Last year the Australian government awarded the highest unit gallantry citation to D Company the Sixth Battalion Royal Australian Regiment for its gallantry in the Battle of Long Tan 18 August 1966.
LtCol Smith was awarded the nation’s second highest individual gallant award, the Star of Gallantry, and 2Lts Kendall and Sabben the Medal for Gallantry earlier in 2009.
LtCol Harry Smith SG MC arranged with Her Excellency the Governor General for the investiture of the three officers of their Gallantry Awards and the company members the Unit Citation for Gallantry (UCG) and the next of kin of those veterans now dead to be done at Yarralumla.
The G-G agreed but this important and significant event was stymied by the Chief of Defence and Defence Department. The government refused to approve the transport arrangements for members from their place of residence to Canberra and return.
The veterans, and those of the veteran community who were aware of this refusal, were angry and disappointed. There is still no date when the veterans will be awarded with the UCG emblem and Harry Smith will have his Star of Gallantry pinned to his chest during a function at Maryborough early March by his local federal Member of Parliament..
Today I have received two phone calls from Long Tan veterans who are again spitting chips because the Australian government flew detained illegal entries from Christmas Island to attend the funeral for those who tragically died when the boat they used from Indonesia was shipwrecked on Christmas Island late last year. I accept and applauded this humanitarian service but I too am not happy with the CDF and Defence Department refusing war veterans their honour they are also entitled to.
They could not understand how, or why, their government would approved the cost for non citizens to attend a funeral yet deny this nation’s war veterans transport to Canberra to received Gallantry awards from the Governor General.
Robert S Buick MM JP
24 Mountain Ash Drive
Mountain Creek 4557 Qld
07 5452 5890
strait8@bigpond.com
1 comment:
Hi Robert, I received an email from my uncle pointing out the terrible injustice that your blog describes. I too share the anger and disappointment expressed to you by the two Long Tan veterans, and I suspect, the many other veterans from that conflict.
Only today I was driving along a newly completed expressway north of Adelaide, and I saw a memorial sign to Long Tan, and I was reminded of the sacrifice of our soldiers in that conflict, as well as the many other conflicts in foreign lands that our soldiers, sailors and airmen have fought and died in, in order to make our nation the free place that others seek to find safety in today.
Later in the day I heard about the tragic death of another Australian soldier in Afghanistan. Sapper Jamie Larcombe said his ambition in life was to "serve his country".
Unfortunately our leaders in Canberra seem unable to show the same courage to do what is needed to honour those who put themselves in harms way in the service of their country.
I trust that your words, and the words of others convince those at the top, that they are dishonoring the memory of those fallen Australians and those who still survive, by not providing the same opportunity to recognise the sacrifice they have made.
The last paragraph that you write reflects a concern that I believe is shared by many
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