IAmA retired soldier of the Australian Army. Served for over 15 years and saw action in East Timor

have you seen animal kingdom?

No.

It's a great movie, you should see it.

I'll give it a look some time.

Why do you think the atrocities in East Timor didn't get the international attention that other countries received?

To be brutally honest, I think the U.S did not attract enough attention to the situation (as it is known to make world atrocities known to the world in most cases) and the little care by many other countries in the matter.

Is it true that there is a place in a mans head, that if you shoot, will explode?

Hot Fuzz, I like it.

American here, just want to say you make your country proud! Thanks for making a difference out there!

Thank you for the respect :) I hope all your boys in Afghan get home safe and sound.

I do to. I have an uncle who is out there right now, i hope he gets home. I hippie you had a good new year!

Good luck to him. His a brave man for putting his life on the line out there. I too hope all those kids get home. Hippie new year to you too?

An American TV show called Manswers said that the Australian military can and will pay for female soldiers to get breast augmentation. Can you confirm this and enlighten us with a cool, relatable story to go with said confirmation. Thank you mate. I'll add that my dad trained with Aussies during his military years and the only thing it seemed he learned was "piss on the fire, mate. my toast is done!" He said it all the time.

Haha! Yes, female personnel, for whatever reason are able to receive breast enlargements (on taxpayer's cash). I must say it really did make the damp, sweaty and all round horrible conditions a tad more comfortable. Really gave us grunts something to stare at other than that strange moving fern.

Did you deploy a tactical BBQ at any point in your career?

I love this.

What is the craziest thing you experienced in battle?

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That's so badass. I'm American, but thank you for your service!

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Upvote!

Thanks!

I was in East Timor back in 2009 while I was in the U.S. Marines. Nothing exciting really happened while I was there. I do remember taking a picture of a little local boy in an Obama shirt and had a man use his machete to rip open a coconut for me. The Australians were real cool and funny guys as well.

Cheers mate, glad you didn't run into any trouble.

Can you describe the mission on East Timor?

Also, thank you for the IAMA and your service.

I'm not really sure what you mean, but I'll answer in the context I think you mean. We led regular patrols around a large area, basically keeping peace and making sure the enemy knew they could not launch any attacks without us being involved, at times, we also led offensive operations to dislodge enemies out of a certain hold out.

I apologize for that, English is not my first language.

And that was what I meant.

OK, next question: East Timor was a Portuguese colony before it became an independent country, and because of that when it came under attack it attracted a lot of sympathy from the Portuguese people and later military relief. My question is this, did you encounter any Portuguese forces? What was your though on them? Be honest here, no need to be nice :)

To finalize I'm Portuguese myself, and I remember how I felt, how angry we all did knowing that there was so little we could do all the way around the world, with our tiny forces and so little influence. I also remember the feeling when Australian forces entered the conflict and rocked their way into finally pacifying Timor.

I know it sounds weird but to a bunch of kids(I was... 14? 13?) in the other-side of the planet you were our heroes. I really can't stress this enough, thank you very much and give'm a hug for me, will you?

Sure thing man, things like this really do make him feel great. He likes that people actually do appreciate what he and his friends fought for.

We really didn't think of it as helping the Portuguese, to be honest we honestly didn't care whose land it was we were standing on. Our job was to get in there and do our job. We were told to help these people and that is exactly what we did. At times we would drive by a small pocket of Portuguese troops, they generally just defended checkpoints or repelled small attacks. We always had them on contact in case they were nearing or being overrun. But they could generally hold their own. Fierce blokes they were.

Firstly, thanks for doing what you did.

What would your father say was the most positive thing he saw during his time serving?

He always loved to see the young kids running after their vehicles. Smiles on their faces and glimmers in their eyes, he knew he was doing something to benefit these people. Also, back at base the commanders were extremely loose and lenient, they didn't really care if we started a bonfire or cracked open some beers.

How old is he now?

He will be 49 in a couple of months.

How did you rate the NZ forces in Timor?

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NZ and AUS will always have a special kinship, and as a NZ'er I say cheers for your service.

Cheers mate. We will. Always and forever.

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Mate, they are a blast. We see the Brits as well...Brits. We still have crowns and royalty within our military code though the Brits have nothing to do with us at all. We are pretty much the same only we are more casual. We generally just laze around at base when we're not training, and our CO's are usually genuine blokes who love to have a laugh. I'd recommend signing up mate, it will definitely be the experience of a lifetime. You can try the reserves, which basically means you're in the Army but you stay in Australia.

Pension, money etc aside, how does it feel to have lent your own body and mind to the decisions of a few, of which they only see you as a tool of advancement (military leaders, polititions etc) But, again all of that aside, you probably did what you thought was the right thing to do, so thanks for that :)

When it's put that way I can see the downside, though in when push comes to shove everything is up to you and your actions dictate whether your brains get blown all over the place or you get to go home and hug your kids. What we did was up to us in many many cases in E.T. The only thing we were really told by brass was to move to a certain location. The smaller decisions like were we patrolled, or when and where we would attack or defend a location was up to the officers of our section. Or one level above them.

1. Do you think the US military should immediately get out of Afghanistan? Why or why not?

2. Do you believe the US military is creating more enemies by continuing to occupy Afghanistan?

3. Why do you think the US military is still in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2013?

4. What do you think about the US military trying to have a permanent base on Australian soil?

1. Yes, I think through all the constant warring and stupidity the US must make it a priority to pull out of Afghan. They are simply too deep in debt to continue spending the way they are on military, unless they can un-fuck themselves right now they are facing certain doom, economically.

2. I do believe so, the US has shown with all these recent wars and support of warring nations that it will happily lob some missiles all over the place. People not just in the middle east but all over the world are beginning to become extremely anti-US due to all the constant violence and political uproar they are causing.

3.Because of the complete operational failure of the US armed forces, they do not understand that they are fighting a reappearing enemy and that no matter how many 'haji' they kill they will never have someone not shooting back, they are simply blowing billions. Using hundreds and thousands of dollars to level villages of civilians. They are simply creating more enemies as they kill them.

1. I think that, like everyone says, the U.S is trying to strengthen its ever expanding millitary influence all over the planet. To be honest Australians really do not want any US troops here at all, we just can't trust them with all the constant violence they're kicking up. When China or Russia finally has enough of the US and things kick off. We don't want to be in the fray. The U.S has military bases all over Asia to basically make a was against China easy. We would really rather not have U.S bases here if they are to go to war. So no, we are totally opposed to US boots permanently on our ground.

As an Australian I find the marines now stationed in Darwin to be unnecessary, bringing unwanted attention to us and generally increasing tension in the Asian region.

I agree, for the mos part.

Have you worked with many other nations? and if so then what would say was the best trained/most professional?

Have you worked with Brits? how do we compare?

I think the Americans were the most well armed and prepared for several situations, dire or simple. But I think the Brits were very organised, so many of them were under 30. And by under thirty I mean 22 or 24 years of age, despite their adolescence they were a disciplined and well trained bunch, lots of respect for them. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.

My uncle is in the UN forces, and he was in East Timor some years ago as well. That was some pretty tough shit. Haven't got any questions, just wanted to say thank you for your service.

You uncle is right, it was horrible. Thank you for your respect. Your uncle is a great man for the duty he has done.

I found timor a cake walk, but I had done somalia previously so

Somalia was a bit of a clusterfuck. Yes.

What state do you live in? Hot enough for ya today? Favorite weapon to discharge? Ever had to utilize CQC? Still keep in touch with any ex-operators?

You're finally oscar mike, thanks for serving.

Living happily in Melbourne,Victoria. Yes, it's been bloody boiling in the past few days!I spent time in several different teams and managed to get my hands on bazookas, machine guns, the lot. Although we spent the most time the the Steyr AUG by our side, I loved to get behind the FN MAG. No really, in most cases we find ourselves spraying into treelines or suppressing targets as we fell back or advanced, the enemy rarely ever had the guts to stay in a sustained firefight wit us. So no, never been in CQC. Thankfully (heard some stories though). And lastly, no, I have thought about it but it has been so long since those days and we lost touch much too long ago to make contact again.

We fire them this year. I'm not sure if they're different, but we're firing F88 Austeyr's.

Op. Sorry about that. To me Steyr is Steyr... But you are right, my mistake. the F88's are what I used in my time.

I looked it up and they look the same so I figured they just go by 2 names

I suppose the F88's are modified in some way to suit Australian troops.

Ever jump through the air while shooting a gun?

No, but I have run across a road firing a weapon.

Australian Army is pretty intense. My Father was in the reserves for 7 years. My question is how intense was the training in regular and/or reserve Army to prepare you? Did it work?

I think the best way to go is the way I did it. I joined the Reserves when I was just 17 years old. It was extremely casual and at times I was the only one present on certain days. Reserves allow you to casually train with comrades. It's a great stepping stone to regular army and will prepare you greatly for battle scenario. It was quite intense, but nothing you wouldn't expect. Things like crawl under this or balance over this. Swing over this and dodge that. It did work greatly.Firstly it physically prepares you for what's out there and secondly it helps you greatly with marksmanship. Your father would definitely know that firing a weapon accurately for a sustained period of time (especially over a long distance) is extremely hard and you will generally miss the target if you have not correctly calibrated your weapons sights.

I don't have a question, but I want to thank you for your service. I'm in the Australian Army Cadets and that can be tough as it is, so I can't imagine how hard it must be sometimes in the army. Again, thank you for keeping us safe.

Thanks mate, it was the least I could do for the people. Good luck in your hopefully bright future in the army. And remember, keep low and fucking go go go.

Haha I'll quote you on that :)

By all means, just don't get your head blown off and I'll be happy!

What are the current thoughts of the people on conscription as it was a contensious issue in the past?

Is Australia obligated to get into military/war operations if it disagrees with the crown or does the Commonwealth realm have complete autonomy in this respect?

I think conscription is an old method, for an old system. Gone are the days when countries were at was so often they needed every able bodied man in the armed forces. Although we are kind of obliged to help members of the commonwealth we don't necessarily have to. We are kind of a different version of the allies of ww2. We will stick together and help each other in times of need. God save the Queen!

Have you ever trained along side the Canadian forces?

No, I have not. Good men though.

What do you think of the recruitment push for US Servicemen to transition to Aus? Why not stay the 20 or is retirement time different?

Plus based on your answers it reminds of my time in the US Army. The Army is the Army where ever you go. Hooah.

I think the US just wants to strengthen it's military presence worldwide. to keep it's title of the "World Police". Thank you for your service to your country though :) It takes some guts to be a soldier. Hooah ;)

Not exactly, we are downsizing our service and qualified soldiers that wish to continue to be in the military can join the Aussie Army. Its a cost effective way to get the experience.

But why only 16 years not 20? is retirement different?

Thank you for your service as well brother

Oh, right mate, I though you meant something along the lines of "why is the US keeping troops in Australia/building bases their. Sorry about that. You are able to join the Army reserves as I did at 17. As far as I know 20 if for officers and 18 is for enlisted, it has been a while so don't quote me on that. The retirement, I presume is on par with the US. Do your service, get your pay and go home.

18 PSSH Lucky :) we have to do 20 regardless. But the one benefit is that for every year deployed it cuts 6 months off of collection. Instead of benefits at 62 you can get them at 61.5.

So I presume based on your deployment you could retire early with full benefits?

Again great information.

Yes, if you are deployed, you get full benefits. Though some unlucky bastards have not received theirs after retirement, not a clue why.

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Oh god, yes! It's on my dime but it's amazing anyway!

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No. We should not have gotten involved in their business. But I now think in the long run it was somewhat useful.

Did you meet Amy Goodman? She was there as a journalist & saw a crowd of people gunned down before her eyes & she says the only reason she was spared was because the murderers found out she was American (not Australian) & the Americans had made their guns!

No I never met her in person, though we did follow her stories closely.

Fellow Australian here. Just want to say a huge 'thank you' for your service.

Thank you for the respect mate! Makes me so happy to see that people appreciate what I have accomplished. God bless you mate.

How was the cooperation with the orther un forces, like the chinese or portugese? What's your thought about them?

I saw us all as one big team, although there was not much teamwork, as none of us spoke the same bloody language, we could not find much common ground other than fighting the same enemy. Though no matter what we always there in case of distress. I respected all the other fighting men, I knew their training (especially the Chinese) was if not more, just as tough as my own.

As an Australian, I'd like to thank you very much!

Thanks for the respect, mate :)

I know i'm late to the party, but i needed to say Thank-You.

You're an amazing person just for being who you are, and i have so much admiration for what you have done for our Country. Thanks again.

Thank you so much.

Would you rather fight 100 Lion sized Snoop lions or 1 snoop sized lion?

1 Snoop sized Lion. He's pretty frail and bony. Couldn't be too hard to bring him down ;)

hey man! us marine here, was on operation interfet in 99. did you spend any time on american navy ships?

No, but we saw them regularly as we passed by and we chatted with many of the crewman, good men. Thank you for your service :)

A friend of mine just moved to Brisbane, to go into some more serious training (I'm not to sure) with the Royal Australian Army. My question for you is, how often did you get to talk/write to mates back home and was it different when you came back from ET?

Not really, I spent time with family and friends all of the time back home, and when I got back it was not much different (other than the massive stockpile of war stories I had gathered) And we were never far from a place we could call family, it was fairly easy to get to HQ and request a call to family. Writing was possible too, but I saw no need in it when I could call family.

G'day

How ya doin skippa?

Hi there, thanks for your service. I'm surprised you (Hawkeye117) and your father are still awake, it's almost 0400 in Melbourne now! (Fellow Melbournian).

Right, so my question. For a while now, I've struggled to really find a true direction in life, I'm currently studying multimedia at Unviersity, but I don't see myself continuing along these lines in the future. I've been interested to a certain degree, about joining the police force or the military for a short time to get a different life experience and broaden my horizons, is this a bad reason to join the military? I ask mainly because I hope that most people join the military to protect our country and if I join to simply experience something new, maybe I won't be as much of a soldier when compared to them in some way.

Another thing to add is that I'm Asian. This seems an issue for me, as Australia isn't exactly great with the whole racial diversity thing from time to time. I honestly don't know what the military would be like with Asians, I've only heard of segregation in the police force, but that's through word of mouth and those mouths could easily be spouting lies. So the question is, do you think being a slim (My mental image of a soldier is bulky and strong), lean Asian would effect an experience in the army specifically? (I thought of the Air Force a while ago, most likely because of my exposure to the AAFC).

And a non-personal question on my part to finish it up, what do you think the next big conflict for Australia will be and how will it begin.

To sum it up so you can avoid reading my chunks of text: 1. Joining the military for 'experience' over 'protecting the country', would that change anything? 2. How would being a slim almost 20 year old Asian (Born here and raised) change how one is treated in the military (Army specifically). 3. What will be the next big conflict be that involves the Australians and how will it begin?

Bonus question: 4. You said you were in the reserves, did you happen to train at Surrey Hills base where the 401 AAFC SQN are based, with the Navy Cadets next door and the Army Cadets on the same base?

Sorry for the wall of text, again, thank you for your service.

All right mate, I prefer that you ask them all at once instead of making 15 different comments ;)

I think that the Police force is becoming much more multicultural and will continue to grow it's racial boundaries in the years to come, needless to say the Police will always want and need 6"8 thoroughbread towering Aussie blokes who can fight of a pack of wolves, when it comes to public affairs especially the Police are always looking out for ethnics, asians and africans (no racism intended, sorry for any offence) Also, in the field the Police is always looking to make a good name for itself and broaden its horizons, if you can complete the tests required and get through all of the physical training they have absolutely no reason to reject you.

When it comes to the Army it is not so much of a different story, if you are willing and able to complete all the tests and tasks they will let you in. that's also what the Reserves are for, let me make this clear mate, when I was in the reserves we did amazing things and never left australia (though we did leave the state many times) we flew upside down in Chinooks, we skydived, we fired artillery batteries. The whole lot, it was amazing and during my time their I physically became much larger and fitter. All it takes a tad of determination and some elbow grease.

Like I said, Reserves are an amazing place to get a taste of regular army, and you can leave any time if it's not for you. Reserves are fairly casual so you can continue your schooling, and if the army seems like something you would love to get into you may even go so far as to enter OCS and change your uni course to suit that.

Here we go. 1.Many soldiers I encountered joined for all kinds of reasons, no reason is a bad reason in that Army, as long as when push comes to shove you're not going to set your gun down and run for the hills. 'Experience' is probably second to none as the reason for joining.

2.I wouldn't at all, get the job done, don't whine or winge and no one will see you any different from..."Sargent. Adam Jackson, the guy who crushed the Viet Cong with his hairy chest" You can be "Private.Ming. the one who gets shit done on command, doesn't cry or complain, good bloke.

3.I think the next conflict well most definitely be between the current powerhouses of the world (Russian Federation, USA, PRChina, Central Europe) I think it will be a sheer nuclear clusterfuck. One day China is going to say enough is enough and take action on the U.S' constant bullying of smaller nations. I was not at Surrey Hills although I was stationed there for a small time while we did exercises there. I did not run into anyone but our mates, we were out a lot.

Also, we're up because you know those stupid-ass Norweigan,Belarus,Ukranian, Spanish shows that play on SBS all throughout the night? Well my dad loves those, I have no idea why, and I'm just sitting here asking him questions as he watches away. Also,may I ask which UNI/TAFE you're at?

Did you ever work with any American troops?

All the time. Pretty decent bunch of guys, we'd always have a laugh about each others accents, a lot of mutual respect between us.

Whats the most ridiculous stunt you guys did while you were bored?

I remember a person would pick up a sandbag, have everyone stand in a circle around him and he'd start spinning, well, you get the rest.

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1. I can't remember off the top of my head, buy there we obviously many U.S troops wherever we went, they generally just held the most secure points, though I'm thankful for that, if they had not done anything we would have been in a real mess.

2.I assume you mean the weather? (not the political and social climate, as in attitude) was generally wet, and damp. Some areas were extremely lush in vegetation and others were greatly built up and populated. I was there for about 3 years. (several tours)

3.When I left the army (30's) I moved into security, and have moved through several of those companies, a few years ago though I messed my knee pretty badly and can't do much physical labour at all now.

1. None at all. It has been long and my licence has expired, and contact with my shooting friends lost.

No problem, thanks for your feedback :)

How much combat time have you faced? I haven't heard much about combat including Australia

I'm not sure of that at all, but some battles lasted several hours and would end with a stalemate.

Ever been tagged? As in shot?

No, I have been injured several times but never shot, thankfully. I was there one some people were shot though, they were OK but it was not a pretty sight.

Any resemblance between Australian snipers and this guy?

That's corporal hillson! Where'd you get that?

Which battalion were you in mate and when did you join up?

I asked my father but he is really specific about his personal details. I don't know why but he doesn't want anything personal on here. I can't blame him, I'd like to tell you mate but he wants to keep it private.

Were the atrocities committed by the Koalas and Spiders true? Or was it just an attempt by the sharks to undermine the alliance?

I saw with my own eyes as squads of Koalas and Kangaroos burnt entire villages to the ground.

Seems like Australia. This guy is legit.

We also had access to Kookaburra air support and Dingo cavalry.

How do you think the ADF stacks up against other forces, do they get the job done better?

The definitely do. They really put a lot of though into the minds of the men they command. They try as hard as possible to not seem imposing or threatening to the people. I think the way it differs mostly from the American forces is that there is more mateship. We saw each other as brothers and best mates, not as much as fighting comrades

I am 18 Year old male and will be applying for the Australian Army by the end of January. My question is

Am I making a bad decision by joining the army?

Hobbies: Computer Gaming, Swimming, Recreational shooting, Gym with friends and love to camp and do hiking.

You're pretty much the perfect soldier mate, if you believe that you are mentally and physically prepared and able to join the army, then by all means. I think joining the army is an excellent decision for young men who want many experiences. In my first few years in the army I can remember going parachuting, sitting inside aircraft during air acrobatics. All kinds of amazing experiences in such a short time and at such an early age. So yes, I think joining the army, especially with your hobby set. Is a great idea.

Thanks for the fast reply! I've always been eager to be in the army ever since I can remember. I loved reading/watching about the feats that men/Soldiers can do and it has inspired me to try and be one of those men.

No problem, good luck with your dream mate, hopefully as soon as I'm old enough (OP) I'll be going into the army, or Police force.

Are aboriginal soldiers in the Australian army that common?

There are very, very few. If any.

First of all, thanks for your service. How was Kapooka? I know it was a few years ago but I'm thinking of joining and I just wanted to get your experience.

It was genuinely tough. But if you have the right mix of good CO's and mates to be with you get through easily. Keep your own morale high and it will be over in no time. Also I (son) am planning on joining the army too. Good luck :)

I'm curious how he feels about Australian gun laws. Most of the military men I know here in the US are fiercely pro gun and I'm wondering if it is similar in Australia.

A little bit after and during my days in the army I was part of a rifle club (which was made up of mainly military men). This meant we could constantly meet up and fire all kinds of weapons, if you can get your hands on a gun here if you are reliable and clean with the law, I do agree that gun laws are tough here, but I think it is better off like this. It protects us from many of the gun crimes the US experiences, the amount of teenagers illegally getting their scummy hands on illegal pistols is bad enough as it is. I think they are fine the way they are.

Thanks for the reply. I always enjoy some perspective.

No problem mate.

Why could your father retire after 16 years? Was he medically retired or some other reason? 20 years is the norm in the USA. Good for your old man though, I'm sure youre proud of him.

I am, I really am. After he came back from East Timor he spent a few more years in the army before he just thought it was time to quit. He now had 4 kids and figured it was time to focus on them. He went to his superiors and requested to be released. It wasn't much, the just let him out. He's in no physical condition to go back now though.

How did you survive the day before retirement?

Could you clarify mate?

Which other armed forces have you worked with around the world? And what did you think of them? If there's too many to go into each one; which was your favourite, your least favourite and why?

Interesting AMA, thanks for doing it.

Edit: Apologise if you think this has been asked before but if you feel you have anything to add I would appreciate it.

We did an immense amount of international training in Australia, countries from all over the world would meet up and teach others their special skills. (by that I mean the Americans would teach the Australians to do something they're good at, and vice versa) We trained with French,New Zealand,American,British,Japanese and soldiers from small Australasian countries. I think the men that I liked most where the British. They were immensely disciplined and amazing marksmen, I struggle to put it into words how amazing I think the British troops are. My least favourite would have to be the Japanese soldiers. Although they had all these gizmo's and gadgets they couldn't do anything right. They were very disciplined and all that. But they just seemed a bit goofy. We were constantly guiding them all over the place because they were always lost. But too be honest I cannot blame them, they were the group who had a majority of non English speakers, and their country is much different to ours. So I think if we were doing the same that we did in Japan, and everyone around us was speaking Japanese, we'd have just as much trouble. Thanks for asking though, it seems the questions have slowed down quite some bit. ASK ME THINGS!

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I think the Americans are always ready for a long-ass firefight, they have a huge surplus of everything and are willing to mellow in a gunfight and sit it through, they also have extremely well made rifles and other weapons, I think that we were much better experienced and put out firearms to better use though. I think the Brits were also a tough group, they knew exactly what to do every single time. Extremely organised group of men, excellent marksman.

Do you mind going into more detail regarding the training? How the training of international forces compared with Australian forces and each other?

It's basically what you'd expect. Crawling underneath barbed wire, criss crossing in and out of wood, balancing on a wooden plank over pools of mud. We also did lots of weapon training. every month we would go to the range and correct our scopes for the best possible accuracy. Also, when we had a surplus of ammunition that we would have to discard soon, our commanders would allow us to just burn it all. By that I mean they let us go to a firing point in the base and fire all the rounds. We must have fired a good 5000 rounds one night with two machine guns.

Did you ever get that "black-hawk down" adrenaline rush?

All the time mate, all the time. I loved those two blokes with the machine guns in that movie, the ones that turn deaf. Hilarious.

Did you have any 'panic' moments while in action? Also, thank you for your service.

There were several moment when we were under fire and I just didn't know what to do, my brain got tied and and I felt a bit lost for a moment.

What sort of weapons were issued to the Australian army?

Whilst I was in it, we used the FN MAG extensively and Steyr Aug with several different modifications. We also had bazooka teams motorized units, special operations and even bicycle mounted troops.

What did you do to survive?

Kept my head down, listened to orders and shot at anything that moved.

Guy from Britain here. Just wanted to thank you for being apart of what an army in a powerful country should do- i.e. help those who need it and stop it from turning into a massive clusterfuck. As well as being respectful of another country, whilst helping them out and leaving when the job is done to let the people live in peace. The UK & US could learn a lot from this.

• The Australian government doesn't have any particular enemies- right? So will the Australian Army be there to help out countries who need it? [Like in East Timor] - Particularly with problems in the Asia-Pacific region.

What do you see the role of the Australian Armed forces in the future to be? [apart from the Australian peoples' right to defense].

Thanks again.

We are known to use many of out troops in foreign troops extensively in south east Aisa/Australasia. The army will usually, after a disaster, send in hundreds of troops to rebuild homes, schools, government buildings etc. Our government sees itself as kind of the "daddy" of this region, we care for those around us when they want or need it. I see the role of the armed forces as,again, one of peace keeping/enforcing. Constant conflicts arise in this region and we will always be willing to lend a helping hand.

A mate of mine left yesterday actually to go head up back home to Port Macquarie (I'm in Sydney) and get his shit together before signing up to join the army. Registration doesn't start til the 7th, but even so, he's got a shitty ankle that needs to heal up before he can join.

Do you have any tips I could pass on to him? His parents were both in the army, and he's partially joining so as to make them proud. But he doesn't want to talk to them about it until he's already in the program and getting into the full swing of things.

Tell him not to go to heavy on himself, if you have some sort of injury tell your superiors immediately and ask that they give you some time to heal or make and exception and let you off with doing a little bit less. Never whine of moan, it will make people see you as unreliable. And don't see yourself as better than anyone. When you're an officer you can act as cocky as you like, but when you're a grunt, chin up, chest out and "Sir,yes sir"