Letters
to the Editor
Deserving
of honour
It is with
extreme disappointment that I read the Padre Post section of the Army
edition 1060, September 26.
Having
served in the second contingent to Rwanda in 1995, I am very disheartened
that I have been deemed a soldier who orchestrated themselves a quick
comfortable trip to the recreational areas of some peace monitoring
situation due to the fact that my service was recognised by the award
of the Australian Service Medal. Further to this, Chap Taylor clearly
states that I am without honour because my medal is devoid of a red
stripe down its centre.
I am saddened
that a man of the cloth could write such unfeeling and ignorant comments.
I can only make the assumption that the padre has no knowledge or experience
of the emotional trauma suffered after the massacre of Kibeho by those
of us who went to assist and move surviving Displaced Persons (DPs).
We were
witness to the horror on the faces of the infantry soldiers from B Coy
2RAR, who had to push back the DPs and helplessly watch them being slaughtered.
Then there was the trauma experienced by the infantry and medical staff
who did their best to save the lives of the thousands who had been butchered.
I argue that those I served with in Rwanda are indeed men and women
of honour.
Padres
are the spiritual leaders of the ADF, not the judges of who is honourable
and who is not based on the awards and decorations they wear.
I am very
proud to have served with all the men and women on UNAMIR II. I just
hope that they have been on an another operation to earn them the Australian
Active Service Medal since then because Rwanda obviously wasn’t
a hostile and life threatening operation enough for us to speak of our
experiences as honourable.
I believe
all Australian soldiers are men and women of honour, medals or no medals.
Sgt R. Nation
TGT MNGT GE - ARMY
Tuggeranong, ACT
Apology
Some personnel
were quite upset that I seemed to be implying in my recent column that
soldiers who have been awarded the Australian Service Medal are without
honour because they only deployed to some sort of holiday and cannot
be compared with those who have been on active service.
This certainly
was not the intention of this article, nor is it a view that I hold
at all. While my article took to task individuals who orchestrated for
themselves a temporary trip into an AO specifically to gain a medal,
I do not in any way disparage the work or the experiences of our men
and women who deployed as a whole contingent into peace-monitoring operations.
As a bearer
of the Australian Service Medal myself, gained through deployment in
an early rotation on Bougainville, I know first-hand that such deployments
are long, demanding, and arduous.
I wear
this medal with pride and honour and so should all who are part of these
rotations.
To those
personnel who believed I was trying to discredit their work or worth,
or devalue their ASM, I offer my unreserved apologies and remain personally
distressed that such worthwhile soldiers thought I was trying to discredit
them.
To those
who were not part of a contingent but used their high authority to get
temporarily into an AO, did little or nothing worthwhile, and then vanished
as soon as the minimal time for the medal was up, my article stands
unchanged.
Chap F.Taylor
Prosperine, QLD
Day
care dilemmas
I am writing
about the current Defence Children Long Day Care system. My husband
and I are both service members, who have been part of the Defence day
care system for almost 10 years.
I am compelled
to write about the system that is currently in place. The problem that
exists is that I have a four-year-old daughter who attends Enoggera
Long Day Care Centre (a fantastic place); however, I am to be posted
to Holsworthy in January.
This is
where the problem lies. I applied to the Defence Day Care in Holsworthy
in May 2002, fully understanding how the positioning system works. Being
a Defence family and placing my application when my posting was confirmed
I did not think there would be a problem.
That was
my first mistake. I have just been told that I do not have a position
at the centre. Considering I fall into the priority two of placements
behind a single-parent Defence family, who has filled all the positions?
Are there
families with only one partner working holding positions in this centre?
Are there part time positions being held? Would it be right to give
them a notice to move, if a higher priority family needs the place?
I am sure
other dual Defence families with children have faced this dilemma. It’s
about time we started to question the Defence Day Care System.
I have
exhausted all avenues for assistance in this field – DCO/REDLO/FLO,
I have contacted all day care centres in the Wattle Grove area and all
surrounding areas only to be put on their waiting list or to be told
there are no spots available.
I do not
want my intelligence insulted with a response explaining the system
to me–I am well aware of that. What I would like answered is what
am I going to do with my daughter now that all the private day care
centres already have waiting list and positions filled.
Am I to
inform my new unit CO that I will be bringing my daughter to work because
the system provided for defence day care child assistance is not catering
for the needs of genuine defence members?
I find
it incredible that a family that receives little, to no, Government
subsidies and pays full rate for day care, can not find Government (Defence)
care for one child. If any one in Holsworthy has any ideas please let
me know.
Sgt J. Shields
4 MP Coy
Gallipoli Barracks, QLD
What
a suggestion
Once upon
a time suggestions could be sent to service or organisation-specific
delegates listed in DI(G) 23-2. If a suggestion were adopted, remuneration
would be awarded. The program I refer to was the Defence Suggestion
Scheme.
I recently
requested a copy of the relevant Defence Instruction for the scheme.
Inquires made by the administrative officer on my behalf have drawn
a blank. I have been advised that the RAAF and RAN have single service
suggestion schemes. Is this true?
At a time
when the Army and the ADF’s senior leadership are looking for new
and innovative ways to maximise the potential advantage of having the
highest quality and most capable people in the ADF, it would appear
that a little innovation applied to an old scheme would better allow
(capable) people to espouse their ideas.
I would
like to know the facts on the Defence Suggestion Scheme.
Maj C. Whiteman
Malaysia Australia Joint Defence Program
Port Dickson, Malaysia
Medals
are pretty
Raising
queries on the issue of gongs has always been one fraught with peril.
Cpl D. King recently (Army, October 10) mooted the idea of a second
award for those soldiers who served with the PMG in Bougainville. A
second award, mind you.
Well, while
such a proposal no doubt meets with some merit, there are quite a few
serving members who might be inclined to respond: “... sure, but
what about the possibility of a first award for we, the fortunate souls
involved in Operations Ples Dri (PNG) and/or Ausindo Jaya (Irian Jaya)
back in 1998?”
Given the
operational tempo the ADF has enjoyed these past few years, one might
be so bold as to offer that, just perhaps, the personal/professional
experience that comes from doing one’s job for real is compensation
enough?
However,
on closer reflection, medals sure do look pretty (tongue-in-cheek)!
Capt I. Thomason
ALTC
Gaza Ridge Barracks, VIC
Delays
in system
I am writing
to concur with the letter of Maj S. Trotter in the October 10 edition
of Army concerning the inordinate delays in the processing of DLSMs
and clasps.
As I write,
the ADF Medals Section is making decisions as to medal entitlements
concerning applications submitted in November of last year. They have
not even read applications submitted later than that.
Obviously,
the system is not allocating sufficient resources to ADF Medals Section
to enable the task to be completed in a timely manner and there is at
present little incentive for them to rectify this situation.
If every
person aggrieved by the failure of the ADF to make a timely decision
concerning medal entitlement was to submit a ROG through his or her
chain of command, then I am sure that this situation would change very
quickly. The resources needed to respond to the ROGs would greatly exceed
the resources necessary to determine entitlements in a timely manner.
Maj B. Levet
Defence Legal Service
Victoria Barracks, NSW
E-mail
gig is up
I’ve
just finished reading a column in a popular Australian computing magazine
and I am afraid to say it seems that the gig is up.
The public
finally knows about the lucrative ADF e-mail benefits system that we
have. You know, the one that sends all the extra dollars and good fortune
our way. All we have to do is keep forwarding e-mails that promise things
like “send this e-mail to 10 of your friends and something really
good will happen to you” or “ forward this on to as many people
as you can and Bill Gates will send you a cheque for lots of dollars”.
Great, aren’t they?
Yep, they
are on to us-the column refers to the secret Bill Gates benefit and
how so many of us Army people jumped on the bandwagon for the easy bucks.
Quote: “Either we’re not paying these diggers enough or we
are bankrolling the most gullible army in the world.” Now everyone
knows.
Anyhow
gotta go, I have to get my Readers Digest Sweepstakes form in, I’ve
won the right to enter the pre-approved, last, final, winning stage
of the latest b-zillion dollar draw! I’m in with a hell of a chance!
WO2 B. Jasper
Army Aviation Centre,
Oakey, QLD
How
about action?
I have
noticed the regular dissatisfaction with DHA in Army and experienced
it personally.
Instead
of more long-winded excuses and apologies, how about some action and
results?
After all,
why are you here?
Capt C. Bycroft
DIM-A
Russell Offices, ACT
Which
army?
According
to The Key Issue 4 Aug/Sept “On 8 July ... PMKeys wa s successfully
rolled out to Army”.
And which
Army would that be?
Lt J. Clews
CAMU-D
Duntroon, ACT
Be
proud
I’m
just writing in regard to Cpl D. King’s comments in Army, October
10, “A medal for PMG”. 1RAR Bn Group (Op Solace) that went
to Somalia only received an AASM and did not receive a UN medal or a
campaign medal and still have not received one 10 years later. So be
proud of the recognition you have received.
Cpl Allen
2HSB
Gallipoli Barracks, QLD
Bus
driver blues
As one
of five ARA personnel in a GRes unit in Melbourne, I was tasked to order
a bus for the unit to conduct a range shoot at Puckapunyal in the next
six weeks.
I was appaled
to hear when I ordered the bus through the civilian contractors (Transfield)
that it was going to cost the unit about $360 to drop off and pick up
personnel at Puckapunyal.
When I
told them that we have a qualified coach driver and Trade Testing Officer
(Army) I was told that only civilian contractors are authorised to drive
Army buses.
The buses
that Transfield use are Army/Navy-registered buses. I could understand
if the contractors bought and registered their own buses but these are
Defence-owned vehicles.
Does this
mean that in the near future with Defence contracting that soldiers
will have to purchase their own weapons and ammunition for the battlefield?
SSgt B. Warner
3MP Company
Simpson Barracks, VIC.
Brig
Mike Swan, Director-General Regions and Bases CSIG, replies:
Corporate Services & Infrastructure Group (CSIG) manages and provides
garrison support services to the Army. Many of these services are outsourced,
including the management of buses and coaches in the Watsonia area.
Under our
instructions, Transfield manages and operates the two military buses
available in Watsonia, as stipulated in their supplier contract with
CSIG. They are required to ensure full utilisation of the vehicles wherever
possible. They are also required to charge units for ad-hoc use of buses
if it is deemed to be more cost-effective for Defence as a whole, as
happened in this case.
CSIG acknowledges,
however, that this request for support was not well handled.
We and
Transfield apologise for the mis-communication and assure you of our
commitment to a better experience next time.
All-terrain
Sgts
In reply
to Flt-Sgt Brasher’s letter, [Army, October 10] which states the
inability for an infantry sergeant to fulfil the role of an ADG sergeant.
I wonder
if he could answer me one question.
Who provided
a real-time Quick Reaction Force to the RAAF Base at Butterworth Malaysia,
which for many years, until 1989, was classed as an operational deployment?
I do not
support the absorption of the ADG role into the RAInf, but what I do
support is the ability of highly trained infantry to be inserted into
any operational environment and carry out the job to a professional
standard, be it jungle, dessert, urban, or, yes, maybe an airfield.
Allow me
to quote the closing line from the role of the infantry “... regardless
of season, weather, or terrain”.
WO2 I.. D’arcy
SO3 Small Units Operations
Land Operations Division, DSTO, Edinburgh, SA
Insult
to soldiers
I totally
agree with Chap D. Hayman [Army, August 29]. What an insult to the soldiers
out there that have dedicated so many years of service.
To serve
Australia and the people in it, service numbers are part of our history
from the very first issue to the present day.
I, too,
hold my service number as an important part of my professional military
life.
I wrote
to the Land Commander on the first whim of us losing our service numbers
for employee numbers, and in written reply was informed that is was
not going to happen. But as usual the employees’ (that have signed
to serve anywhere, anytime) opinion does not matter.
Forgive
me for being blunt, but would Government employees do what and is asked
of serving members of the Defence Force?
Whose job
is this making easier?
Cpl R. Ingram
103 Sigl Sqn
Lavarack Barracks, QLD
Misleading
or not?
In reading
the August 15 edition of Army, I noticed an article that contained misleading
information.
I imagine
the article titled “Options Open for Female Soldiers” was
very carefully scrutinised by a number of females across the Army, as
it was in my unit. It mentioned that “... Policy prevents female
employment within Combat Engineer Regiments [CER]...”
This is
simply not true, as they may be employed within a CER but are limited
to certain roles.
You actually
outlined the available roles in the same article.
I believe
Army is an excellent publication and achieves a commendable rate of
accuracy in its articles.
I hope
you can publish a correction, (or let me know I’m wrong), as this
sort of information has a dramatic effect on recruiting and retention
within RAE.
Capt A. Hudson
Adjutant
8CER
Adamstown, NSW
Editor’s Note:
The article in question was provided by SCMA. As the information was
written by the relevant agency, I can only trust it was accurate and
had been checked by SCMA and DGPers-A before being sent to Army newspaper.
As of October 14, no-one has queried the information in question. If
it is incorrect, I expect to be advised by DGPers-A.
|
