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RETIRING:
Chief of Defence Force GEN Peter Cosgrove will soon end
his long and illustrious career in the ADF.
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Photo:
CPL Cameron Jamieson
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By
CPL Cameron Jamieson
The
time has come for one of Australia’s most charismatic soldiers
to lay his slouch hat aside.
The CDF, General Peter Cosgrove, is retiring from the ADF, ending
a remarkable four decades of service and devotion to the country
that honoured him as the Australian of the Year in 2001.
Like Generals Monash and Blamey before him, his name has been
elevated to the ranks of Australia’s most famous military leaders,
and like them he will be remembered for generations to come.
As I walk into his office he strides over to welcome me, symbolising
his status as a man who treats enlisted ranks with the same degree
of respect he offers prime ministers and presidents.
Outside the winter sun is setting over Canberra, and the golden
rays of light that flood his office only help magnify the sense
of finality that comes with retirement. But every day must pass,
and soon the public memory of the General will be consigned to
the ADF’s rich tapestry of triumph and honour.
As I take my seat I realise I am a witness to the closing of a
great chapter in the story of Australia. General Cosgrove relaxes
into his chair and the recorder is switched on.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“I can look back and say with great satisfaction that the ADF
has achieved everything the government has asked of it, and everything
above and beyond what the people of Australia could expect of
it,” he says of his time as CDF. “We finished off a very successful
tour of duty in Afghanistan and the nearby region.
“We helped in the immediate aftermath of Bali, and conducted war
operations in Iraq with great success. “We evolved our operations
in East Timor and led the military coalition to the Solomon Islands.
“Our ongoing operations in Iraq and the Middle East have been
highly regarded by our coalition partners, and we also responded
tremendously to the recent disasters in Indonesia.
“In those and countless other ways I think the ADF has performed
wonderfully.”
The subject turns to how the ADF has evolved during his tenure
as CDF, and the General leans forward his seat, underlying his
keen interest in the constant progress that keeps Australia’s
military at the forefront world standards and capability.
“People of all three services now work easily and frequently together,
and we are now one of the most jointly-formed and jointly-operating
forces in the world.
“Other changes have been more dramatic. “For example, in 1999
the operational experiences within the three services, to a large
degree, had eroded away.
“The operational tempo was not very high, but since then it has
been incredibly high and varied. “The services now have a great
deal of operational experience, which means there is a bedrock
that will carry them professionally and competently forward into
the next decades of the 21st century.
The interview changes pace as I ask General Cosgrove what has
been his best and worst memories as CDF. “Every service death
is heartbreaking, but as CDF you especially feel the loss of personnel
on operations.
“There is no doubt that the low point of my time as CDF was the
sadness brought by the loss of our men and women in the Sea King
tragedy, the numbers of people involved, and seeing their bereaved
families and so many people without a loved one.
“That’s why my best memories tend to be the homecomings.
“When people step out of ships and aircraft to return safely home
after doing a marvellous job, to the welldeserved plaudits from
the Australian people, it is absolutely the best time.
There has been speculation in the media about his future plans,
but when I ask him there is no hint of doubt or evasiveness in
his voice.
“My 40 years in the military has been a wonderful experience and
I’ll be leaving with great nostalgia and sadness at no longer
jumping into my uniform in the morning and racing to work with
the enthusiasm of simply spending another day as a soldier and
as the CDF.”
Finally it is time to ask him if he has a parting message for
the ADF, and his reply is simple yet poignant.
“Serving your country is one of the most honourable things I can
ever conceive of doing,” he says.
The interview is over. There is time for a photo shoot before
I leave, so I make myself busy preparing my camera and tripod.
I tell the General I would like to photograph him in a moment
of reflection, and I ask him to hold his most favourite artefact
in the office. He crosses to his desk, picks up an object, then
walks back to me and looks me in the eye.
“This is it,” he declares. In his hands is his slouch hat.
That, more than anything else, tells the story of the man.y.
