Ian McPhedran - Too Bold to Die: The Making of Australian War Heroes

The battle in the isolated valley in southern Afghanistan had been raging for close to two hours and Special Air Service (SAS) Sergeant Troy Simmo Simmonds was almost spent.

Just when he thought things couldnt get much worse after being shot in the back and the foot, he and two other Australians were blasted by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), which their mates initially thought must have killed them.

Adding to his woes, a round from a Taliban AK-47 had smashed and disabled his carbine. Realising he had ceased to be combat effective, Simmonds knew he had to focus on only one thing surviving what had become a deadly fighting withdrawal.

Id already been shot twice and had shrapnel all up one side of my body, I was deaf in one ear and there was just nowhere I could go. I closed the door and turned around it was like, ting, ting, ting [bullets ricocheting], all around me, he recalls. So I went under the car and I dropped on my arse and just went on my elbows underneath the car.

He remembers thinking, If I can get under the car maybe the other side isnt as bad.

When he was halfway under, bullets were hitting the ground and ricocheting off the chassis. Thats how bad it was on both sides. I was in this sort of weird cocoon of safety.

Simmonds, who was the commander of SAS patrol callsign India 3, was also desperately seeking a moment of clarity to analyse his tactical situation amid a very sound Taliban rolling ambush. He knew five of his mates had been shot, the enemy fire was increasing and the convoy still had several kilometres to go to escape to the sanctuary of an American base called Anaconda, about 80 kilometres north-east of home base at Tarin Kowt.

After considering his teams situation he indulged in some close self-examination. His camouflage pants had been blown off by the RPG, he had two bullet wounds and was fragged [wounded by shrapnel] all up one side, but could still move. I was like Robinson Crusoe, I had rags everywhere, bloody rags all over my legs and there was blood everywhere. I didnt even know where I got hit, I had this weird sort of burning feeling in my guts. I thought, Am I going to die any second? I dont know.

Suddenly his worst nightmare became even worse as the vehicles began to move off towards Anaconda. He grabbed the underside of the Hummer and held on for dear life.

There was no way I was going to let go. It dragged me for quite a way, there were all these boulders, it was quite rough ground, so I had to let go and dodged the diff [differential], he says.

He emerged into the daylight and within seconds the ground around him had erupted with tiny dust clouds and the loud ping of rounds hitting stone.

Getting up from lying in a supported position wasnt as easy as it normally was instant old man sort of syndrome, he says wryly.

Parts of him wouldnt move due to his wounds and he was caught in the middle of a serious gun battle without a weapon to fight back. I was cactus, I just wanted to get my pistol out and start having a shot at people. I got myself on my feet, hobbling like an old man. I was off after the vehicle, luckily they werent speeding. Just as I got to the vehicle there was an RPG burst just above us so I went down and they all got fragged a bit, but they were OK.