The Forgotten War

Monday the 27th of July marked the day, 73 years ago, that the guns fell silent on the Korean Peninsula. It was an honour to join veterans of the Korean War and their families along with fellow veterans, currently serving members of the Australian Defence Force, and numerous dignitaries commemorating the Armistice of the Korean War. 

Often called the Forgotten War, it reminds us why it is so important that we continue to honour and remember the almost 18,000 Australians who served in the Army, Navy and Air Force. It is through their sacrifice that we continue to enjoy the freedoms and way of life they fought to protect.

The 27th of July marks the cessation of hostilities between the North Korean and Chinese aggressors and the forces defending South Korea from a brutal communist regime. Although the fighting ended 73 years ago, for many involved, and for Korea itself, the war never truly ended.

Today marks the Armistice rather than a formal peace treaty, and those who served, and the families of the 340 Australians who never came home, continue to bear the scars of war and, for some, the ongoing battles within.

The occasion also reminded me of the critical importance of an organisation close to my heart: the Veterans' Transition Centre at Jarrahdale.

The Veterans’ Transition Centre

If you don't know the VTC, you should. Set on 42 acres in the Darling Ranges, it is a not-for-profit, run largely by a volunteer board with Defence ties, with no political or religious affiliation. It exists for one purpose, and that is to stand by our current and former Defence Force personnel.

It offers respite accommodation for veterans and their families, help transitioning into civilian employment, and confidential counselling for those wrestling with anxiety, trauma, addiction, grief and the weight of coming home. The kind of work that saves lives.

And the need is real. During my visit there a week ago with the Leader of the Opposition Basil Zempilas, a conversation with one of the Afghanistan veterans brought home to me again just how damaging the conduct of the Brereton inquiry was to the veteran community.

Whatever your view on its findings, the process left a great many who served honourably, and bearing the real scars of war, feeling diminished, scapegoated, and prejudged. For those of whom so much was asked by their nation their reputations were tarnished by a process that created reputational damage without a fair and just judicial process.

The VTC was, like so many veterans’ support agencies, left to help pick up the pieces, supporting good men and women who were re-traumatised by the manner in which all of this was handled. That is the reality behind the headlines, and it is a reality our veterans should never have been made to carry.

We ask an enormous amount of the men and women who tirelessly defend our nation. The very least we owe them is a place to turn when their service and the fighting is over. The VTC is one of those places and its volunteers and staff should be commended and supported for the amazing work they do.

You can learn more about their work at veteranstc.org.au.

Lest we forget.