Source : Perth Now news
The Australian soldier killed in a freak training accident in the Northern Territory has been identified as 28-year-old Corporal Brendan Hannam.
Cpl Hannam was a passenger in a troop carrier when it rolled during an exercise at Mount Bundey in the Northern Territory at 5pm local time on Monday.
Six people were injured in the incident, two of which remain in stable condition at Royal Darwin Hospital.
Three people are in the barracks hospital at Mount Bundey, which is located between Darwin and Kakadu National Park.
Cpl Hannam was a junior NCO in the 5/7 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and leaves behind his partner and two young children.
Army Chief Lieutenant General Susan Coyle says she has not yet spoken to Cpl Hannam’s family, but described the soldier as a “beloved juniour leader” who had served in Afghanistan before training Ukrainian soldiers.
“He has served and sacrificed on two operational tours to Afghanistan in 2019 under Operation Highroad, and also he trained Ukrainians with the British Armed Forces in the United Kingdom under Operation Kudu,” Lt Coyle said.
“His mates tell me that he would give the shirt off his back for anybody and the thing that he will be most remembered for is the love and support that he had for his partner and his kids.
“He had aspirations to become a medical technician in our Army and I know that he would have been superb.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the Corporal, saying there are “no safe or easy days” for the soldiers who serve in Australia’s name.
“This sad incident is a terrible reminder of what families take on when their loved one bravely puts on our nation’s uniform,” Mr Albanese said.
“Every loss and every incident is felt deeply by the broader Defence family, but by none more so than their mates who served alongside them. We think of them today and every day.”
Cpl Hannam’s tragic death comes just months after the tragic death of Warrant Officer Class 2 Lachlan Muddle.
The 50-year-old sniper was killed in May after his parachute became entangled with another during a training exercise.
