It’s a sad day as news has broken this morning that another 2 Diggers have died in Afghanistan. One was shot by a rogue soldier of the Afghan Army and the other died in a helicopter crash. This is on top of the death in action of a highly decorated Commando last week caused by the most cowardly of weapons, the roadside bomb. Lest we forget.
I was checking out the local online newspapers today and there is the usual wailing about how we should pull out and onsite polls which are showing that the majority of people think Australian soldiers shouldn’t be in Afghanistan. I don’t agree with this.
Australia has always rushed to the fight when we thought we were needed and I think our international obligations alone make it right this time. These fellows we have over in Afghanistan are not 18 year old conscripts who have been sent over against their will. The fighting arm is made up of elements of 2 Commando Regiment and the Special Air Service with of course supporting arms attached. They are highly trained and motivated for what they do. Most of them would not want to be anywhere else. I am privileged to know a young fellow who has served with the Commando Regiment in Afghanistan and has recently been accepted into the SAS Regiment. He is a very fine and decent young man and no ideoligist but he is of the strong belief that we as a nation are doing the right thing by being in Afghanistan. Our Diggers believe they are making the world a better place. They like what they do.
26 Australian serviceman have now been killed in Afghanistan since Australian forces were committed in 2001. The odds of being killed are low. Every fighting man worth his salt will take those odds. No one is being asked to go against their will. We should back our men, they are amongst the elite of the world’s fighting forces.
Of course there is the political consideration too. I won’t go into the discussions of why I think the fight is right on a public blog but I do believe the United States has been doing a lot of heavy lifting in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last ten years and they don’t ask for much except for some token support. They have shed a lot of blood in defence of our greater western society and although I’m sure they don’t expect it, they don’t get thanked for it. They are the eternal bogeyman. Lucky for us they are still around.
I don’t know how things will finish up in Afghanistan but I think our troops our due to be pulled out by next year or the year after. I think we owe it to our servicemen, our allies, the world and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to see it out to the end.
I was checking out the local online newspapers today and there is the usual wailing about how we should pull out and onsite polls which are showing that the majority of people think Australian soldiers shouldn’t be in Afghanistan. I don’t agree with this.
Australia has always rushed to the fight when we thought we were needed and I think our international obligations alone make it right this time. These fellows we have over in Afghanistan are not 18 year old conscripts who have been sent over against their will. The fighting arm is made up of elements of 2 Commando Regiment and the Special Air Service with of course supporting arms attached. They are highly trained and motivated for what they do. Most of them would not want to be anywhere else. I am privileged to know a young fellow who has served with the Commando Regiment in Afghanistan and has recently been accepted into the SAS Regiment. He is a very fine and decent young man and no ideoligist but he is of the strong belief that we as a nation are doing the right thing by being in Afghanistan. Our Diggers believe they are making the world a better place. They like what they do.
26 Australian serviceman have now been killed in Afghanistan since Australian forces were committed in 2001. The odds of being killed are low. Every fighting man worth his salt will take those odds. No one is being asked to go against their will. We should back our men, they are amongst the elite of the world’s fighting forces.
Of course there is the political consideration too. I won’t go into the discussions of why I think the fight is right on a public blog but I do believe the United States has been doing a lot of heavy lifting in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last ten years and they don’t ask for much except for some token support. They have shed a lot of blood in defence of our greater western society and although I’m sure they don’t expect it, they don’t get thanked for it. They are the eternal bogeyman. Lucky for us they are still around.
I don’t know how things will finish up in Afghanistan but I think our troops our due to be pulled out by next year or the year after. I think we owe it to our servicemen, our allies, the world and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to see it out to the end.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 