A video of the passionate haka performed by the comrades of three fallen New Zealand soldiers has gone viral, with tens of thousands of people around the world watching the clip. The 2nd and 1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment performed the moving tribute for Corporal Luke Tamatea, 31, Lance Corporal Jacinda Baker, 26,
Remembrance Day
Terry Sweetman can’t keep ideology out of todays remembrance as he talks of good and bad wars in a piece entitled Remembrance day silence a time to contemplate the pointlessness of-war. He starts; We should think of lives lost, lives shattered, lives squandered, and lives given in service of what good men and women rightly or wrongly believed were good and just causes.
It’s not a matter of guilt or innocence
If anyone is naive on the subject of international diplomacy it must be Harry Mansson of Clareville, NSW who in letters to the editor writes; THE amateurish Australian handling of the Indonesian spying crisis is beyond belief (“Indonesia queries joint security”, 5/11). Either we are guilty or we are not. It must be assumed that we
I’ll believe it when I see it.
THE Rudd government will today announce a $34 million improvement to two military retirement benefits that have been the subject of a long campaign by veterans to bring their annual indexation arrangements into line with the pension. Minister for Defence Materiel Mike Kelly will today announce the Defence Forces retirement benefit and the Defence Forces
General becomes feminist pinup
On reflection I am glad I didn’t serve in the ADF. I was in the AMF and a happy man in a man’s world with any number of men and woman supporting us line-regiment blokes. Under the current ALP distraction the Army Chief seems to be playing a role supporting the feminist agenda of Julia
Diggers being investigated for killing enemy
The Defence Force has confirmed it is investigating an “incident of potential misconduct” during an operation in Afghanistan a fortnight ago that resulted in the deaths of four insurgents. From the SMH The operation targetted a key insurgent commander “operating in and around Oruzgan province” where most Australian soldiers are stationed. “During the course of
Can the ADF last ’till September?
I note Defence Minister Smith is talking about asking for billions to try and fix the enormous stuff-up the ALP have made of the portfolio. I think you will find that Smith is asking for billions so the punters can see that the ALP are serious about defence. He’s unlikely to get it given the
Defence role changing?
AT least 1000 Australian military personnel will be home from Afghanistan by Christmas. Defence Minister Stephen Smith and Australian Defence Force chief David Hurley announced today that the big coalition base at Tarin Kowt, in Oruzgan Province, where most the 1650-strong Australian force is located, will be handed over to the Afghan National Army by
Complaining Princess
AUSTRALIA’S defence force has knowingly neglected abuse victims, according to a senior army officer who has revealed he was the target of a gay-hate campaign by colleagues. Lieutenant Colonel Paul Morgan told the ABC’s 7.30 program last night that the failure of Australian Defence Force management to adequately deal with his complaint was indicative of
Lest we forget
I attended the memorial service at the Bribie Island RSL yesterday to remember all those who have gone before me and was a little put out by the ceremony. The local school choir got up and gave us a rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine and the Priest thought it reasonable to mention Bob Dylan as
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