Volume 48, No. 12, July 13, 2006

Modern Military Heroes
Narelle Biedermann
Random House
266 pages, $34.95

THE mere fact that this book exists is in itself an incredible feat.

Modern Military Heroes is an amazing insight into the lives and actions of 13 ADF personnel who have been decorated for courage and gallantry over the past 25 years.

Author Narelle Biedermann has completed a “mission impossible”: she has been able to get the full account of what happened from people who have never told their whole story.

All of those interviewed have seen their actions as being acts necessary of anyone when confronted with the situation they faced, and as such, were very reluctant to talk to anyone about them. But their silence meant that Australians were largely unaware of what they had done.

This book ensures that people of today, and the generations to come, will know that the courage of Anzac didn’t stop with the ADF’s withdrawal from Vietnam.

Biedermann’s style is straightforward and frank, resulting in a book that can be read by one and all.

It deserves to be an Australian non-fiction classic, and I believe it should be required reading for all high school students to remind them of what Australians are capable of in the face of adversity.

– LT Cameron Jamieson