Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the 10 minutes that I have, I will try to be brief, but I am going to read the words of a very dear friend of mine, one John Leonard Davis—our mate JD, or the fat fella from Forrestfield. JD says:

Many Vietnam Veterans after their discharge from the army became truck drivers and worked in the transport industry. I had the honour of working with quite a few and found many had mixed emotions about their experiences, and who wouldn't they with what they had been through?

Many were only teenagers and in their early twenties. In civilian life, many were not allowed to drink in Hotels or vote as the drinking age was 21, as was the right to vote. Ironically however, even though they weren't allowed to drink or vote for the people who made decisions for them in Government, they were prepared to give their lives for their country.

I had many friends who served in Vietnam, and no greater mates could you wish for. I respect and am eternally grateful to any man or woman who has served Australia. That respect, of course, is extended to those who continue to protect us to this day. If it were not for them, Australia would not be the magnificent place it is today.

Many veterans travel to the dark side; many fortunately return. But sadly, many do not. Not only can a veteran travel there alone, on many occasions they take their families with them. However, I do not think for one moment that this happens intentionally. The dark side I am talking about has also been referred to as a journey to hell. I had a good work mate who was a veteran. However, I did not notice any signs which indicated that he was making that journey. One day, he insisted that I spend a Saturday afternoon drinking his favourite, Fosters, with him. We talked and he cried as he reminisced about personal events in Vietnam. A week later my mate was no longer with us. RIP, mate. You were a good digger and did your country proud.

This is just one example of thousands of people who come back from war with undetected cases of post-traumatic stress. More has to be done to support those who put their lives on the line for us. I now would like to ask for your help to support a digger that has experienced the dark side that I mentioned before. It is a comfort to say that he has overcome that journey and is now enjoying life with his family. I am campaigning for my very, very good mate Bill, who has been served a great injustice, and there are many more veterans who are in the same situation as him. The following is Bill's Story:

I first met my mate Bill 60 years ago when we were six years old. We went to a school called Forest Grove, about 15 kilometres south of Margaret River. The first day we met we shook our hands and, as any six year old would do, we cut our fingers and swore to be blood brothers and best mates for the rest of our lives. Up to this day, we are still the best of mates and enjoy a beer with each other. Bill's grandfather fought on the Western Front in World War I. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and received the Distinguished Service Medal for gallantry in action. He returned to Australia after the war had finished. Not long after his return, Bill's grandfather left his family, moved interstate and, unfortunately, became an alcoholic. He died with nothing and as a recluse. In those days, we called it shell shock and many a good soldier and man succumbed to it. These days, it is called post-traumatic stress syndrome and there are many good organisations out there willing to help those who suffer from it.

Bill's father served in the Second World War and was wounded in action. After recovering from his injuries, he was discharged and took up farming. Bill had four sisters, three of which served in the RAAF. The fourth sister was much too young and still in school at the time. In 1967, the Vietnam War was going strong, and, at the age of 17½, Bill decided to follow in the footsteps of his three sisters, his father, his uncle and his grandfather, who all served their country, and enlist to go to war. Bill tried to enlist for national service with the intention of serving two years including a one-year deployment in Vietnam. When he went to enlist, he was told he was too young for national service. As he was keen to do his bit, he enlisted in the regular army—still only in his 17th year.

Approximately six weeks after his 19th birthday, Bill commenced his 12-month tour of Vietnam as a rifleman and frontline soldier. Bill was selected as a forward scout, and any soldier who has had that task will tell you that that is not an enviable position to have been in. What my mate and many thousands of brave soldiers experienced over their tours of duty was nerve-racking, with many not knowing if their next step through the jungle would be their last. Vietnam was different to previous wars, where when you were fighting the enemy, most if not all of the time, you knew who you were fighting because you could distinguish them by uniform. In Vietnam, a lot of the time you did not know who or where the enemy was until they tried to kill you. Age or gender did not matter. Many terrible things that happened to our soldiers cannot always be imagined through conversation; however, when you see graphic images of the conditions our soldiers fought in, one can understand why so many Veterans suffered, and continue to suffer, from post-traumatic stress.

The reason why Bill volunteered to go to war before he was eligible was that he knew his father was on limited time with his health. Bill wanted to serve his country and then return to take over the running of the family farm after active duty in Vietnam. On his return from Vietnam, Bill requested an honourable discharge to return to the farm so he could run it. Bill was granted an honourable discharge with the condition that he be on active 24-hour stand-by for the following five years, should his services be required on the front. Many years passed following Bill's return to Australia and he like many others began to suffer from post-traumatic stress following his experiences in Vietnam as a frontline soldier. Bill was treated accordingly and, as I mentioned earlier, is still with us today.

Bill applied for the Australian Defence Force Medal, which is awarded to personnel in recognition of their service to their country. This medal, however, is awarded with certain conditions. Bill has tried and appealed twice to receive this medal—one of the more recognised of service medals—but has been told that he does not qualify for it as he came out of the army approximately seven months before his three-year enlistment period was completed.

Ironically, he would have received the Australian Defence Force Medal if: (1) he waited to be called up for national service, served less time and had not gone to Vietnam; or (2) he waited in the army for seven months to complete his three-year enlistment, which would have meant his father would have had to sell the family farm as he would not have been able to manage it due to his Second World War injuries.

Bill, having been rejected for this medal, which is awarded not for bravery or outstanding service but simply for service as Defence Force personnel to your country, has been told that he does not have the right to stand by his fellow veterans, many of whom he fought with, wearing a medal that says he is a credit to his country. The fact that he was prepared to sacrifice his own life in a combat zone for a period of 12 months does not matter. I have attended many war services with my good mate Bill and his wife, and we both feel for him and understand how much it must hurt seeing other veterans wearing a medal he should be entitled to as well, because of some rule that could be changed.

Bill has been told by the government, however, that if he is not satisfied with their decision to not award him the medal that he should take them to court. This is a very gracious suggestion from the powers that be, who would use taxpayers' money to prevent Bill from receiving the Australian Defence Force Medal that he and others who are in the same predicament should be entitled to without doubt!

Bill, with the help of the good people of Australia, I will continue this campaign so that on Anzac Days to come and on other commemorative days, you can stand with pride wearing the Australian Defence Force Medal in recognition of your service to our country.

I encourage you to sign my petition for Bill so that he and the many others who served our country overseas but who are not eligible to receive the Australian Defence Force Medal get the adequate and distinguished recognition they deserve. We will present the petition to the House of Representatives in the new year, where it is hoped we can get justice for those who deserve our thanks and recognition. My mate Bill is a third generation soldier. He was only 19.

On that, I am disgusted that one of our brave soldiers is treated in that way. To those that make the decision that Bill cannot have the medal that he so only rightfully earned and deserved: you should hang your heads in shame. If we are prepared to send our boys off to fight and die for our country, but we are not prepared to stand up for them and look after them when they come back, what a disgrace! I urge everyone to sign JD's petition. Bill, I will stand beside you as well, mate.