Ep. 173 Sean Lanigan 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment - Battle of Derapet, Afghanistan

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On today's Zero Limits Podcast I chat with Sean Lanigan MG former infantry soldier form the 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment.

In the year 2000 Sean enlisted in the Australian Army as a Rifleman and after completing recruit and initial employment training, he was posted to the 2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment in Townsville.

Sean deployed to East Timor on Operation Tanager in 2001,as part of the United Nations led peace keeping mission , and also on Operation Anode to the Solomon Islands in 2003, both times as a member of the 2nd Battalion. By 2005 he had been promoted to Corporal and also held the position of Sniper Team Leader.

In 2006 Sean was posted to Melbourne to study at the Australian Defence Force School of Languages, and by the end of that year he graduated with an Advanced Diploma of the Thai Language.

In 2007 Sean was posted to the 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment in Brisbane. During his time in 6 RAR he deployed to East Timor in 2007 on Operation Astute , and to Iraq on Operation Catalyst in 2008,  After returning from Iraq he completed both his Sergeant Promotion Courses and in January 2009 was promoted to rank of Sergeant within the 6th Battalion.

In 2010 Sean deployed to Afghanistan on Operation Slipper as a member of Mentoring Taskforce One. 

As part of the 2012 Australia Day honours list, Sergeant Lanigan was awarded the Medal for Gallantry for courage under fire in hazardous circumstances. His Citation reads as follows : For acts of gallantry in hazardous circumstances on the 24th of August 2010 while a platoon sergeant and mentor with Mentoring Team Delta, the 1st Mentoring Taskforce at Derapet, Tangi Valley Afghanistan. His gallant actions in contact with a numerically superior and entrenched enemy, in rallying the soldiers and coordinating their return fire, gained time for both Australian and Afghan Soldiers to move into supporting positions. He then bravely led a frontal assault under heavy enemy fire to clear the enemy from their entrenched position, and subsequently disregarded his own safety while coordinating the partnered patrol to defeat the enemies counterattacks.

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