Daniel Keighran
Australian soldier VC (b.1983)
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Daniel Alan Keighran, VC (born 18 June 1983) is an Australian soldier and a recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia, the highest award in the Australian honours system. Keighran was awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia for his actions in the Battle of Derapet on 24 August 2010, during the War in Afghanistan. He was presented with the medal by the Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, at a ceremony in Canberra on 1 November 2012. Keighran is the third soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia,[N 1] and the first member of the Royal Australian Regiment so awarded.[1][2]
Australian Army Reserve (2011–present)
Daniel Keighran | |
|---|---|
Keighran being saluted by General David Hurley after receiving the Victoria Cross for Australia in 2012. | |
| Born | 18 June 1983 |
| Allegiance | Australia |
Branch | Australian Army (2000–2011) Australian Army Reserve (2011–present) |
Service years | 2000–present |
Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2001–2011) 11th/28th Battalion, Royal Western Australia Regiment (2011–2014) Army Headquarters (2018–present) |
Conflicts | |
| Awards | Victoria Cross for Australia |
Early life
Keighran (pronounced: KEAR-ran) was born in Nambour, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland region of Queensland, on 18 June 1983.[3] When Keighran was in Year 5, he moved with his family to Lowmead, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) north west of the Queensland regional city of Bundaberg.[4] His family lived on a "forty-acre block" where his parents bred paint horses. His mother also taught dressage, and his father occasionally organised rodeo events.[4] Keighran attended school in nearby Rosedale and graduated from high school in 2000. That year Keighran was a torchbearer for the 2000 Summer Olympics torch parade and received a Pierre de Coubertin Award in recognition of his "Olympic spirit".[4]
Military career
Keighran joined the Australian Army in 2000. Prior to Afghanistan, he had served in East Timor and Iraq.[5] He was promoted to lance corporal in 2005 while within Mortar Platoon of the Support Company, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR). In 2006 he deployed to Iraq as a Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle driver, and in 2007 to Afghanistan with the Special Operations Task Group in the same role. He was promoted to corporal in 2009, and was posted to D Company, 6 RAR.[6]
Victoria Cross for Australia
Keighran was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions while serving with the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, in a fire fight with insurgents during the Battle of Derapet on 24 August 2010, an action of Operation Slipper.[7]
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.[7]
He represented recipients at the 2023 Coronation.[8]
Post-military career
As of 2012, Keighran served in the Australian Army Reserve posted to Army Headquarters.[3] 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.[9]
After receiving the Victoria Cross for Australia, Keighran completed an MBA. As of 2024, he and his family were living in Brisbane and Keighran was employed in a senior role in a multinational defence company.[10]
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.[11] Keighran from 2001 until 2011 wore the Presidential Unit Citation awarded by the United States.[N 2]
In 2024 Keighran decided to sell his medals, including the Victoria Cross for Australia, to pay for a new house and help cover his family's living expenses.[10]
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Notes
- Prior to 1991, Australians were awarded the "Imperial" Victoria Cross, the last recipient being Keith Payne in 1969. The Victoria Cross for Australia was created in 1991 as a national replacement to the original medal, and was first awarded in 2009 to Mark Donaldson, the second in 2011 to Ben Roberts-Smith and the fourth posthumously in 2014 to Cameron Baird.
- The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) awarded by the United States can be seen worn by Daniel Keighran in photos from his Victoria Cross for Australia award ceremony. The PUC was awarded the D Company, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, during the Vietnam War. As a result members of D Company can wear the decoration on their uniform whilst a member of that unit. Only members of D Company during the time of the award are permitted to continue wearing the PUC after leaving the unit. Now that Daniel Keighran is a member of Army Headquarters he has ceased to wear the decoration.