Sergeant Peter Café

Sergeant Peter Jon Cafe was born on 11 December 1968 in West Wyalong,

New South Wales. He enlisted into the Army on 28 January 1987 as a rifleman within the Royal Australian Infantry Corps.

On completion of his initial employment training, Sergeant Cafe was posted to the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment where he served as a soldier, section second in command and section commander.

In 1993, Sergeant Cafe deployed to Cambodia as a member of the

Force Communications Unit, United Nations Transitional Authority Cambodia.

In 1995, Sergeant Cafe was posted to the 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Wagga Wagga, as a recruit instructor.  Soon after he separated from the Army to care for his ill partner and assist with a family business.

Sergeant Cafe reenlisted into the Army in 2000 and was posted to the 4th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) and successfully completed his Commando selection and specialist skills courses. In 2001, Sergeant Cafe deployed to East Timor as a section commander with the battalion as part of the United Nations Transitional Authority East Timor. In 2002, Sergeant Cafe was selected to attend counter-terrorism training and became an original serving member of the newly raised Tactical Assault Group (East) in July 2002. During his time Sergeant Cafe served as a soldier, team commander, section commander and the Demolitions Warrant Officer.

Sergeant Cafe separated from the Army in 2005 to pursue employment as a contractor in the private security industry. He worked in Iraq as a member of a security detachment and trainer in support of reconstruction efforts conducted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. In Afghanistan he worked in project and operations management, providing security solutions for a number of complex stabilisation and reconstruction projects for the United States Agency for International Development and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

In 2008 he met his wife Gwen Cherne, and they married in Washington DC in 2010. Upon his return to the Army in late 2010 he was posted to Special Forces Training Centre where he assisted with instruction, supervision and mentoring of the commando reinforcement cycle.

In 2012, Sergeant Cafe was posted to Delta Commando Company, 2nd Commando Regiment and deployed to Afghanistan as a section second in command with Task Force 66,

Special Operations Task Group as part of Operation SLIPPER 2. He has subsequently served as a section commander, platoon sergeant and the acting Company Sergeant Major. In 2016, Sergeant Cafe deployed to Iraq as the Operations Warrant Officer with Task Group 632 as part of Operation OKRA where he had a stroke. Sergeant Cafe served as the Operations Sergeant, talk Mental Health First Aide to his unit and was a mentor to many until he died by suicide on 6 February 2017.

During his time in the Army, Sergeant Cafe deployed on operations to Cambodia,

East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.  He represented the unit and command on international engagements with England, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. Sergeant Cafe’s hobbies included golf, travel and history.

He is survived by his wife Gwen, his four children Ashleigh, Thomas, Emily and Lachlan and three grandchildren.  Thomas followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Australian Army in 2016.

Sergeant Peter Cafe was awarded the following Honours and Awards:

• Afghanistan Campaign Medal
• Australian Active Service Medal with Clasp – CAMBODIA, EAST TIMOR & ICAT
• Australian Service Medal with Clasp – CAMBODIA & CTSR
• Australian Defence Medal
• NATO ISAF Medal
• Infantry Combat Badge
• United Nations Medal UNTAC – Cambodia
• United Nations Medal UNTAET – East Timor
• Meritorious Unit Citation – FCU Cambodia
• Meritorious Unit Citation – 2 CDO REGT
• Military Instructor Badge
• Return from Active Service Badge – Cambodia

 Sergeant Peter Cafe’s deployed on the following Operations:

•  OPERATION Goodwill (Cambodia) — APR-NOV 1993
• OPERATION Tanager (East Timor) — APR-OCT 2001
• OPERATION Slipper 2 (Afghanistan) — FEB-AUG 2012
• OPERATION Okra (Iraq) – FEB-MAY 2016