Feature - ANZACS 2003

TOMORROW, April 25, is Anzac Day Australian soldiers will be in action again in the Middle East Eighty-eight years ago, men of the 1AIF landed on a little beach beneath a steep hillside on the Ottoman Empire’s Gallipoli Peninsula. In 2003, Australians are in another theatre which, like Gallipoli, was once a province of the Turkish empire. It, like Saddam Hussein’s reign of evil over Iraq, is now part of history. In another 88 years, it will be unlikely that the soldiers who fought for Australia on Op Falconer to rid Iraq of Weapons of Mass Destruction will march on Anzac Day. But their service will be part of the history of Anzac Days to come. History tells us the Anzacs fought bravely, often sacrificing themselves for their mates. It has become part of Australia’s mythology. Such is the strength of the legend of Anzac that often events and actions of civilians who achieve much or perform some heroic deed are attributed to the ‘Anzac spirit’, whether or not it was military in nature. Inside the Army, there is no question about the sacrifices that have been made by all soldiers. For today’s soldiers, it is enough to know they performed their duty and did so to the awe of their enemies and the thanks of the coalition’s leaders. In the days ahead, those deployed on Op Falconer will return home. Some will receive public recognition – many will have no more than the acknowledgement of their families and unit for their service. The days of March and April 2003 will dim into memories and history books as part of the peace. Will our modern-day Anzacs return to Iraq one day and share with their present enemies the strong bond of friendship founded on shed blood in the same way that Australians and Turks do today? For a small Army that is respected across the world for its professionalism, skills and ethos, learning from history is a core value. If, in the future, Australian troops are again deployed to the Middle East, it is to be hoped they will look at the Anzacs of 2003 and remember how they fought.