 |
CLEANING
UP |
By
CPL Cameron Jamieson
 |
|
The
head of a mannequin peers out from the mud of Banda Aceh,
a reminder of the devastation wrought by the Boxing Day
earthquake and tsunami.
|
|
Photo
by CPL Cameron Jamieson
|
THE
eyes tell you what the mind refuses to comprehend. When asked
to say what they have seen, the ADF personnel who have come face-toface
with the carnage in Banda Aceh will speak of the wreckage and
mud that covered the city.
What they don’t talk about is the human wreckage that was everywhere.
Invariably the Australians will tell you that they saw “stuff”,
a common term for the bodies and body parts that they have seen
or found.
But the look in their eyes tells you of the horror they have witnessed.
For those who have worked to clear the drains around Banda Aceh,
there have been other horrors to deal with.
All who have participated in these clearing operations understood
the importance of their work, as it was likely that an infectious
disease outbreak would occur if the foul water that pooled around
Banda Aceh was left to further stagnate.
But much of the drain clearing had to be done by hand or with
hand tools, and with each handful or shovelful of debris moved
came the chance of finding more “stuff”.
The images of Banda Aceh portrayed on the television are an accurate
picture of what happened to the city, but what they can’t convey
is the stench of mud and death that attack the senses until you
become desensitised.
But your senses soon return when you leave the city and return
to normality, because when you see those television images again,
the horror of what you have seen returns 10 times over.
You can relate to where the images were taken – the avalanche
of building material rushing along with the seawater through the
streets of the shopping district, the father with his drowned
child in his arms walking near the river, and the row of dead
children at the hospital looking as if they are asleep.
All Australians can be justly proud of what the ADF has done to
save lives and relieve the suffering of the Indonesian people
in Aceh. But the whole truth of what was seen may remain locked
forever within the eyes of the witnesses.
Many
options to get support
The
ADF takes the welfare of its personnel very seriously and it is
recognised that for some, their experiences on Operation Sumatra
Assist have been quite confronting.
Deployed and returned personnel have constant access to support
personnel including medical practitioners, psychologists and chaplains
who are trained in early identification and intervention of potential
problems.
The
Department of Defence Allhours Support Line is available to all
ADF members (1800 628 036), and an Operation Sumatra Assist self-help
web site can be accessed at www.defence.gov.au/dpe/dhs/mentalhealth.
The
Defence Community Organisation and the Vietnam Veterans Counselling
Service is also available for ADF members.
