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what kind of war they are fighting and call it for what it is.<br />
I do not think the <strong>Australia</strong>n Government and the<br />
international community at large has fully understood<br />
the character of the emerging and ever-changing<br />
conflicts/wars post WW2 that we have become<br />
embroiled in, for if they did, perhaps our politicians and<br />
bureaucrats would allow our Historians to better record<br />
and try to capture in words the actual role, activities<br />
and real level of: uncertainty; horror; and danger<br />
(implied or implicit), faced by the 80,000 plus<br />
<strong>Australia</strong>n Peacekeeper Veterans better and the long<br />
lasting impact it has had on their lives and that of their<br />
family members.<br />
While the level of risk in terms of individual harm will<br />
differ within the major deployment categories (e.g.<br />
combat, peace enforcement and Peacekeeping), the<br />
consequences of those killed, wounded, injured or<br />
suffering from physical or mental illness remains the<br />
same for individuals and their families despite the<br />
www.onlinetrophyshop.com.au<br />
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nature of the deployment<br />
And although the degree of probability of physical<br />
harm may be interpreted as being ‘of a lower standard’<br />
for those involved in Peace enforcement (A Colloquial<br />
term referring to Chapter VII of the UN Charter [To<br />
restore Peace by all means necessary]), and<br />
Peacekeeping (Normally within Chapter VI, using<br />
pacified means to maintain peace), the incidence of<br />
PTSD remains at similar levels to those deployed in<br />
combat operations. Stressors generated by the latter<br />
are readily acknowledged, but researchers point out<br />
that the inability to protect vulnerable population<br />
groups can also be considered as a major stressor in<br />
peace keeping operations<br />
In any event, <strong>Australia</strong>n governments should<br />
consider their responsibility for the continued health<br />
and well-being of veterans (and their families) exposed<br />
to potential harm during training and deployment<br />
through this prism rather than past approaches<br />
This paper aims to start con -<br />
versation about our cate -<br />
gorisation of conflicts and the<br />
effects this choice of words has<br />
on the support, emotional,<br />
financial and physical, available<br />
to our veterans and recognition<br />
of their contribution to<br />
<strong>Australia</strong>. Their job was done, in<br />
spite of the words chosen to<br />
describe the conflict and in<br />
spite of the risks which remain<br />
present across the spectrum of<br />
conflict. It is the responsibility<br />
of politicians and our military<br />
leaders to ensure that our<br />
involvement is accurately<br />
recorded for the good of those<br />
who serve, not to serve a<br />
political purpose.<br />
While popular culture,<br />
movies and books find it more<br />
entertaining to depict tradi -<br />
tional warfare with good guys<br />
winning against bad guys<br />
policy makers should be aware<br />
that this black and white clarity<br />
belongs to another age and we<br />
need to move forward in our<br />
thinking to solutions where<br />
every attempt is made for intel -<br />
ligent and humane solutions<br />
without massive loss of life and<br />
that is where Peacekeeping<br />
comes in and that is something<br />
which <strong>Australia</strong> has made a<br />
proud contribution to and that<br />
contribution deserves ‘fair and<br />
just’ recognition.<br />
COMMANDO NEWS ~ <strong>Edition</strong> <strong>14</strong> I <strong>2018</strong> 27
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