Three or six months of basic training would make the world of difference to our younger generation. It should be mandatory for everyone.

In view of last nights poll by 9nsm, asking "would you fight to defend Oz", where 33& of respondents, are not prepared to fight for oz, I not so sure of our ability to defend ourselves today.

Of course one has to wonder how much this has to say about the state of our youth, & how much it has to say about the make up of our immigration policy.

Probably the latter has more to do with this deplorable result.

Hasbeen
I wouldn't take too much from those kinds of simplistic polls.

There is a difference between joining up to fight an invading force and fighting what some might think is an illegal war (Iraq). Without knowing what was on the minds of those polled we cannot take this poll as indicative of anything it might say about youth.

The poll also did not mention the age of the participants. What if most of those who said no were over 40?

Well done, Warwick, in your call to remember. The stories of Harry Honner’s 39th Battalion, Kingsbury VC and Metson BEM deserve to be told … often. And ANZAC day is the time for the telling these stories of valour.

I lost my father in the war against Japan in 1943 when I was eight years old. Five uncles and an aunt were also serving in uniform so it was not an easy time for the extended family. Nonetheless, I went on to become a professional soldier and served for 40 years. On ANZAC Day, I will remember my dad ... and my mother who raised four boys single handed and kept the image of her darling husband before us as a model father. I remember those who died in my unit during the Malayan Emergency in 1957 and the seven members of my company who died in Vietnam in 1968 and even those whom I do not know who have died in war and even now serve our country in far-off places like Afghanistan.

This year, I will be especially remembering the 48 North Vietnamese soldiers who died in an attack on our position in May 1968 ... and the current efforts of one of my former comrades who has devoted his retirement to recovering the remains of those one-time enemies so that their families may achieve some closure.

I will pray for them all tomorrow at the National ANZAC Day Mass in Canberra and afterwards at the Australian War Memorial because they deserve to be remembered and because Christians are enjoined to do so in the Bible story, Maccabees 2.

Not all Australians will have such a personal attachment to ANZAC Day but most will have the grace to see that we owe it to the memory of our War Dead to support the ANZAC Day tradition. Australia will be a better place for it.

I think we need to pay more attention to the veterans of more recent conflicts too. Yesterday I drove past a local RSL, which had the dates 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 prominently displayed. I'd like them to add all the subsequent dates - Malaya, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and to acknowledge peacekeeping and UN roles.

While on the general topic of ANZAC commemoration, I have to say how totally opposed I am to medals being worn by anyone other than the person to whom they were awarded. My father has a swag of medals from WWII etc, and none of his children or grandchildren would ever dream of wearing them - and he wouldn't would allow it. Seeing little children parading around in medals with no idea what they actually represent is one reason I avoid Anzac Parades, I'm afraid. You just can't transfer the acknowledgment of service and sacrifice like that.

Candide: I agree with what you say about giving proper acknowledgment to those who served in other conflicts.

Not so sure about the medals - I can't say I've seen littlies wearing any but like you I would find it off putting. Disrespectful really. However I have seen older people wearing others' medals and often thought how nice it was that they remained proud of the soldier in their family.

My grandfather was in the Light horse; my father was an American Marine; my uncle in the Air force; spouse was Army; I have a son and daughter each in military service.

I would also like to see greater recognition of past and present contributions by women; by locals (like the New Guinea locals who helped our blokes) and other civilians, voluntary groups and the millions of civilians who bravely faced oncoming slaughter without weapons or any real means to defend themselves. At least as many civilians as soldiers died - many beyond anyone's recollection now. Courage and noble sacrifice comes in many forms of human endeavour - there are so many great stories of human nobility yet to be told.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_casualties
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

Sister Narrelle Hobbs was with Australian forces at Gallipoli. She wrote:

"I’ve been a soldier now for nearly three years, and please God I will go right to the end ... if anything happened, and I too passed out, well, there would be no finer way, and no way in which I would be happier, than to lay down one’s life for the men who have given everything."

She died five months later, in May 1918.

http://www.acn.net.au/articles/womeninaction/