Victoria Cross recipient and revered Australian hero Daniel Keighran has opened up to Ben Fordham about his anything but normal upbringing.

Corporal Keighran repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire during a fierce battle in Afghanistan, in order to draw attention away from an Australian soldier who needed urgent medical attention.

The VC recipient has recently released his book, Courage Under Fire, and told Ben Fordham the writing process was difficult considering his unusual relationship with his father and growing up in poverty.

“I think that sort of upbringing, instilled a certain sort of … core values and resilience in me that would later serve me very well in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Corporal Keighran said these personal strengths helped him react to save a fellow soldier under attack ten years ago.

“It was a planned, thought out decision and it was made easier by the fact that I had a mate in trouble.

“It was a pretty simple decision for me … I decided to act and my decision was to draw enemy fire away.”

Click PLAY below to listen to the full interview

Image: Nine / ACA