Our People in QLD
Grant Cresswell - Kallangur soldier protects Baghdad Diplomats
There are 100 Australian soldiers still in Iraq and Kallangur soldier Grant Cresswell is one of them.
Grant is now part of the Australian Army’s Security Detachment protecting Australian diplomats in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Having previously served in East Timor, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, Corporal Cresswell, 27, is now deployed to Baghdad as a member of the Detachment’s “close protection team” which provides personal protection to the Australian Ambassador in Iraq.
These days Corporal Cresswell is normally based in Enogerra Queensland, where he serves with the Army’s 1st Military Police Battalion.
Corporal Cresswell’s wife Tara Sade and daughter Georgia live in Kallangur.
As a member of the Australian Security Detachment in Baghdad, Corporal Cresswell will now complete an eight month deployment in the Iraqi capital.
The Security Detachment is deployed as part of Operation KRUGER - the Australian Defence Force’s ongoing contribution to the provision of security and support for the Australian embassy and its staff in Iraq.
Working in support of the Australian Embassy and its staff in Iraq, the ADF provides a tailored security detail in order to facilitate protected mobility to the Head of the diplomatic mission and his staff.
The Australian Security Detachment, known as SECDET, is comprised of about 100 personnel drawn from infantry, cavalry, military police and combat service support units. SECDET currently consists mainly of personnel from the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (Townsville) and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Darwin).