Post by Chips on Jul 14, 2010 16:03:19 GMT 9.5
Private Benjamin Chuck
Private Benjamin Chuck was one of three Commandos killed in Afghanistan. (Department of Defence)
Special Forces officer, Benjamin Chuck, 27, died in a helicopter crash in Kandahar, two weeks before he was due to return home on leave.
Seven other Australian soldiers were injured in the crash and two remain in intensive care.
Prior to joining the army, Private Chuck worked as a crocodile keeper at Hartley's Crocodile Adventures near Cairns.
Pte Chuck's younger brother, Jason Chuck said his brother was an 'adventurous' young man and a 'strong leader'.
"He was intensely proud of the work he was doing for his country," he said. "He was a direct intake into Special Forces six years ago. I gotta say knowing Ben as intensely as I do it's been the best six years of his life."
"He's a different young man from when he joined. He's really blossomed into a great man and his loss will be deeply felt by everyone who knows him.
"We're very close, we're only 18 months apart in age and we'd talk to each other three or four times a week. He's been based in Sydney for the last six years. We're as close as any brothers could be."
Mr Chuck last spoke to his brother on Sunday, sixteen hours prior to his death. He said Pte Chuck was in 'very good' spirits.
"He was very proud of the success of the operation that they had in Kandahar last week and he was starting to get excited about coming home," he said.
Friend and Director of Marketing at Hartley's Crocodile Adventures where Pte Chuck worked for almost two years before joining the Special Forces, Angela Freeman, said he was an intelligent and 'effervescent' part of their team.
"Ben was an extraordinary person. I'm still getting over the shock because I only found out a few hours ago what happened. Basically, Ben was an outstanding young man, a person that his parents could and should still be proud of," she said.
"He was an absolute delight to have as a person working for you, always willing to go the extra mile. He was a happy person, cheerful, a cheeky laughing person but he also wanted to work with the crocodiles.
"He really wanted to get his hands dirty, if you like, with the crocodiles and whilst he was always very cautious ... he very quickly developed some real skills and he was always very comfortable dealing with large crocodiles.
"He did excellent shows and was just a wonderful person to have around."
Staff often worried for Pte Chuck's welfare Mrs Freeman said.
"When the conflict I s'pose was at a different level and things didn't seem to be quite as dangerous as they are [Ben's welfare] wasn't as great a concern but hearing so often that SAS troops were heavily involved and knowing the risk I think a lot of us were thinking [when we heard about the helicopter crash], 'Well, I hope Ben's safe,'" she said.
"For those longer term staff, certainly they're all in shock to a certain extent and I think that'll kind of sink over the coming days.
"Ultimately, Ben was very happy doing what he was doing. The last time I saw him here he had a lovely lady with him. He came in and he had lunch and met everybody. He was very, very happy with his job. It was a dangerous job. It was obviously a high-risk job but he really felt that he was doing something very meaningful.
"When he was working for us, he had in the back of his mind that's what he wanted to do and he left straight from us and joined the forces.
"He was doing something that gave him a great deal of satisfaction and personal satisfaction representing his country and doing what he thought was the right thing."
Private Benjamin Chuck was one of three Commandos killed in Afghanistan. (Department of Defence)
Special Forces officer, Benjamin Chuck, 27, died in a helicopter crash in Kandahar, two weeks before he was due to return home on leave.
Seven other Australian soldiers were injured in the crash and two remain in intensive care.
Prior to joining the army, Private Chuck worked as a crocodile keeper at Hartley's Crocodile Adventures near Cairns.
Pte Chuck's younger brother, Jason Chuck said his brother was an 'adventurous' young man and a 'strong leader'.
"He was intensely proud of the work he was doing for his country," he said. "He was a direct intake into Special Forces six years ago. I gotta say knowing Ben as intensely as I do it's been the best six years of his life."
"He's a different young man from when he joined. He's really blossomed into a great man and his loss will be deeply felt by everyone who knows him.
"We're very close, we're only 18 months apart in age and we'd talk to each other three or four times a week. He's been based in Sydney for the last six years. We're as close as any brothers could be."
Mr Chuck last spoke to his brother on Sunday, sixteen hours prior to his death. He said Pte Chuck was in 'very good' spirits.
"He was very proud of the success of the operation that they had in Kandahar last week and he was starting to get excited about coming home," he said.
Friend and Director of Marketing at Hartley's Crocodile Adventures where Pte Chuck worked for almost two years before joining the Special Forces, Angela Freeman, said he was an intelligent and 'effervescent' part of their team.
"Ben was an extraordinary person. I'm still getting over the shock because I only found out a few hours ago what happened. Basically, Ben was an outstanding young man, a person that his parents could and should still be proud of," she said.
"He was an absolute delight to have as a person working for you, always willing to go the extra mile. He was a happy person, cheerful, a cheeky laughing person but he also wanted to work with the crocodiles.
"He really wanted to get his hands dirty, if you like, with the crocodiles and whilst he was always very cautious ... he very quickly developed some real skills and he was always very comfortable dealing with large crocodiles.
"He did excellent shows and was just a wonderful person to have around."
Staff often worried for Pte Chuck's welfare Mrs Freeman said.
"When the conflict I s'pose was at a different level and things didn't seem to be quite as dangerous as they are [Ben's welfare] wasn't as great a concern but hearing so often that SAS troops were heavily involved and knowing the risk I think a lot of us were thinking [when we heard about the helicopter crash], 'Well, I hope Ben's safe,'" she said.
"For those longer term staff, certainly they're all in shock to a certain extent and I think that'll kind of sink over the coming days.
"Ultimately, Ben was very happy doing what he was doing. The last time I saw him here he had a lovely lady with him. He came in and he had lunch and met everybody. He was very, very happy with his job. It was a dangerous job. It was obviously a high-risk job but he really felt that he was doing something very meaningful.
"When he was working for us, he had in the back of his mind that's what he wanted to do and he left straight from us and joined the forces.
"He was doing something that gave him a great deal of satisfaction and personal satisfaction representing his country and doing what he thought was the right thing."