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Australia's most senior Special Forces soldier stands down after picture emerges of him drinking from a slain Taliban fighter's prosthetic leg - weeks after lecturing the entire army on 'good soldiering'

Warrant Officer Class 1 John Letch, Command Sergeant Major of the Special Operations Command, has stood down from his position after publication of a photograph showing him drinking from the prosthetic leg of a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan

Warrant Officer Class 1 John Letch, Command Sergeant Major of the Special Operations Command, has stood down from his position after publication of a photograph showing him drinking from the prosthetic leg of a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan

A senior Special Forces soldier pictured drinking out of a slain Taliban fighter's prosthetic leg recently lectured troops on ethics and integrity in the army's own newspaper.

Warrant Officer Class 1 John Letch, Command Sergeant Major of the Special Operations Command, has voluntarily stood down from his position after a pixelated copy of the photograph was widely published.

A clear version of the image showing WO1 Letch is published by Daily Mail Australia here for the first time. 

The highly-regarded 50-year-old veteran of numerous overseas deployments is the most senior enlisted man in Special Forces and one of the most senior soldiers in the entire army. 

A source familiar with the photograph - and others showing senior SAS soldiers doing the same thing - said WO1 Letch was still widely respected by the men previously under his command. 

'He's leading by example,' the source said. 'That's certainly how it's viewed by the boys. 

'He's done the right thing. Yes, he did something in the middle of a war zone almost ten years ago but he's chosen to be a leader by stepping aside.' 

WO1 Letch was pictured drinking from the prosthetic leg at an unofficial Special Air Service bar known as the Fat Lady's Arms at Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province in 2009. 

The fake leg is believed to have been removed from an Afghan amputee who was gunned down during a raid at Kakarak in Uruzgan in April 2009. It was displayed in an unofficial Special Air Service bar at Tarin Kowt known as the Fat Lady's Arms. WO1 is pictured drinking from the leg

The fake leg is believed to have been removed from an Afghan amputee who was gunned down during a raid at Kakarak in Uruzgan in April 2009. It was displayed in an unofficial Special Air Service bar at Tarin Kowt known as the Fat Lady's Arms. WO1 is pictured drinking from the leg

Daily Mail Australia understands drinking from the leg was considered a normal bonding exercise among elite troops who were repeatedly deployed to the war zone. 

The photograph was first published earlier this month in The Guardian and WO1 Letch was identified as the solider on Wednesday by The Australian. 

Photographs of other Special Air Service officers and senior soldiers drinking from the leg are in circulation. The taking of war trophies from enemy combatants is forbidden. 

Last month, following the release of the Brereton report into alleged war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, WO1 Letch extolled the virtues of 'good soldiering' in Army newspaper.

The story appeared under the headline 'Be prepared to harness leadership' in the November 26 issue below a picture of WO1 Letch addressing commandos at a Special Forces training facility last year.

WO1 Letch was quoted saying the army relied on 'good soldiering' as its foundation to achieve character excellence and win the trust of the Australian public.  

'Integrity and ethics are central to everything we do and every decision we make,' he told the newspaper.

Last month, following the release of the Brereton report into alleged war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, WO1 Letch extolled the virtues of 'good soldiering' in Army newspaper (pictured)

Last month, following the release of the Brereton report into alleged war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, WO1 Letch extolled the virtues of 'good soldiering' in Army newspaper

'Personally, I view loyalty to Good Soldiering and sincerity - or genuineness - as crucial necessities to align our thoughts, words and actions to do what is right and achieve the greatest good.

'You think it, talk it and then walk it.'

WO1 said 'walking the walk' was not easy and senior soldiers had to 'harness leadership over being liked to ensure that standards are applied and maintained.'

'The one-percenters, like dress and bearing and having manners, really do count, because perception is reality,' he said.

WO1 Letch was right-hand man to Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) commander, Major General Adam Findlay and his recent successor Major General Paul Kenny. WO1 Letch is pictured right with Major General Findlay (left)

WO1 Letch was right-hand man to Special Operations Command commander, Major General Adam Findlay and his recent successor Major General Paul Kenny. WO1 Letch is pictured right with Major General Findlay

Being open to mentoring and having examples to look up were are also important to developing excellent character, according to WO1 Letch.

'A good mentor will advise, guide and train you to live, lead, fight and support better,' he said.

Onetime SAS captain turned Liberal federal MP Andrew Hastie served with WO1 Letch in Afghanistan and described him as a fine soldier.

'We deployed together to Afghanistan in 2013,' Mr Hastie told The Australian. 'He was my squadron sergeant major and looked after our welfare during tough times.'

'John is an honourable man who did the wrong thing more than a decade ago. He accepts full responsibility for it. No one is perfect.'

Australian Special Forces soldiers are pictured during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive in which commandos and SAS troops conducted clearing operations of key targets in Afghanistan in 2013

Australian Special Forces soldiers are pictured during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive in which commandos and SAS troops conducted clearing operations of key targets in Afghanistan in 2013

WO1 Letch was right-hand man to Special Operations Command commander, Major General Adam Findlay and his recent successor Major General Paul Kenny. 

'SOCOMD'S strategic centre of gravity is trust and we will only protect that trust by displaying integrity and exemplary behaviour,' WO1 Letch said.

'As CSM, I expect everyone in SOCOMD to live the Defence Values and show the strength of character that sets them at the very highest Army standards - no exceptions.

'I also expect them to foster safe workplaces, where everyone is encouraged to come forward and report matters not aligned to Good Soldiering.'

WO1 Letch joined the army in 1988, was initially assigned to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and has had a distinguished career in the Special Air Service. 

Australian Special Forces soldiers are pictured boarding an American Chinook helicopter at Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan. There is no suggestion anyone pictured is the subject of allegations of war crimes

Australian Special Forces soldiers are pictured boarding an American Chinook helicopter at Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan. There is no suggestion anyone pictured is the subject of allegations of war crimes 

He has served in combat units, training establishments, Army Headquarters and most recently Headquarters, Special Operations Command.

Within the SAS he has served as a patrol commander, operations sergeant and troop sergean and has been deployed on operations to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, East Timor, the Southern Indian Ocean and areas within the South-West Pacific region.

The Taliban fighter's leg was mounted to a wooden board under the heading 'Das Boot' alongside a German Iron Cross (pictured)

The Taliban fighter's leg was mounted to a wooden board under the heading 'Das Boot' alongside a German Iron Cross

WO1 Letch holds the Order of Australia Medal and was awarded a Commendation for Distinguished Service for operational service in Afghanistan in 2009, the year the photograph was taken.

He has also participated in training exercises and exchanges in Brunei, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States of America. 

WO1 Letch holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. 

The Brereton report found evidence of 39 murders of civilians or prisoners by 25 Australian soldiers serving in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2016. 

A photographs from 2009 shows the Taliban fighter's leg mounted to a wooden board under the heading 'Das Boot' alongside a German Iron Cross.

The fake leg is believed to have been removed from an Afghan amputee who was gunned down during a raid at Kakarak in Uruzgan in April 2009.

What are the allegations against Australian Special Forces troops? 

A four-year Australian Defence Force inquiry earlier this month reported evidence of 39 murders of civilians or prisoners by 25 Australians serving in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2016.

These are the allegations contained in the report:

Killing villagers

Villagers running away from helicopters were known as 'squirters'. Soldiers would open fire, killing many men and sometimes women and children as they ran away. Soldiers would then come up with an excuse, such as the squirters were running away to fetch weapons, to sanction the massacres.

Clearance operations

After squirters were dealt with, special forces would cordon off a whole village, taking men and boys to guesthouses on the edge of town. There they would be tied up and tortured by soldiers, sometimes for days. When the special forces left, the men and boys would be found dead, either shot in the head or blindfolded with their throats slit.

Cover-ups

In one incident, special forces were driving along a road and saw two 14-year-old boys they decided might be Taliban sympathisers. They stopped, searched the boys and slit their throats. The rest of the troop had to clean up the mess, bagging the bodies and throwing them into a nearby river. Special forces soldiers reportedly committed such unsanctioned killings in order to get a name for themselves.

Throwdowns

Soldiers would carry weapons or equipment such as pistols or radios, ammunition or grenades to place with the bodies of people killed. Photographs would then be taken to make it seem like the target was legitimate.

Blooding

Junior soldiers were required by patrol commanders to shoot a prisoner in order to notch up their first kill. Weapons would be placed with the body to conceal the unlawful killings. Cover stories would be created to deflect scrutiny, reinforced by a code of silence.

(Source: Inspector-General of the ADF Afghanistan Inquiry Report)

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