The Goulburn man has been leading 45 men in Afghanistan for the past three months, many of them older than himself.

“He’s an amazing lad,” Sergeant Michael Davis told the Post this week.

“I’ve been watching him over the past three days and I can’t believe that someone 21 years old is leading all these troops.”

Sgt Davis, a senior imagery specialist attached to Mentoring Taskforce 4, contacted the Post to trumpet the ‘local lad made good.’

Both are part of the Australian Army’s mentoring program of the Afghan National Army, equipping troops and the population for life after allied forces pull out. Lt Godkin, the son of Goulburn police Sgt Laurie Godkin, is three months into his first tour of Afghanistan and couldn’t be happier.

“There’s quite a lot you have to go through to before they send you overseas, so I was pleasantly surprised,” he said.

It’s a giant leap from his beginnings. Lt Godkin was educated at Goulburn South Primary and Mulwaree High Schools before undertaking army training at Royal Military College, Duntroon.

He joined up in July 2009 and was made a Lieutenant in December, 2010.

“My brother Sean joined six years before me, but it was something I wanted to do since I was a kid,” Lt Godkin said.

He was posted to Brisbane Platoon Command and in January 2011 was put in charge of 45 men and tasked with training them for a year before going to Afghanistan.

His leadership credentials obviously impressed, as Lt Godkin continued the same role in the mentoring program, attached to the 8/9 Royal Australian Regiment. “I’m responsible for a multitude of bases so we’re seeing varying responses and improvements. The training is still paying off,” Lt Godkin said.

“There are a lot of challenges they’re working on but you can see the improvements on the ground on a daily basis.”

The work also allows the Afghan Army to help out the local population once allied troops have left.

He’d heard plenty about Afghanistan before he arrived, but Lt Godkin said the stories didn’t quite prepare him.

While the country was behind in technology, its advanced cultural development impressed him, especially in the way people dealt with local issues.

At any one time Lt Godkin helps to train 40 to 100 Afghan Army troops at different patrol bases in Uruzgan Province. He has at least another two months left on this tour and said he’d “be more than willing” to go back for another.

“It’s great to see the inroads and them working toward independence,” he told the Post.

Lt Godkin still has time to miss home, his family and mates who he last saw at Christmas.