The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (8243734) Private Gregory Sher, 1st Commando Regiment, Afghanistan

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (8243734) Private Gregory Sher, 1st Commando Regiment, Afghanistan.

8243734 Private Gregory Sher, 1st Commando Regiment
KIA 4 January 2009

Photograph supplied by family

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Greg Sher, who was killed fighting in Afghanistan in 2009.

Greg Sher was born in South Africa in 1978, the second of three sons of Felix and Yvonne Sher. When Greg was seven years old the family migrated to Australia and settled in Melbourne, where Greg attended Doncaster Park Primary School and Doncaster Secondary College.

Greg was raised in the Jewish faith. His love of Yiddishkeit, his Jewish pride, earned him the enduring love and respect for all who knew him. After leaving school Greg worked for his father in the finance business, and at 19 he joined the Community Security Group – a professional security team that oversees the protection of Jewish schools, synagogues, and special Jewish events. Greg was, in every respect, a pillar of Melbourne’s Jewish community.

Greg possessed an interest in soldiering at a very early age. In 1998 he joined the Army Reserve and became a part-time rifleman in the 5/6th Battalion, Royal Victorian Regiment. In November 2002 Greg was among a rifle company of army reservists attached to the 5/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and deployed to East Timor to address the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in the region. On his return to Australia Greg successfully qualified as a member of the Special Forces.

Greg transferred to the 1st Commando Regiment in Melbourne, a part-time unit which enabled him to continue his involvement in the Community Security Group. It was around this time that Greg met his partner, Karen.

In November 2008 Greg’s regiment deployed to Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan; the first deployment of an Army Reserve force on combat operations since the Second World War. Attached to the Special Operations Task Group at Tarin Kot, Greg and those of his unit provided security for the Afghan population by conducting counterinsurgency operations in areas controlled by Taliban insurgents. Not wishing to cause his family any concern, Greg had told his parents he was off on a lengthy training exercise.

It was on one such operation in the Baluchi valley around midday on 4 January 2009 that Taliban insurgents fired rockets into the compound where Greg and other members of the task group were resting before heading out on patrol. One of the rockets passed through a shipping container and struck Greg before detonating on the perimeter wall of the patrol base behind him. Greg was killed instantly. At the Ramp Ceremony in Afghanistan Gregory’s brothers in arms had a Star of David made for him to lie under. His body was returned to Australia, where he was buried with full military honours in a traditional Jewish funeral at Melbourne’s Chevra Kadisha Cemetery at Lyndhurst. Greg was 30 years old.

Greg was a highly skilled and experienced soldier. His comrades in 1st Commando affectionately knew him as “the super Jew”. He was well-read, enjoyed a considered and meaningful discussion on any world issue, and was determined to constantly improve. Time has not diminished the sadness and grief felt by his parents, Felix and Yvonne, his brothers, Steven and Barry, and his partner, Karen. But their pride in Greg’s service and sacrifice conquers the darkness they feel without him.

Greg Sher’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with 40 other Australians who died while serving in Afghanistan. His photograph is displayed beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is just one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Greg Sher, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.

Aaron Pegram
Historian, Military History Section