A 22-year-old combat engineer has died following vehicle crash at a Sydney army base, in the same week he was due to graduate from military school.
As a trainee combat engineer in the Australian Army, he was looking forward to deployment in Afghanistan or beyond, helping soldiers on the move - building bridges and clearing roads of improvised explosive devices and minefields.
But the 22-year-old Victorian has died on home soil, the same week he was due to graduate from the Australian Army School of Military Engineering.
Sapper Penpraze's family made the heartbreaking decision to switch off his life support on Thursday, three days after he sustained critical injuries in a military vehicle crash at Sydney's Holsworthy Army Base.
'Sapper Jordan Penpraze passed away surrounded by his family in Liverpool Hospital at 10.50am (AEDT), and we are providing emotional and welfare support to his family and colleagues,' Lieutenant Colonel Allan Hollink told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.
Sapper Penpraze was one of 18 soldiers thrown from the open-top Unimog troop carrier when it careered off the road and rolled several times during a training exercise on Monday.
Two others injured in the incident remain in hospital in a stable condition.
Sapper Penpraze was described as a promising young soldier who had only enlisted in April and excelled during his training.
'He had just completed his final field assessment and was due to graduate this week as a Sapper in the Royal Australian Engineer Corps,' Lt Col Hollink said.
'(He) was very good at what he did.'
Alan Marr, principal of Sapper Penpraze's high school Dromana Secondary College, said the Mornington Peninsula community in Victoria had been rocked by the death.
'There's a significant number of people who are grieving over the loss of this young man,' he said.
His death had come as a shock to the army community, Lt Col Hollink said.
'Today the Australian Army has lost one of its newest soldiers. The army is a family, and we are in mourning,' he said.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with the soldier's family, friends and mates.'
Defence Force Chief David Hurley also paid tribute to the young Sapper on Twitter.
'My deepest sympathy to SPR Jordan Penpraze's family friends. My thoughts also to those injured in the Holsworthy accident,' he tweeted.
Federal Defence Science and Personnel Minister Warren Snowdon told parliament Sapper Penpraze was a respected and well-liked member of his troop.
'He was a quiet and stoic sapper, who possessed a determination to perform to the best of his ability,' Mr Snowdon said.
'He would rather take the hard job or the heavy load to spare a mate that was doing it tough.'
The cause of Monday's accident is still unclear and three separate probes - run by NSW Police, the Defence Forces and government insurer Comcare - are underway.
Earlier this week, it was revealed Unimog trucks had been involved in two previous roll-over incidents since their Defence use began 30 years ago.
Acting Chief-of-Staff for Forces Command Colonel David Smith on Tuesday defended the safety record of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog.
'When you look at the usage rate of the vehicle and compare it to the number of incidents that have occurred, the number of accidents that have occurred are well below the national average,' he said.
An Army spokeswoman said the multi-purpose truck normally carried 16 personnel, plus equipment.
It is unknown whether the truck was exceeding the speed limit but NSW Police Inspector Steve Blair on Monday said speed may have been a factor.
