convoy in Iraq.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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