Brownlee Gerry: Motions — New Zealand Defence Force—Death of Lieutenant Timothy O’Donnell in Afghanistan 
Brownlee Gerry: Motions — New Zealand Defence Force—Death of Lieutenant Timothy O’Donnell in Afghanistan 
[Volume:665;Page:12965] 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Acting Prime Minister) 
: 
 I seek leave to move a motion without notice on the incident overnight in Afghanistan that tragically claimed the life of a New Zealand Army soldier and seriously injured two of his colleagues. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is there any objection to that course being followed? There is none. 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I move  
That this House express its deepest sympathy and condolences to the family friends and military colleagues of the New Zealand Army soldier killed in Afghanistan overnight and his two injured colleagues 
. It is with great sadness that I stand here to mark the first death in action of a New Zealand soldier for a decade. Overnight at approximately 12.30 a.m. New Zealand time a patrol came under attack in the north-east Bamian Province in Afghanistan. The three-vehicle patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device and then came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. It was a complex attack and New Zealand Army Lieutenant Timothy Andrew O’Donnell aged 28 was killed. Two of his colleagues were seriously injured. Lieutenant O’Donnell is the first New Zealander killed in action in Afghanistan since the first deployment of provincial reconstruction team efforts in 2003. 
Lieutenant O’Donnell was a young man and a very good soldier. He enlisted in 2005 and graduated from officer cadet school at the end of that year. He served in East Timor as a platoon commander for 6 months from late 2006. During that time Lieutenant O’Donnell’s platoon was involved in an incident that saw him awarded the New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration. He received the award for his leadership and decisive action in intervening in a riot involving hundreds of people. In taking that action Lieutenant O’Donnell’s own platoon came under attack. His platoon managed to push back the attackers and save the situation from deteriorating further with the loss of life being most likely. More recently in Afghanistan he was a patrol commander who undertook dangerous assignments and continued to display the kind of leadership he was decorated for in East Timor. 
This morning the Prime Minister spoke with Lieutenant O’Donnell’s mother and he passed on his deep sympathy on behalf of all New Zealanders. This death is a stark reminder that the risks our military personnel face every day are considerable. The men and women who serve so bravely for us in Afghanistan are people we can all be immensely proud of. They are working to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan and in Bamian they are rebuilding a province that suffered badly under the Taliban. The people of Bamian want peace and stability. New Zealand is there to help them because we are not immune from the terrorist acts that have been planned from Afghanistan for so long. New Zealanders have been killed at the hands of terrorist activity and our soldiers are directly protecting our freedom to move unencumbered by the threat of terrorist activity. Their work is of great importance and the sacrifice of Lieutenant O’Donnell is one that while we mourn his death we should be very proud of. 
Today New Zealand lost a brave young man who paid with his life—a very high price indeed. He will be mourned by his family his friends his mates in the provincial reconstruction team the wider Defence Force family and all New Zealanders who value and respect the commitment of Defence Force personnel who work in this country’s best interests. We wish the two injured soldiers all the best for a speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with them and their families. Today we stand alongside the family friends and colleagues of Lieutenant O’Donnell as we mourn our loss.