Look up SAS, Sas, or sas in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Sas or SAS may refer to:

Business[link]

• SAS, several types of business entities

Military[link]

Military units[link]

• Special Air Service, a special forces unit of the British Army.
• Special Air Service Regiment (Australia) (SASR), a special forces unit of the Australian Army.
• New Zealand Special Air Service (NZ SAS), a special forces unit of the New Zealand Army.
• Rhodesian Special Air Service, several special force units from Rhodesia
• Special Air Service, a unit within the Special Forces of Zimbabwe
• Free French Special Air Service (SAS), the predecessor unit of the French 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (1er RPIMa)
• 5th Special Air Service, a Belgian Second World War formation
• Canadian Special Air Service Company, a Canadian unit from 1947 to 1949
• Su Altı Savunma, a special operations unit of the Turkish Navy
• SAS (Action Force), a fictional military unit that features in the Action Force universe, a European version of the G.I. Joe action figure and comic book series

Other uses in military[link]

• Special Administrative Section, a French army civil-military cooperation unit in the Algerian War
• South African Ship, the South African Navy ship prefix

Places[link]

• Sas van Gent, a town in the Netherlands
• Sas River (Romania)

People[link]

• Sas of Moldavia (died 1358), Voivode ruling over what was to become Moldavia between 1354–1358

Sciences[link]

Biology[link]

• Sleep apnea syndrome or sleep apnea, a sleep disorder
• Solvent-accessible surface or accessible surface area, the surface area of a biomolecule that is accessible to a solvent
• Subarachnoid space, the space between the arachnoid mater and pia mater in the brain
• Subvalvular aortic stenosis, an abnormal, congenital heart murmur

Computing[link]

• SAS (software), an integrated software suite produced by SAS Institute, Inc.
• SAS language, a data processing and statistical analysis language
• Secure Attention Sequence or secure attention key, a method to invoke a computer operating system's attention, usually signaling it to show the log-on screen
• Serial attached SCSI, a computer bus technology for the transfer of data to and from storage devices (e.g., hard disks)
• Spatially Aware Sublayer, an optional sublayer of the MAC that provides spatial reuse in Resilient Packet Ring
• Standalone server, a type of server that is not part of a larger network infrastructure such as an Active Directory domain
• SUPERAntiSpyware, software application for detecting and removing harmful software applications
• Safety Analysis System, a computer code developed at the Argonne National Laboratory

Engineering[link]

• Self-anchored suspension bridge, a suspension bridge in which the main cables attach to the ends of the deck
• Slot Accounting System protocol, a slot machine communication method created by the International Game Technology (IGT) corporation
• Small-angle scattering, a scattering technique based on the deflection of a beam of particles away from the straight trajectory after it interacts with a sample
• Synthetic aperture sonar, a form of sonar analogous to synthetic aperture radar
• Secondary air injection system in motorcycles

Mathematics[link]

• Side-angle-side, a concept in geometry for determining congruence or similarity of triangles

Space[link]

• Small Astronomy Satellite, a series of NASA X-Ray satellites
  • Small Astronomy Satellite 1, launched on 12 December 1970
  • Small Astronomy Satellite 2, launched on 15 November 1972
  • Small Astronomy Satellite 3, launched on 7 May 1975
• Space activity suit, a spacesuit which provides mechanical pressure by means of elastic garments
• Space adaptation syndrome, an illness akin to motion sickness experienced by many first-time space travelers
• Space Access Society, an organization dedicated to increasing the viability and reducing the cost of commercial access to space travel

Educational organizations[link]

• School of Advanced Study, a postgraduate institution of the University of London, UK
• School for Advanced Studies, a high school program in Miami, Florida, USA
• Semester at Sea, a shipboard academic program administered by the University of Virginia, USA
• Sekolah Alam Shah, a boarding school in Malaysia
• Shanghai American School, an international school in Shanghai
• Singapore American School, an international school in Singapore
• Slovak Academy of Sciences, the main scientific and research institution in Slovakia
• Society for Amateur Scientists, an American non-profit organization
• Space Access Society, an organization dedicated to increasing the viability and reducing the cost of commercial access to space travel
• Studia Academica Slovaca, a summer school teaching the Slovak language
• Society for Animation Studies, an international scholarly organization
• St. Augustine's School, a school in Kalimpong, West Bengal, India
• Strong American Schools, an American non-profit organization that promotes sound education policies
• Sussex Archaeological Society, an archaeological society based in Lewes, Sussex, UK
• Sense About Science, a UK-based organization promoting respect for good science
• Saline Area Schools, a school district in Michigan

Economics and business[link]

• SAS (TV station), a television station in Adelaide, South Australia
• SAS Institute Inc., a software company headquartered in North Carolina, USA
• SAS Group, Scandinavian Airlines System Group, an airline company based in Stockholm, Sweden
  • SAS or Scandinavian Airlines, an airline company in Denmark, Norway and Sweden
  • SAS Cargo Group, a cargo company in Denmark, Norway and Sweden
• SAS Shoemakers, a shoe company in Texas, USA
• Société par actions simplifiée, a type of French limited company
• Statements on auditing standards, a series of internationally recognized auditing standards
• Southern Audio Services, an electronics manufacturer based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Music and literature[link]

• Southern All Stars, a Japanese rock band
• Stubborn All-Stars, an American ska band from New York City, USA
• Stretch Arm Strong, an American band from South Carolina, USA
• Strong Arm Steady, an American hip-hop group from California, USA
• Son Altesse Sérénissime, a French book series by Gérard de Villiers

Transportation[link]

• Second Avenue Subway, a subway line in New York City
• SAS, IATA airport code for Salton Sea Airport near Salton City, California, USA
• SAS Group, Scandinavian Airlines System Group, an airline company based in Stockholm, Sweden
  • SAS or Scandinavian Airlines, an airline company in Denmark, Norway and Sweden
  • SAS Cargo Group, a cargo company in Denmark, Norway and Sweden

Sports[link]

• SAS Championship, a golf tournament on the Champions Tour. It is played annually in September in Cary, North Carolina, USA
• SAS Masters Tour, a domestic professional golf tour operated by the Swedish Golf Association
• San Antonio Spurs, an NBA basketball team
• San Antonio Scorpions FC, an American soccer team, playing in the NASL

Politics and campaigns[link]

• Sloboda a Solidarita or Freedom and Solidarity, a political party in Slovakia
• Second Amendment Sisters, a women's advocacy group focusing on gun rights in the United States of America
• Surfers Against Sewage, a UK-based campaign for clean, safe recreational water

Other uses[link]

• Sas (coat of arms), a eastern European coat of arms
• Servicio Andaluz de Salud or Andalusian Health Service, the governmment-run health system for the autonomous region of Andalusia, Spain

See also[link]

• All pages beginning with "SAS"

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Mark Gregor Strang Donaldson
Trooper Mark Donaldson Trooper Mark Donaldson in 2009
Born	(1979-04-02) 2 April 1979 (age 33) Waratah, New South Wales, Australia
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	2002 – Present
Rank	Corporal
Unit	1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment Special Air Service Regiment
Battles/wars	East Timor Iraq War Operation Falconer War in Afghanistan Operation Slipper
Awards	Victoria Cross for Australia

Mark Gregor Strang Donaldson VC (born 2 April 1979) is the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia, awarded for gallantry, the highest award in the Australian honours system. He is the first Australian recipient of a Victoria Cross since Keith Payne in 1969. Then Trooper Donaldson was a member of the Special Air Service Regiment when he exposed himself to enemy fire to protect injured troops and then rescued an interpreter under heavy enemy fire in Oruzgan province during Operation Slipper, the Australian contribution to the War in Afghanistan. He was awarded the medal by Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, in a ceremony in Canberra on 16 January 2009.^[1] On 25 January 2010, Donaldson was named the Young Australian of the Year 2010.^[2] He was promoted to corporal in June 2010.

Early life[link]

Donaldson was born on 2 April 1979 at Waratah, New South Wales. The younger son of Greg, a Vietnam veteran, and Bernadette Donaldson he grew up in the small northern New South Wales township of Dorrigo, attending Dorrigo High School, a small state comprehensive co-educational secondary public school,^[3] until 1996.^[4] In 1995 his father died suddenly of a heart attack and Mark and his brother became wards of Legacy, one of their legatees being a former member of the same Army unit their father had served in.^[5]

In 1998 when Donaldson was 19 and attending art college in Sydney, his mother disappeared. She is presumed murdered and an investigation into the disappearance is ongoing.^[5] Donaldson left full time education and took a variety of physically demanding jobs in Australia and overseas.^[5]

Military career[link]

2002–2008[link]

Donaldson enlisted in the Australian Army on 18 June 2002. He trained at Army Recruit Training Centre, Kapooka, NSW, winning prizes as the best shot and best at physical training in his platoon. Detailed to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps, he then underwent further training at Singleton, New South Wales, where he again won prizes for shooting and physical training, and also as most outstanding soldier in his platoon. He was then posted to 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, based at Townsville, Queensland.^[6]

From February to April 2004, Donaldson completed the SAS selection course, and was posted to I Troop, 3 Special Air Service Squadron in May 2004. He has since seen service in East Timor, Iraq (Operation Falconer) and Afghanistan (Operation Slipper).^[6] During his deployment to Afghanistan, he was slightly wounded on 12 August 2008 when the Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle he was travelling in struck an improvised explosive device.^[6][7]

Act of gallantry[link]

The actions for which Donaldson's VC were awarded took place on 2 September 2008. Patrolling with Afghan and US forces, they were ambushed by a well-prepared and larger Taliban force. The ambush began with sustained machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire, causing several casualties. Donaldson deliberately exposed himself to fire from the Taliban fighters in order to draw their attention away from the casualties, allowing them to be moved to cover. When the patrol attempted to withdraw, the number of casualties was such that the unwounded personnel (including Donaldson) had to make their way on foot, beside their vehicles, as the casualties filled the vehicles. As they set off, it was realised that an Afghan interpreter attached to the patrol was wounded, and had not been loaded into the vehicles. Donaldson immediately crossed the 80 metres (87 yd) or so of open ground between the convoy and the interpreter, under heavy fire, and then carried him back to the vehicles where Donaldson administered first aid. The patrol eventually broke free of the ambush after two hours.^[6]

When asked about the incident, Donaldson commented: "I'm a soldier, I'm trained to fight ... it's instinct and it's natural. I just saw him there, I went over and got him, that was it."^[4] The events were first reported by the Australian press on 12 December 2008 following a briefing by Major General Tim McOwan on 11 December.^[8] At this stage Donaldson was identified only as "Trooper F".^[1] Donaldson then became the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia on 16 January 2009; with no previous announcement, he was presented with the medal by the Governor-General at a ceremony in Government House, Canberra.^[1][6]

The official citation was published in a special edition of the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette of 20 January 2009 and states (in part) that the award was made for " ... most conspicuous acts of gallantry in action in a circumstance of great peril in Afghanistan, as part of the Special Operations Task Group during Operations SLIPPER, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan."^[9][10] Donaldson was subsequently received in audience by the Queen of Australia, Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle on 10 November 2009.^[11][12]

Subsequent career[link]

After being presented with his VC Donaldson requested permission to remain a member of the SASR and participate in operational postings. This was approved by Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston and Chief of Army Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie. Donaldson subsequently served in Afghanistan for a four month period in 2009 and made a brief deployment to the country in early 2010. He was also promoted to the rank of corporal in 2010 after completing a junior leaders' course.^[13]

On 11 November 2009, Donaldson and VC recipient Johnson Beharry handed a wreath to the Queen during a service in Westminster Abbey which marked the deaths in 2009 of the last three veterans of World War I resident in the United Kingdom, Bill Stone, Henry Allingham and Harry Patch. The wreath was then laid on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.^[14][15] While Donaldson was in London, news emerged in Afghanistan that Sabi, an explosives detection dog that was declared missing in action after the 2 September ambush, had been found alive and well by an American soldier.^[16][17] Donaldson said of the news that it "closed a chapter in their shared history" and "She's the last piece of the puzzle ... Having Sabi back gives some closure for the handler and the rest of us that served with her in 2008. It's a fantastic morale booster for the guys.^[16][18]

Personal life[link]

Donaldson is married to Emma, and has a daughter, Kaylee.^[6] Emma describes him as being "married to the army".^[19] Donaldson says of himself: "I don't see myself as a hero, honestly. I still see myself as a soldier first and foremost."^[19]

Honours and awards[link]

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Victoria Cross for Australia (VC)
	Australian Active Service Medal[20]	with ICAT clasp[20]
Ribbon of the Afghanistan Medal for Australia	Afghanistan Medal[20]
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012
	Australian Defence Medal[20]
	NATO Medal for the Non-Article 5 ISAF Operation in Afghanistan[20]
Ribbon of the Unit Citation for Gallantry	Unit Citation for Gallantry[20]	with Federation Star[20] for service during the period of Operation Slipper[citation needed]
Ribbon of the Meritorious Unit Citation	Meritorious Unit Citation[20]	Entitled to wear only whilst serving in the SASR or another unit awarded the citation.
	Infantry Combat Badge[20]

On 25 January 2010, Donaldson was named the Young Australian of the Year 2010. That evening, at a public event on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra, the Prime Minister (The Hon Kevin Rudd MP) and the National Australia Day Council Chair (Adam Gilchrist) presented Donaldson with a handmade glass award and praised his achievements.^[21]

Location of medal[link]

Donaldson's medals on display at the Australian War Memorial in March 2009

Seven days after the medal presentation, Donaldson lent his VC and other medals to the Australian War Memorial in an official ceremony. The medals were placed on display at the end of February 2009.^[22]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official portraits (copyright)
• Images from the Award Ceremony.
• Images of Special Operations Task Group activity in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
• Audio downloads of interviews with Donaldson.
• Donaldson meeting the Queen, 11 November 2009.
• Young Australian of the Year 2010, award presentation, 25 January 2010.

Fry and Laurie were a successful English comedy double act, mostly active in the 1980s and 1990s. The duo consisted of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, who met in 1980 through mutual friend Emma Thompson whilst all attended the University of Cambridge. Fry and Laurie have since collaborated on numerous projects together, including Jeeves and Wooster, in which Laurie portrayed Bertie Wooster and Fry portrayed Wooster's valet Jeeves. They also gained prominence through their own sketch show, A Bit of Fry & Laurie.

Since the conclusion of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, both have gone on to have successful solo careers in television, acting and writing, amongst other things though they still remain friends. More recently, Fry and Laurie have expressed interest in a continued partnership and reunited for a retrospective show in 2010 entitled Fry and Laurie Reunited.

On May 14, 2012, Stephen Fry announced on Twitter that he and Hugh Laurie are working on a new project together^[1].

Collaborations[link]

Television programmes[link]

• Cambridge Footlights Revue (1982) (BBC2)
• There's Nothing to Worry About (1982)
• Alfresco (1983) (ITV)
• The Crystal Cube (1983) (BBC2)
• The Young Ones (1984) (BBC2) (appearing in the episode "Bambi")
• Weekend In Wallop (1984) (ITV)
• Saturday Live (1986) (C4)
• Blackadder II (1986) (BBC1) (two episodes together)
• Filthy Rich & Catflap (1987) (BBC2) (appearing in the second episode)
• First Aids (1987) (ITV)
• Blackadder the Third (1987) (BBC1) (one episode together)
• The Secret Policeman's Third Ball (1987) (ITV)
• A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1987 pilot, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995) (BBC2, BBC1)
• Hysteria! Hysteria! Hysteria! (1988)
• Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988) (BBC1)
• The New Statesman (appearing in the episode "The Haltemprice Bunker") (1989)
• A Night Of Comic Relief 2 (1989) (BBC1)
• Blackadder Goes Forth (1989) (BBC1)
• The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball (1989) (ITV)
• Hysteria 2 (1989) (C4)
• Jeeves and Wooster (1990–93) (ITV)
• Comic Relief - 1991 (1991) (BBC1)
• Hysteria III (1991) (C4)
• Fry and Laurie Host A Christmas Night with the Stars (1994) (BBC2)
• Live from the Lighthouse (1998)
• The Nearly Complete And Utter History Of Everything (2000) (BBC1)
• Blackadder: Back & Forth (2000) (Sky One)
• Fortysomething (2003) (one show together)
• QI (2003) (BBC2) (one episode together)
• Fry and Laurie Reunited (2010) (GOLD)
• Fry and Laurie worked with magician and sceptic James Randi on an episode of Randi's British television show.^[2]

Films[link]

• Peter's Friends (1992)
• Spiceworld (1997) (cameos)

Radio shows[link]

• Saturday Night Fry on BBC Radio 4 in 1988 (five shows together)
• Whose Line is it Anyway? on BBC Radio 4 in 1988 (one show together)

Published materials[link]

Published television scripts

• A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1990)
• A Bit More Fry & Laurie (1991)
• 3 Bits of Fry & Laurie (1992)
• Fry & Laurie Bit No. 4 (1995)

Miscellaneous[link]

Fry and Laurie have also appeared together in various television advertisements, interviews, audio books and other projects.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Stephen Fry at the Internet Movie Database
• Hugh Laurie at the Internet Movie Database
• Review of 1982 Cambridge Footlights show
• Stephen Fry's Official Website
• The BBC's pages:
  • A Bit of Fry and Laurie
  • Blackadder Goes Forth
  • Blackadder the Third
  • Blackadder II
  • QI
  • The Young Ones
• "0.567359" gag