Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I remember. I remember the excitement, the anticipation and the hope that came with being accepted as an infantry soldier in the Australian Army. I remember the feeling of belonging and mateship and the pride in serving our nation. I remember the instant comradeship that came with our first deployment. We were 10 feet tall and bulletproof, driven by the naivete that only comes with youth. I remember the day we lost one of the best men we'd ever had the honour to know, Private Ben Ranaudo, who was killed by an antipersonnel explosive device in Afghanistan on 18 July 2009. He was 22 and had his whole life in front of him. I remember my best mate, Paul Warren, who lost his lower right leg in the same blast. I remember the guilt, the shame that washed over every single one of those who survived war. I remember the weight of reality coming down on us like a tonne of bricks. I remember the deep pain of knowing there was no choice but to wake up and keep going but wishing it was me who had been killed. I remember 19 October 2009 starting off like any other patrol to the Baluchi Valley. I remember the sound of ringing in my ears that was so loud I thought my head was going to explode. I remember the shame of being the one to set off the improvised explosive device that put so many of my mates at risk. I remember the darkness that followed, months that turned into years, struggling to recover from the traumatic brain injury, PTSD, hearing loss and alcohol abuse.

I remember that I'm one of the lucky ones who had an incredible life partner, my now wife, Jenna, along with many mates, who helped me turn my life around. I remember that there are so many who have been before me and have come after me who are not so lucky. I remember our brave soldiers we have lost: Jesse Bird, Brad Carr, Paul McKay, Ben Brown, Peter Atkins, Dylan Clark, Tristan Hardie, Daniel Halpin, Steven Fazel, Shaun Jenkins, Geoffrey Price, Lewis Shelley and many more. I remember their faces, their honour, their incredible pride in serving our nation. I remember the heartbreak of their families, their friends and their colleagues, who wonder how they're going to keep on living without them. I remember that we must do more as a nation and as a government to ensure this unacceptable loss of life stops. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, I remember. I remember all who have come before, and those who have come after. They are us and we are them.

This is something I put pen to paper about a year and a bit ago. It's the first time I have been able to read it out loud. It is challenging, every day, that we look around this nation and see our veteran community succumbing to the war within dying by suicide. There are reports in Townsville, Darwin, Western Australia and all around the country. It's a national shame. I have great pride in my service. I loved every day of it. But it kicks me in the guts every day after that we have lost more to their war within the we did on operations. Out of all of my injuries, the thing that hurt me the most was the invisible one, which was my post-traumatic stress disorder—not the blast, not being deaf, not the brain injury, but the invisible one that would creep up in the middle of the night. Many of my friends are still struggling with their demons today.

This house, Parliament House, regardless of the chamber, has a duty in respecting and looking after our soldiers, regardless of their call, regardless of their branch, because they have paved the way for the freedoms that we enjoy. If we can help one person, one person who knows that their life means something and that we love them, we need to work together to ensure that happens. Lest We Forget.

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