Tim O'Donnell
Lieutenant Tim O’Donnell, RNZIR, received the Distinguished Service Decoration on 4 April 2008. Lt O’Donnell served as a platoon commander in Timor Leste from November 2006 to May 2007 as a part of the International Stabilisation Force. On 5 April 2007, a group of Fretilin supporters that were stranded on a bridge came under attack from a rival political group. Lt O’Donnell decided to intervene, which meant his platoon also came under attack. After firing a number of shots, the platoon managed to push back the attackers and guided the Fretilin supporters out of the area without loss of life or serious injury. Without his decisive action, it is likely the situation would have deteriorated and resulted in fatalities between the two groups.