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''It was business as usual at the New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS) headquarters on Sunday 1 July, 2007; but for one soldier it was a day that would change his life forever.
Some three years after 'an incident' in Afghanistan, Corporal Willie Apiata was informed by his Commanding Officer and Regimental Sergeant Major that he was to be awarded the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth military's highest honour. For Apiata, used to the deeply covert life of a Special Forces soldier, it was the start of a roller coaster ride into the forefront of the public eye.
Reluctant Hero, a special feature-length documentary for Anzac Day, profiles Willie Apiata, re-enacts the feat for which he received his medal, and looks at how this reserved Kiwi soldier has coped with the public exposure his honour has brought him.'' Throng.co.nz; 08/05/2008