ANZAC Day coming up

This year ANZAC Day will signify the 95th year since our Australian troops and the New Zealand Kiwis landed on the beach at Gallipoli.
Today is the 23rd April and I attended two Rockhampton Primary Schools to address the school assembly for their ANZAC Day Remembrance Service.

Sunday will be ANZAC Day, just as in the name ANZAC there is a team spirit. A well trained team from two countries, Australia and New Zealand. Neither country trained together, but under special leadership they came together as a team and attempted to take the beach and the surrounding hills at Gallipoli.

You know yourself that many students like to play football, cricket and other sports. A game of cricket can’t be played by one person, you need a team. Not only do you need a team but you must trust your mates, and all have the same team goals, the main goal being that you all want to win the game. Your team has a carefully elected captain and it is his or her job to know all the members and guide the team to victory.

Soldiers are part of a well organized team, they train together, they trust each other, and they know that if they get into trouble they can rely on the team to come to help them and in extreme circumstances they are willing to lay down their life to protect a fellow team mate. Being in this team they gain strength and make the impossible possible. Every member of the team from the commander to the private soldier must be able to lead and influence his own particular group. But the commander must be able to decide the best deal for his group and not be influenced or side tracked to do or go about his task in another way.

Whilst playing rugby union all the team members must understand the rules of the game. The team just can’t start on union and switch code to AFL half way through. With the leadership of the captain and the team members the game runs smoothly start to finish.

Mateship can be defined as a code of contact particularly between men and women, stressing loyalty, equality and friendship. Within the military a good soldier has such qualities as a will to win, dedication to duty, honour, compassion and honesty, mateship and teamwork, loyalty and physical and moral courage. In Australia mateship is regarded as a national virtue.

I’m a Vietnam Veteran and very few families were untouched - whether they served or protested or watched the Vietnam war on television.

Our past Governor General, Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC once said “Few events in the history of this country have so greatly divided its people as the Vietnam War.”

The Vietnam War covered 10 years of Australian involvement and was one of the longest of modern times. It was hard to recognise the enemy; they looked and dressed the same as the ordinary peasant. They went about their daily work of farming and collecting rubber latex, then some at night became the enemy and attacked our positions

At the time, the Vietnam War generated great passion and controversy throughout the western world. And its aftermath was important in shaping the political destiny of much of South East Asia.

I would think that like most veterans, I am proud of my service in Vietnam, because in the province we were allocated (Phuoc Tuy), we were mostly able to ensure that normal life went on – farmers farmed, teachers taught and government administration was effectively carried out.
In the heat, danger and physically punishing environment of Vietnam all the glitz of civilian life was gone; fast cars, the footy and making a dollar were no longer of great importance.

What was of real importance was the need for absolute trust in one another at all times, mateship, teamwork, leadership and a strong sense of doing the right thing by one’s platoon, ship or aircraft.
Some 50,000 Australians served in Vietnam. Five hundred and four were killed in action and almost 2,400 wounded. Six of those killed came from our own district, Central Queensland, Stew Harald, Frederick Hoare, Jimmy Cox, Kevin Prior, Anthony Lisle and John Carruthers

Thanks to the speed and dedication of our medivac helicopters, our volunteer doctors, surgeons and nurses, few of our casualties died from their wounds.

We were young men and women tasked to do a difficult job in very difficult circumstances, and we did it well.

Service men returned home under a cloud of public discontent, disillusionment and misunderstanding.

Many lessons have been learnt from the post war experiences of our Vietnam veterans. This knowledge has greatly assisted today’s commanders to support the mental and physical health of their servicemen and women, both in the theatre of war and on return to Australia.

Australian armed forces serve in many differing operational and geographical locations across the globe, including Solomon Islands, East Timor, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. We should pause to reflect on their service and pray for their safe return to family, friends and loved ones.

Let us also remember that 2010 is the 95th year since the landing at Anzac Cove, the 65th anniversary of the cessation of World War II and the 37th anniversary of Australia’s announcement of a cessation of hostilities in Vietnam.

It should be our continuing commitment to ensure that the ANZAC flame and tradition of care, burns as strongly for our serving soldiers and their families as it does for our veterans of Gallipoli, Tobruk, the Kokoda Track, Kapyong and Vietnam.

We salute the mateship, sense of humour and that indefinable ANZAC spirit that continues to so effectively guide all Australian soldiers, sailors and airmen.
May we always stand together on this very important commemorative day, as veterans, families and mates.