OCS, Portsea - Graduating Class of June 1973

MAJ(Retd) Brian John Sullivan MC MG

Born 5 May 1945

Entered into eternal life - 12 May 2002

2783093 2LT Brian John SULLIVAN - MID

Second Lieutenant Sullivan graduated from the Officer Training Unit, Scheyville, on 22 July 1966 and was allotted to the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. He joined C Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment in South Vietnam on 5 August 1968, and B Squadron on 11 February 1969.

On 16 February 1969, Second Lieutenant Sullivan was commanding 1st Troop, B Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment, supporting B Company, 4th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment on a search for a protected arms cache.

At approximately 1320 hrs the company headquarters came under heavy fire from claymores, rockets and automatic weapons, from a bunker system 30 metres away. Five casualties occurred in the initial exchange of fire.

Second Lieutenant Sullivan moved his Troop forward of the casualties to protect them and to cover the deployment of the platoons. The Troop was then heavily engaged with RPG and machine gun fire. One tank was hit repeatedly, caught fire and the entire crew wounded.

Second Lieutenant Sullivan then dismounted from his own tank and, under fire, ran forward, engaging the enemy with his pistol, mounted the burning tank, extricated its wounded driver, and then backed it out from under the enemy rocket fire. He then returned to his own tank and continued to engage the enemy until the contact was broken at 1500 hrs.

His action enabled the dead and wounded to be evacuated, prevented the company from sustaining greater casualties and enabled the infantry to redeploy. Throughout the engagement Second Lieutenant Sullivan displayed outstanding leadership and personal courage. His actions were a credit to himself and the service.