ANZAC Day

Tomorrow is ANZAC Day. People from all over the country will spend some or all of the day commemorating the sacrifices made by soldiers in times of war and international conflict.

The focus will be on World Wars 1 & 2, and with good reason. The sheer number of men and women who sacrificed their lives for the good of others is overwhelming. Those who made it home should also be thanked.

This year there will also be a lot said about our soldiers currently serving overseas, particularly in Iraq, Afghanistan and Timor-Leste. All told there are currently approximately 3500 Australian Defence Force personnel serving overseas in the following countries:

Iraq
Afghanistan
Timor-Leste
Solomon Islands
Egypt
Sudan
There are also soldiers serving in various parts of the Middle East with UNTSO.

At any one time there are hundreds more men and women serving on exchange rotations with other nations as well.

Most of them will make it home alive and uninjured. Tragically some won't.

Sometimes there are obvious, visible signs of injury. Once upon a time soldiers returned from war suffering "shellshock". Soldiers returning from later wars were diagnosed with "combat stress disorder". Now soldiers are said to be suffering from "post-traumatic stress disorder". Whatever it is called and however it is described the seriousness and the longterm effects cannot be denied and must not be ignored.

Whether injured or not, whether suffering or not, returned service men and women must be taken care of and must be given as much support as possible by our government. There is nothing our politicians and public servants can do that can be labelled "too much".

All returning soldiers deserve and must receive our utmost respect and continued gratitude.

Lest we Forget