A little boy stands saluting as his father’s body passes by. He is wearing a T-shirt that says “Airborne – 3RAR”. His mother grips his other hand. Around them, soldiers in maroon berets are wiping away tears.
Stuart Rintoul
The Australian
On the funeral of Private Jake Kovco
May 2, 2006
Australia said goodbye Jake Kovco, the first Aussie killed in Iraq, at a funeral in Briagolong earlier today.
Members of the Royal Australian Regiment 3rd Battalion form an honour guard as the casket of Private Jake Kovco, the first Australian soldier killed in Iraq, is carried on the tarmac at Sydney Airport April 29, 2006. Kovco died in an accidental shooting in his Baghdad barracks on April 21. (REUTERS/Australian Defence Force)