Lest We Forget

We in the Australian Army are acutely aware of our history and traditions. We honour our past and seek to learn from it. We also honour the service of those who wear our uniform today and serve the nation all across the globe.

On this, our 106th birthday, I believe we have much to celebrate. We are one of the nation’s oldest and most revered institutions. We hold a special place in our nation’s consciousness and we are all proud to wear the slouch hat and Rising Sun badge. Above all, we are proud of the way our mates are performing with courage and distinction in the field.

Today is also a day for sombre reflection. That is because right now the Army is at war. In diverse theatres—from East Timor and the Solomon Islands to Afghanistan and Iraq—soldiers of the Australian Army are directly in harm’s way. There is no such thing as a safe operational deployment, but in the case of our men and women deployed in the Global War on Terror and in the Middle East, the nature of the threat they face is grave. They confront an implacable and ruthless enemy.

That is why I cannot view today as an occasion for unrestrained festivities in the manner of an individual’s birthday celebration. Nevertheless, there are some similarities between the birthday of a person and an institution. For each, it is a time to reflect on where they have come from and what they have achieved. It is also an opportunity to look forward with hope and confidence.

When applied to the Australian Army, such contemplation of the past should fill every soldier with great pride. Our Army has a wonderful heritage. We are the custodians of our most cherished national narrative—the ANZAC legend, from which has sprung the mythology of the Digger. The Digger legend is now inextricably linked to how Australians think of themselves: irreverent, good humoured, suspicious of authority and pomposity, and always willing to help a mate.

Most national myths are somewhat larger than life. Yet their ability to inspire passion depends on their containing more than a grain of truth. The Digger legend certainly passes that test. Never has there been a more rational, more sceptical, more questioning generation than those of us living in the first decade of the twenty-first century. The conventional wisdom is that we are cynical and that very little—if anything—is sacred and capable of inspiring human beings.

Yet the ANZAC and Digger myths have survived this cynicism and transcended scepticism. In a secular and hedonistic age, ANZAC still moves millions of Australians deeply. It reminds us all of sacrifice, mateship and endurance in the face of terrible hardship. The marketing gurus tell us that these things are unfashionable.

They are not. I observe them every day as I visit our soldiers on operations. Furthermore, they are on display throughout our Army at home. The Army holds them on trust for the nation. Every man and woman in this Army is heir to that original myth. That is both a privilege and a burden. Our fellow Australians look to us as men and women apart—people who represent the very best qualities of being an Australian.

None of us should ever permit routine and habit to dull the pride and sense of privilege that accompanies wearing this uniform. Additionally, through our fidelity to the core values of the Army—Courage, Initiative, Teamwork—we must demonstrate that we are worthy of such public esteem. Every one of us is a role model. Ours is not merely a job or even a career. It is a way of life.

We can draw great inspiration from those who have gone before us. We do, indeed, march in the footprints of giants. Consider the battle honours of our Army, which are too numerous to mention in full. Names like Gallipoli, Fromelles, Hamel, Kokoda, Tobruk, El Alamein and Long Tan have become part of the vocabulary of every Australian. They represent feats of arms worthy of warriors from any people at any time. Every one of them was in a decent cause.

In more recent times, the efforts of our young men and women in Cambodia, Namibia, Somalia, Rwanda, Bougainville, East Timor and the Solomon Islands, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, have demonstrated eloquently that the values of the ANZACS are in the very safest of hands. Many of you in the uniform of the Australian Army today have carved your own initials on the wall of history through service in these theatres.

Yes, we have much to look back on with justifiable pride. Yet we need to temper our celebration in the knowledge that our mates are facing mortal danger all around the globe. Every one of us owes it to our ancestors and to our mates currently on operations to live up to the Army values today and in the future.

Today I ask that we spare a thought for the sacrifices that our families and friends are also making. The great Army family is not merely comprised of those in uniform. Those on operations leave behind children, spouses, and parents who also know what sacrifice means. We must never forget them.

Enjoy the events today, but reflect on where we have come from and look to our future with great enthusiasm. However, do not forget the great onus that being at war places on every last one of us. I am proud to be Chief of the Australian Army today. My best wishes to every man and woman in Army. Thank you for your service. Good soldiering!

It is now my privilege, as an act of commemoration, to read the Battle Honours on the Army Banner:

•   South Africa

•   World War One

•   World War Two

•   Korea

•   Malaya / Borneo

•   South Vietnam

•   Peacekeeping
 

The Ode:

They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn;

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Lest we forget.