Fallen diggers honoured in Sydney

The Australian soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan have been
honoured in a military ceremony in Sydney after their bodies arrived back home.
A Hercules plane carrying the bodies of privates Ben Chuck, Tim Aplin and Scott
Palmer touched down at Sydney's RAAF airbase at Richmond, from Dubai, on Saturday
afternoon.
They were killed in a Black Hawk crash last Monday.
Their families, defence personnel and Defence Minister John Faulkner were at the
airbase for the private ceremony.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard did not attend, her office said.
A minute's silence was held at the racecourse next to the airbase as the plane
carrying the fallen commandos came in to land, the Seven Network reported.
On Thursday, a sombre ramp memorial service was held at the Tarin Kowt base in
Oruzgan Province.
The flag-draped coffins of the three soldiers were loaded onto a RAAF C130J plane at
Tarin Kowt for a flight to the Al Minhad Base in the United Arab Emirates on
Thursday night.
The Queensland family of 27-year-old Private Chuck flew to Sydney on Friday.
Private Chuck's body will be flown home to Yungaburra, near Cairns, on Tuesday for a
funeral service on Thursday.
Seven other soldiers from the Special Operations Task Group were also injured in the
crash, with five in a serious condition.
They are being treated for multiple fractures, lacerations and crush injuries at a
US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.
One of the men also has a head injury.
The condition of two of the men has deteriorated from satisfactory to serious, a
defence statement said.
Three others remain in a very serious condition.
Due to the complexity of the injuries, it will be some time before the first of the
soldiers will be able to travel.
Sixteen Australians have lost their lives since operations in Afghanistan began in
2001.