Grief is the price we pay for love

By Andrew Stackpool

WWII WAAF veteran Dorothea Watson, 85, of Orange, attended the Victory in the Pacific 60th Anniversary commemorative service at the Australian War Memorial on Monday August 15.

Photo by Steve Burton

THE ADF once again showed what it does best when it turned on the pomp, circumstance and ceremony at the Victory in the Pacific 60th Anniversary commemorative service at the Australian War Memorial.

Their professionalism was equalled in spectacle by the low-level precision flypast of three World War II aircraft, a P-40 Kittyhawk, a P-51 Mustang and a Spitfire, followed by two F/A-18s and the Roulettes in bomb burst formation.

CDF Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, the Service Chiefs and dozens of other personnel joined the Governor-General, Major-General Michael Jeffrey, retired, Prime Minister John Howard and other Australian and foreign dignitaries at the Australian War Memorial.

They sat under the flags of all allied nations that fought in the struggle and the half-masted Australian flag and ensigns of the Services, but all eyes were focused on the 1500 veterans of the hell that was the war in the Pacific.

“We flew long sorties from mud airstrips, from bases far from any services and without even decent grub,” one veteran from No. 75 squadron said. “It was none of the up, down and back to the pub that was the air war in Europe.”

The service was held on a wind-swept and chilly August 15, the 60th anniversary of the Japanese surrender. It stood in stark contrast to the gaiety and celebration of the previous day at Lake Burley Griffin. As a link to the first VP Day, the service, including the hymns, mirrored the first service, which was held in Canberra on August 16, 1945.

In front of the parade ground was placed a huge screen, around which were artillery pieces, vehicles and other engines of war of the period. They are silent now, but just as relevant today as they were then.

Activities got underway when the Federation Guard and Royal Australian Navy and RMC bands marched onto the Parade Ground. They were followed by a five-minute audio visual of the end of the war, which briefly charted the war’s course and asked the questions, “Whom do we commemorate?” and “How do we commemorate?”

To the first came the answer, those who fought and those who stayed, the men and women who provided the support services to the country and who in industry provided the munitions, weapons and other supplies vital for the fighting men to defeat the enemy.

Led by Navy, a parade of the Services followed, each one led by a banner, the bearers fighting to keep them aloft in the strong headwinds, and followed by a period vehicle carrying ADFA Cadets wearing period uniforms. Behind them came a parade of the flags of the 20 Allied nations who participated in the struggle.

In his keynote address, Mr Howard spoke of the heavy responsibility that was thrust upon the generation that fought World War II.

“Their childhood had already been blighted by the ravages of the Great Depression. Yet it was a responsibility they accepted with courage and without any illusions,” he said.

“What makes this generation so remarkable is that it knew what awaited them. A war that was to have ended all wars had cut down the previous generation. And yet, when duty demanded, the next generation risked all.

“Why? Because they knew that if they didn’t fight for the country they loved and all they held dear, all would be lost.

“The names of 40,000 Australians who died in the Second World War stretch across 50 metres of sandstone wall.
Their sacrifice, and that of thousands more whose lives were cut short, is a debt our country can never repay.

“In jungles close to home, a new generation became part of a tradition of courage, loyalty and mateship forged on a distant peninsula 90 years ago.

“After that great moment of jubilation 60 years ago, a generation of heroes put down the tools of war. They became architects of the stable and prosperous modern Australia, which included reconciliation with former enemies.

“To our veterans, we honour not just your sacrifice in war, but your lives of quiet and dedicated patriotism.

“Yours is a legacy that says freedom must be valued, defended, and, where necessary, fought for. It reminds each generation that love of country is a noble impulse, calling us to high ideals and causes bigger than ourselves. It reaffirms our faith in Australia and its future.

“In our time – and for all time – we will remember you.”

The Young Australian of the Year, Khoa Do, called on all young Australians to never forget the sacrifices of the veterans. Khoa Do came to Australia from Vietnam in a refugee boat after the fall of Saigon.

“We left because my parents were scared that they would be arrested and taken away, just because of who they were,” he said. “This is a freedom that all of us here in Australia are able to take for granted, thanks to the generosity and selflessness of these men and women.

Drawing on his own experiences he acknowledged the support his family had received from Australians as they tried to build new lives here, many whose names he never knew. He said that these were the same qualities that
Australians showed in times of crisis such as their response to the tsunami off Indonesia.

“We must never forget what they did, their generosity and selflessness to give us the freedoms we take for granted, that we may live in peace.”

At last, with the wreaths laid, prayers said and hymns sung, the Ode, Last Post and Rouse, the service came to a close. Dignitaries departed, the guard and bands marched away in fine precision and the crowds dispersed.

Even then, the spirit of the veterans shone through as some, frail on canes and sticks, were supported and helped up the steps behind the Stone of Remembrance and steep grass slopes by their more agile and mobile mates.

August 15, 1945 is described as a time of “relief and jubilation.” The celebration by the lake on August 14 revisited a time of jubilation. This service was a time for relief, for commemoration and contemplation. An anonymous voice on the audiovisual summed it when he said, “We had the celebration, but we lost a lot of good mates. That is part of the price you pay in war.”

With the joy of victory, with the thanks to those proud men and women who came to Canberra, there is a sombre note, to think as well of those who never came home.

 

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