On November 18, 1967, Private First Class Sammy Davis, wounded and under intense enemy fire, crossed a river to rescue three wounded soldiers near Cai Lay, Vietnam. On November 19, 1968, Davis received the Medal of Honor. The footage from that day as well as Davis’s citation were used as source materials for the film […]

by: Ian McPhedran  From:Herald Sun June 21, 201212:00AM It is essential for the community to know the true “cost” of going to war, argues Ian McPhedran. Source: The Daily Telegraph THE Gillard Government and our military top brass want Australians to believe that our casualties in Afghanistan all die quiet, dignified deaths surrounded by their mates. The truth […]

by: Greg Sheridan, Foreign editor From:The Australian July 04, 201212:00AM THE death of the 33rd Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan – and the 16th member of the special forces – shows the inadequacy, poor structure and imbalance of the Defence Force. The special forces are not just the tip of the spear of the Australian […]

The XM25 has a range of roughly 2,300 feet – and is to be deployed in Afghanistan soon. I would call it the “Equalizer.” Some call it the “Punisher”. The rifle’s gun sight uses a laser rangefinder to determine the exact distance to the obstruction, after which the soldier can add or subtract up to […]

An Australian special forces soldier on his seventh tour of duty has been shot dead in Afghanistan while hunting an insurgent leader. The 40-year-old Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) soldier’s death is the 33rd Australian fatality in Afghanistan since the war began and the first of 2012. Chief of the Defence Force David Hurley said […]

ROLLING INTO BATTLE: The troops of 1 Bde form the core of a 9000-strong force battling it out over the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Ex Hamel 2012. EX PREDATOR’S STRIKE: Heavy armour rolles across Shoalwater Bay for 1 Bde’s annual warfighting exercise. ALL IDEAS WELCOME: Diggerworks is about to start touring bases looking for the next […]

Fresh from operations in Afghanistan, a section from 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) came out on top in the Duke of Gloucester Cup at Singleton Military Area from 13-19 April. The cup, which was first established in 1946, sees sections competing in a range of foundation war-fighting activities designed to assess team dynamics and […]

THE RIGHT FIT: Soldiers trialling candidates for the next combat boot. MONEY MATTERS: What does the latest Defence budget mean for you? TRANSITION: Uruzgan among provinces to being move to Afghan-led security from mid year. ON PATROL WITH ANZAC COY: Join the infantrymen getting out to East Timor’s towns and villages. Click on the front cover to read the latest edition.

All Commanders and RSMs: I am writing to advise you of the measures announced last night in the Federal Budget affecting Army.  Defence, like many other departments and agencies, has made a significant contribution to achieving the Government’s economic agenda. It is important that you understand the scale of the ADF’s budgetary reductions to help […]

Dear Association members, I thought Id take a moment to thank you all for your ongoing support to 8/9 RAR, MTF 4 and  our families while we are away, particularly over ANZAC Day. I hope that you all had a terrific day and managed to catch up with friends and family.   Where we could we ceased […]