Fed: Family grieves as PM warns more military losses to come

AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2008
Fed: Family grieves as PM warns more military losses to come

By Max Blenkin, Defence Correspondent

CANBERRA, April 28 AAP - The grieving wife of Australia's latest military casualty
in Afghanistan says all he ever wanted was to join the army.

Twenty-seven-year-old commando Lance Corporal Jason Marks died overnight in a battle
between his patrol and Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan, as melting snow heralded
the start of the annual "fighting season".

He was the fourth Australian soldier, and second commando, killed in Afghanistan in
just over six months.

Four other commandos were wounded in the same action, but it's believed none suffered
life-threatening injuries.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today warned there would be more casualties to come.

"We are facing a change of season, as the winter snows melt and the spring thaw begins,
which usually indicates a heightening in military activity on the part of the Taliban
and al-Qaeda," Mr Rudd told reporters.

"Therefore, 2008 will be difficult and dangerous and bloody, and the Australian nation
needs to prepare itself for further losses in the year ahead."

The family of Lance Corporal Marks, a married father of two children, said it was devastated.

"Jason was a devoted father to our two beautiful children and a loving husband to me,"

his wife Cassandra said in a statement.

"All Jason ever wanted to do was join the army. He was the type of man who knew what
he wanted, even from the age of 12, all Jason ever wanted to be was a soldier.

"Becoming a commando was a dream of Jason's, he was proud of who he was and proud of
what he did."

Lance Corporal Marks had been serving in Afghanistan as a member of the Special Operations
Task Group (SOTG) for only a few weeks.

Defence head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said he was a member of a patrol preparing
to attack Taliban insurgents about 25 kilometres south-east of the Australian base at
Tarin Kowt, in Oruzgan Province.

He was in the lead platoon attacked about 6pm Afghanistan time yesterday (11.30pm AEST).

"They were out in the open and, as they were doing their preparations, they were engaged
by the Taliban," said Air Chief Marshal Houston.

"There was a heavy exchange of fire."

The Australians were targeted by small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades from
a number of groups of insurgents.

Coalition air support, involving Apache helicopters and F-16 fighter-bombers, struck
back at the Taliban positions.

The body of Lance Corporal Marks and the four wounded were flown by helicopter to a
coalition hospital at Tarin Kowt.

There was no indication of Taliban casualties, although in such contacts they invariably
come out worse off, defence said.

Born in Broken Hill in NSW, Lance Corporal Marks grew up in Yeppoon in Queensland and
joined the army in March 1999.

He served in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps before joining the commandos in 2005.

"Jason loved to be active, whether it was through playing union, league or rock climbing,"

Cassandra Marks said.

"He even became a combat fitness leader in the army he loved it so much.

"Jason always strived to be the best he could be, he loved the army, he loved his mates
and he loved his family."

Air Chief Marshal Houston suggested Afghanistan's security could be significantly enhanced
if more NATO-led coalition nations took the fight to the Taliban, as Australia's commandos
did.

"They keep them on the back foot, and it means we retain the initiative in our province.

I think there needs to be a lot more of this in Afghanistan," he said.

Australia presently has more than 1,000 personnel in Oruzgan province, including the
reconstruction task force and the SOTG, comprising members of the 4RAR Commando Battalion
and Special Air Service Regiment (SASR).

Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James said it was likely fighting
would intensify in coming months and the commandos, based at Holsworthy in Sydney, would
bear the brunt.

"If previous years in Afghanistan are anything to go by, the fighting tends to pick
up in spring and summer and early autumn, and tends to decrease in late autumn and winter,"

he said.

"Within the Special Operations Task Group, the bulk of the fighting normally would
be done by the commandos because the SAS would mainly be doing long-range reconnaissance."

AAP mb/rl/jl/sp/cdh

KEYWORD: AFGHAN MARKS NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)

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