LTGEN Morrison spoke on the 113th anniversary of the founding of the Australian Army.
Around the nation your mates, your brothers and sisters in arms, are pausing to reflect on what it means to be an Australian soldier, on the unique nature of the profession of arms which sets us apart from those who devote their lives to the path of ease, comfort affluence, prestige and fame.
A wise man once wrote that people in free societies sleep safe in their beds at night because rough men stand vigil in the darkness to visit violence on those would do us harm. You have now joined the ranks of those men and women, who have stood that lonely vigil against our foes since 1901. You are now part of the great narrative of the Australian soldier and service to the nation.
Soldiers are respected by their compatriots but should not derive from this respect ‘a false sense of self-importance’. He assured the soldiers assembled that
you have added you own distinctive chapter to the legend of the ANZACs. You have joined that long, loping column stretching back in memory’s eye through the mist of time, of those who have worn the slouch hat and Rising Sun badge abroad in the service of their country…
And never let any one tell you that you did not make a difference in Afghanistan nor that your service meant less than veterans from the Great Wars that fire the imagination of our nation. Duty faithfully executed with integrity to defend the vulnerable is always noble – always!
He concluded by eschewing the glorification or glamourisation of war and urged soldiers who needed help after their deployment to seek it and to help their mates.
See also the remarks of the Prime Minister on the same occasion.
