Charles Hercules Green Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hercules Green DSO ( 26 December 1919 – 1 November 1950 ) was a senior officer in the Australian Army . He served as a battalion commander in World War II , and again later during the Korean War , where he was killed in action while commanding the 3rd Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment . He was the youngest battalion commander in the Second Australian Imperial Force ( 2nd AIF ) , and was reputed to have been one of the Australian Army ' s better unit - level commanders . Early life . Born on 26 December 1919 at Grafton , New South Wales , Charles Green was the second of three children to Hercules John Green and Bertha Deville , and was raised at Swan Creek . He attended school at Swan Creek Public School and Grafton High School . In 1933 , he began working for his father on the family dairy farm ; during this time he also undertook odd jobs ploughing and building roads . He also became a cricketer and horseman of some note . On 28 October 1936 , at the age of 16 , he enlisted in the 41st Battalion , a part - time Militia infantry unit . By 1938 he had been promoted to sergeant , before later being commissioned as a lieutenant in March 1939 . World War II . With the outbreak of World War II , Green volunteered for overseas service and enlisted in the 2nd AIF on 13 October 1939 . He was subsequently posted to the 2 / 2nd Battalion , which was one of the first units raised upon the outbreak of the war and formed part of the 16th Brigade that was assigned to the 6th Division . The 2 / 2nd Battalion was deployed to the Middle East in February 1940 ; however , after accidentally injuring himself , Green missed out on taking part in 6th Division ' s first combat action , which took place during the North African campaign between December 1940 and January 1941 . In March he was promoted to captain , and the following month the battalion was committed to Greece to repel a German invasion . During the fighting that followed Green saw action at Pineios Gorge on 18 April . The British and Commonwealth forces were quickly overwhelmed by the larger German forces , and in the subsequent retreat Green evaded capture by undertaking a hazardous journey through the Aegean Islands , through Turkey , to Palestine , which he reached on 23 May . During his time in Greece , Green ' s presence as well his ability to connect with the soldiers under his command endeared him to his men who followed him unquestioningly . This was noted by his peers , and he was marked him down for quick promotion . After reforming in Palestine , Green ' s battalion then was sent to undertake garrison duties in Syria and Ceylon , before finally returning to Australia in August 1942 . Having injured his foot and contracting typhoid while in Ceylon , when the 2 / 2nd was sent to New Guinea , Green was again unable to join them . In December , having been substantively promoted to major in September , he was posted as an instructor to the First Army ' s Junior Tactical School in Southport , Queensland . He married Edna Olwyn Warner at St Paul ' s Anglican Church , Ulmarra , New South Wales , on 30 January 1943 . Throughout 1943 – 1944 , Green was posted to the Land Headquarters Tactical School where he filled another instructional position before undertaking the senior officers ' tactical course . In December 1944 , he deployed to Aitape , New Guinea , as the 6th Division took over responsibility for the area from US forces . On 9 March 1945 Green was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel and given command of the 2 / 11th Battalion ; at the age of only 25 he was the youngest Australian battalion commander during the war . The battalion then took part in the attack on Wewak and operations around Boram during 1945 . Conditions were difficult , and during the early part of the campaign supply lines were constantly raided by the Japanese causing difficulty with rations and creature comforts . Later the battalion suffered significant casualties , but still Green managed to maintain morale and efficiency — all objectives assigned to the unit during the campaign were achieved . As a result he was later awarded the Distinguished Service Order . Post World War II . After discharging from the 2nd AIF on 23 November 1945 , Green was placed on the Reserve of Officers List . He returned to Grafton where he worked at the Producers ' Co - operative Distributing Society Ltd and studied accountancy . During this time he and his wife had a daughter , Anthea . When Australia ' s part - time military force was re - raised in April 1948 under the guise of Citizens Military Forces , Green returned to the 41st Battalion , serving as its commanding officer . With the establishment of the Regular Army , Green returned to full - time military service on 6 January 1949 . In 1950 he was selected to attend Staff College at Fort Queenscliff . Korean War . After the 3rd Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment ( 3 RAR ) was committed to the Korean War , Green was appointed the Commanding Officer in September 1950 and left Staff College early to take up this appointment . After only two weeks training in Japan , the battalion was sent to Korea where it formed part of 27th British Commonwealth Brigade . Leading the battalion with distinction through the battles at Yongju , Kujin , and Chongju , on 30 October 1950 , the day after the fighting at Chongju , Green was severely wounded by a shell burst while resting in his tent when Chinese artillery struck 3 RAR ' s position . He was evacuated for medical attention , but could not be saved dying the next day in a nearby US Army Mobile Army Surgical Hospital at Anju . He was buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan , South Korea , and posthumously awarded the US Silver Star in 1951 . Green ' s wife , Olwyn , who survived him along with their daughter , later wrote a biography of him titled " The Name ' s Still Charlie " , which was published in 1993 .