THE INNER SANCTUM AN AUSTRALIAN POLICE SNIPER BY JASON SEMPLE I AM CONVINCED THAT THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON – PEOPLE WE MEET, CHOICES WE MAKE AND THE EXPERIENCES WE HAVE IN LIFE. SOME THINGS I HAVE EXPERIENCED, BOTH OPERATIONALLY AND PERSONALLY, I LOOK BACK AND FEEL I WAS UNKNOWINGLY PREPARING MYSELF FOR THE WHOLE TIME.
The author, Jason Semple
Iraq 2006
22
I
t’s 10.45pm on the 27th of February 1998. It’s a warm evening and looks like rain. But I am not worried about the weather. I am worried about the two stab wounds I have in my chest and abdomen. Even though I am pressing my hands on the wounds, I can feel a river of blood escaping. My only other first aid option is to try and keep calm and not panic, but that’s hard work! I am in Ultimo, Sydney. I’ve been in the NSW Police Force (or Service back then) for exactly two weeks and I am lying in the gutter completely sure of my impending death. A courageous police officer, Pete Forsyth, is lying on top of me, but he has already died from his wounds. He suffered two fatal stab wounds to his heart, but before succumbing, he was in the process of giving me first aid. He was a proper hero to the very end. Unfortunately Pete would not be the last mate lost in the line of duty, with four more killed in the years to come. Against all odds, I survived. “Never give up” as they say. From that night onwards I promised myself I would take every opportunity to improve myself in life and take on every challenge I could. I had to make it count. I owed it to Pete, to myself and to those who worked so hard to save my life.
Acting range instructor, Iraq 2006
Aerial gunnery overseas, 2010
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