cruiza wrote:
Must admit to feeling a bit sad listening to various stories and such, and then a bit angry, now I don't want to start an argument here but to me ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps, and was the name given the the soldiers who landed at Gallipoli. And the ANZAC spirit is one of brotherhood born out of war and hardship between Australia and New Zealand. But today several times and according to Australian Government websites it is NOT about celebrating the relationship and fellowship between Australia and New Zealand and remembering our combined fallen.
But about remembering Australian fallen from all the conflicts Australia has been involved in, New Zealand has nothing to do with it, now if that is the case shouldn't ANZAC be changed to AAC day?
I hear you, but they don't forget their own luckily either.
I've been lucky enough to work with the Kiwis in the Solomon Islands, Bougainville, East Timor and on an exchange posting to one of their ships and also through joint exercises over many years. I can't think of anyone else I would prefer to work with. They're people are motivated and professional. Welcoming and very human. They are not paid much, and their conditions of employment are not as comfortable as the Australian ADF, but they don't complain. They operate all over the world in peace keeping and humanitarian roles. Wherever they go they establish themselves as the hardest working and best on ground.
A large proportion of their defence force is Maori, and they have a cemented bond with the island culture with each base having its own Pa. Watch how they welcome home a soldier who died in Afghanistan. I think the humanity of the Kiwi defence forces speak for itself.
