The enemy weapon was unloaded and a 7.62-millimetre round was handed to each of us as we slapped one another on the shoulders, relieved that we had all come through this close call unscathed. Up front, the pilots were chattering to themselves. I heard one load master comment over the radio that we were pumped. The pilot’s response made me smile: ‘Yeah, you would be too if you had just shot some cunts that were trying to take you down.’ The birds glided home, filled with operators still high on adrenaline. Dishevelled and putrid, we were unloaded onto the helipad in Dili and welcomed by our mates. We were debriefed and it was later confirmed that five militiamen were killed, with a further three wounded. Various intelligence sources let us know that the Kopassus who were orchestrating and organising the militiamen had associated the helicopter buzzing over the area three days prior with the insertion of a small reconnaissance patrol. There had been at least 60 armed militia and another 40 unarmed men who were sent to search for our patrol.
