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The Forum > Article Comments > Afghanistan - open letter > Comments

Afghanistan - open letter : Comments

By Vietnam Veterans, published 2/12/2020

We wish to record our disappointment and distress on how the allegations of atrocities in Afghanistan have been addressed by the Prime Minister, and in particular the Chief of the Defence Forces.

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“No officers were involved”. What a cowardly arse-coverer the army chief is. Don’t officers get involved in actual fighting these days? Leave it all to the rank and file do they?

As for Ad Man; he has been ham-fisted as usual. Not up to the job.

Who would risk his/her life for an appallingly unsympathetic PM, a gutless COA, and millions of Quislings who are safely screened from real life, virtue signalling about people and circumstances they know nothing about.
Posted by ttbn, Wednesday, 2 December 2020 10:43:00 AM
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I would like to raise two points in support of our veterans.

The first is, that the leadership of the Armed Forces seem to be becoming political appointees more attuned to political correctness and towing the multicultural party line than real soldiers. One only has to remember a recent leader of the defence forces who when he retired, had a sex change operation and supposedly became a "woman." If ever Australia wanted to encourage our enemies it is with military leaders like that.

The second is, that it is the Australian Army that has taken almost all of the casualties since WW2 and it is at the end of the queue when it comes to funding. Australia's financial commitment to it's defence forces is woeful, and it is the Air Force and the Navy who get most of the money. One would presume that it would be the service which has done all the fighting and dying who would get the money, but that is not the case. And if this author is correct and our soldiers have been doing numerous "tours" of the combat area, then even a Green voter might be smart enough to figure out that the Australian Army is just too small.

Not just too small but badly equipped. When the first Gulf War erupted our Prime Minister at the time (John Howard) wanted to send an Australian contribution to help our allies liberate Kuwait. He must have been surprised when our military leaders told him that Australian Army eqquipent was so obsolete (especially our Leopard 1 tanks) that our army simply did not compare to even the Iraqi Army. Iraq and Australia had similar population numbers but Iraq had 50 divisions, half of them armoured or mechanised, while Australia had just one lousy infantry division.

It is therefore hardly surprising if our soldiers are getting burned out and committing suicide if we keep throwing them into battle with such miserable equipment. TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) one remarked that courage was like money in the bank. You can't keep drawing on it forever.
Posted by LEGO, Wednesday, 2 December 2020 11:24:47 AM
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Such is the Veterans' and others response the Federal Government seems to have realised its gone too far on presumption of guilt and Trial By Media:

On Monday 30th December 2020, it was reported, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-30/defence-says-no-decision-yet-on-meritorious-citation-afghanistan/12935302

"Defence steps back from move to strip veterans of military decorations after war crimes inquiry"

In "Key points:

- General Campbell had said he would recommend meritorious unit citation be stripped from the [special operations task group (SOTG) which includes SAS]

- He has since faced public criticism from politicians and veterans about the move

- General Campbell said on Monday "no decisions" had yet been made on how to implement the Bereton report recommendations"
Posted by plantagenet, Wednesday, 2 December 2020 11:52:00 AM
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Pete, agree with your take, nothing to add other than what I said here yesterday.
Alan B.
Posted by Alan B., Wednesday, 2 December 2020 12:33:58 PM
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A great deal is being made about alleged war crimes conducted by Australia’s SAS troops in Afghanistan, even the talk of prosecutions of individuals for war crimes.
This brings me back to the night of March 18, 2003. John Howard instructed his SAS to invade Western Iraq before war was declared, and covered it up to the Australian people. They used the cover of darkness to go on a “turkey shoot”, using night vision rifles and anti-tank guided missiles to slaughter and crush as many Iraqi soldiers and vehicles as they could, some say hundreds dead, in what could be a war crime under the Geneva Conventions as war did not begin until two days later.
Are we just going to remove one stain, Afghanistan, on our nation’s character without removing the other one, Iraq?
All of the events of that evil night are well documented by using a Google search. Yet, to this day, nothing has been done."
..................
If you would like more confirmation please see:
JOHN WINSTON HOWARD AND THE IRAQ WAR
Posted by rangerjohn, Wednesday, 2 December 2020 1:29:02 PM
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1, Re "declaring war" Geneva etc:

Undeclared war, fighting against, what are after all Combatants, is considered more of a legal gray zone.

Given the:

"TROUBLES" in Northern Ireland

and

"EMERGENCY" in Malaya

2. SAS fighting in Afghanistan in late 2001 justified as Australia's ANZUS commitment is also a legal gray zone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANZUS#2001_invasion_of_Afghanistan

Just wait till Australia has to go to war in defence of a Taiwan already invaded by China http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANZUS#Taiwan
Posted by plantagenet, Wednesday, 2 December 2020 5:12:19 PM
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