Captain Henry Stimson was our VIP Guest at Flag Day 2010 in Martin Place Amphitheatre, Sydney. His speech follows:
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys
I recently returned from Afghanistan four weeks ago. I was privileged to serve as an Engineer as part of Australia’s fight against global terrorism. I was privileged to serve along side other Australian men and women, both military and civilian, who all represent our Nation, putting their own lives at risk, in the protection of our traditions, values and mateship which we all hold so dearly to our hearts.
An Aussie soldier is identified in a number of ways in Afghanistan. Other nations instantly recognise our jelly bean pattern camouflage uniform and our strong and reliable bushmaster troop carrying vehicles.
But it is our flag that is ubiquitous on the battlefield. Every Australian wears a flag on their shoulder. Vehicles are seen with our Nation’s flag flying from the antenna or painted on the doors, and every aircraft hangs our national flag on the inside of its cabin showing each passenger who they are relying on to move them safely around the area.
Be it on a uniform, atop a vehicle, or inside an aircraft, the flag represents our Nation, it represents the Australian men and women who are risking their lives in support of this conflict, and it represents the country we all call home.
Aussie soldiers have always been portrayed as some of the most ingenious soldiers in the world. Our inherent ability to improvise with what resources we have often turns what could be a bad or uncomfortable situation into a great one. I would like to share with you one such example.
Afghanistan is a under developed, poverty struck country, in the middle of the dessert. Electricity and water are scarce, and creature comforts are hard to come by. On top of this soldiers have to burden the physical and emotional stress of operating away from home, in a dangerous, war torn and highly volatile country.
Over the years of this campaign the bases in Afghanistan have been developed to overcome this adversity and facilities have been built to boost the morale of the troops. Other Nations brought with them fast food outlets, coffee shops and convenience stores in the hope that these facilities would give their soldiers a taste of their home, and a place for them to relax and recuperate when they returned to base.
Whilst we had access to these facilities the Aussie soldiers still felt they were missing their part of home. So a couple of years ago some Aussie soldiers brought with them a packet of grass seeds and a BBQ. What developed was our 15 metre by 15 metre patch of thick lush grass, kept alive in the middle of the dessert by the water from our washing machines. It was the only area of its kind and the most sought after patch of ground on the whole base.
In true Aussie spirit we would regularly invite our coalition colleagues to our camp for a BBQ where we would hear non-stop comments about how amazing the grass was, and how lucky we were. It was not the donut shop or the coffee store they envied, but something as simple as a patch of grass and a BBQ with mates which everyone could enjoy.
Erected within our small patch of grass is our flag pole from which our Australian National Flag fly’s proud and high. The flag can be seen well outside our camp, and clearly marks the location of the Australian contingent, as well as the location of our patch of grass we call our piece of home. We not only congregated around our nation’s flag for our BBQ’s but also on occasions such as ANZAC day where we held our dawn service, and played two up and crown and anchor in typical Aussie fashion.
Some of the best times on my deployment were spent with the mates I formed at the base of our nation’s flag. Unfortunately, that area not only represented to me the good times I had, but also the bad.
Sadly, six Australian soldiers lost their lives during the time I was in Afghanistan. They were six of 21 Australian soldiers who have been killed in action in Afghanistan, and six of over one hundred thousand men and women who have died in their service to our nation. As a mark of our respect for the six fallen Australian soldiers we lowered our flag to half mast until such a time as the soldiers were repatriated to Australia.
I was fortunate enough to return to Australia to the loving arms of my family and friends, fortunate to be with you today to share my experiences in Afghanistan, and to celebrate our national flag as a symbol of strength, unity and mateship. These six men returned to Australia with the national flag draped over their coffin, repatriated to the sound of the last post being played as a mark of their service to our nation. These soldiers’ loved ones who cherished their lives so dearly will not see their husband, son or brother again, but will be offered our national flag as a symbol of our nation’s gratitude, as a symbol of their sacrifice and as a symbol of their service to our nation.
I cannot speak on these or any other soldier’s behalf as to why they decided to join the Army, nor chose to risk their lives in Afghanistan. Every soldier has their reasons. But stemming from these reasons we collectively form an Army, and a Defence Force which is founded on tradition, strengthened by the service men and women of our nation, and held together by the support of our family, our friends, and the Australian people. The freedom and values we as Australians cherish are the powerful aspects of our culture which make us Australian; they give us the desire to fight for our mates, to fight for our flag and to fight for our country.
Henry Stimson Captain Project Engineer 19th Chief Engineer Works
Email: henry.stimson@defence.gov.au
Unit Website: 19th Chief Engineer Works
