Speaker 1: Guys, very very special weekend ahead and I strongly urge
Speaker 1: people to get out attended dawn service swing past an
Speaker 1: RSL have a chat with men and women who have
Speaker 1: served for this country. We are joined by Captain Jeremy
Speaker 1: Smith this morning.
Speaker 2: Good morning, sah No, thank you very much for having me.
Speaker 2: It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 3: Thanks so much for coming in. First of all, it
Speaker 3: is and Zac Day on Saturday. What does an Zac
Speaker 3: Day mean to you so much?
Speaker 2: I think as a veteran, it's a day just to
Speaker 2: take pause and reflect on those times that we spent
Speaker 2: together in the militip but also those people have sacrificed
Speaker 2: all and everyone's sacrificed something for their volunteering for their country,
Speaker 2: both people that I've known and in people perform my
Speaker 2: time as well.
Speaker 4: So when you reflect, do you obviously reflect with pride
Speaker 4: and by the way, thank you for your service, and
Speaker 4: we'll get to that shortly, But do you also reflect
Speaker 4: with with a heavy heart and remember clearly mates that
Speaker 4: have fallen.
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, And it's not just and my story is
Speaker 2: more so. And I did three deployments over my time
Speaker 2: in the military. But it's those that are not with
Speaker 2: US post the military times. Obviously they had two friends
Speaker 2: have taken their own life, which I've had to do
Speaker 2: eulogies for which wouldn't wish on anyone. And through those
Speaker 2: experiences you see how many others have really been suffering
Speaker 2: in their post service time as well as those were
Speaker 2: actually physically injured during times of war. So they're the
Speaker 2: things that you often draw strong thoughts about, strong memories from.
Speaker 2: But it's just bringing that madship back, Like there will
Speaker 2: be guys you wouldn't have seen for twenty years that
Speaker 2: we serve with and it's like you haven't skipped debate
Speaker 2: and it's amazing just that unity through those hardships, a
Speaker 2: strong relationship.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you were just twenty four when you were deployed
Speaker 3: to a rock. That is like, you're such a young man.
Speaker 3: Do you look at your life now and go, gosh,
Speaker 3: I was just a boy?
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's crazy. So if you think about it, at
Speaker 2: the age of twenty four is in charge of about
Speaker 2: forty soldiers and the movement of every Australian throughout back.
Speaker 5: That wow, twenty four four year olds.
Speaker 2: And we were incredibly well trained, incredibly incredibly well drilled.
Speaker 2: But at twenty four. You just don't know. You haven't lived.
Speaker 2: Some of the stuff we did was stupid because you
Speaker 2: think you're just invincible. And I look back on it now,
Speaker 2: I said, you know, we'd drive past what we think
Speaker 2: is the roadside bomb and duck, which is dumb, like
Speaker 2: you shouldn't do that, But you know, we had a
Speaker 2: such a strong bondo and did some amazing stuff. I
Speaker 2: look upon that and I guess the opportunity I've taken
Speaker 2: from my time in the military from that point, and
Speaker 2: I did so. I served in two than four was
Speaker 2: with part of what was called Security Attachment now made
Speaker 2: mission was providing security and support for this train embassy
Speaker 2: and at that time it was outside the Green Zone,
Speaker 2: so we were moving the stuff and we didn't know
Speaker 2: what the meetings were about. We just had to get
Speaker 2: them from ade to be and we were taking people,
Speaker 2: you know, from the airport down the most dangerous road
Speaker 2: in the world at the time, route Irish, into the
Speaker 2: Green zone, which was nuts. But we had everyone would
Speaker 2: wait for our vehicles to come and follow us in
Speaker 2: because our guys were so well drilled and what was
Speaker 2: so incredible. But you know, you saw a rockets like
Speaker 2: with fifteen twenty rocket attacks a day. They'd use our
Speaker 2: building as an aiming point to get into the green zone,
Speaker 2: and all the coalition forces were When you first get there,
Speaker 2: you're diving for cover when you first hear it. Then
Speaker 2: after a while you realize which bombs were close to
Speaker 2: which ones weren't. Yeah, I look back now at what
Speaker 2: my kids are young, but you know, to get that
Speaker 2: experience at such a younger ages has such a formative,
Speaker 2: formative part of your life.
Speaker 3: And always with you, I imagine.
Speaker 2: Yeah, one hundred percent. So I did that and I
Speaker 2: was That was about five months on that trip. Then
Speaker 2: I was back and straight for three then I went
Speaker 2: again for nine nine more months.
Speaker 5: And then going back over.
Speaker 2: At the time and I look back on it now
Speaker 2: quite a bit. Actually, I didn't want to miss out
Speaker 2: because it was the first battle group deployment since Vietnam.
Speaker 2: Where to Second caval Regement, which I served with. We're
Speaker 2: deploying as part of the Amathono Task Group. Then we
Speaker 2: had a very different mission to what I did the
Speaker 2: first trip. It was providing security and to southern Iraq,
Speaker 2: so it was the threat level was very different. It
Speaker 2: was still dangerous, but very different. But everyone else was going.
Speaker 2: I felt like I was missing out almost but because
Speaker 2: of my experience, I managed to get on. So I
Speaker 2: didn't want to be part and I ended up being
Speaker 2: part of the advanced party. But I still remember driving
Speaker 2: across and we were driving from Q eight into Iraq,
Speaker 2: and I'm driving back through the desert, like, what the
Speaker 2: bloody hell am I doing here? Again?
Speaker 5: Like this is ridiculous. That's why I asked, because I
Speaker 5: sit there and go.
Speaker 1: A lot of people would come back after their first
Speaker 1: apployment and they could go either way.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Well, I think Lauren was just touching on that. Does
Speaker 4: it ever leave you? And for you, you know, some
Speaker 4: of your worst experiences when you got home. Yeah, and
Speaker 4: your mates just tell us. I mean, it's so to
Speaker 4: it can be so to do. It shouldn't be taboo.
Speaker 4: But no suicide in the armed forces. You know, you've
Speaker 4: lost two of your great.
Speaker 2: Mates and it's and I think that's why. And like
Speaker 2: you said, it is taboo, but it's unfortunately so common,
Speaker 2: and not just in the military, but I think in
Speaker 2: general life, but military instance a lot higher. But it's
Speaker 2: something that should be spoken about and Australian men in general,
Speaker 2: but particularly veterans are not great at asking for help,
Speaker 2: and that's sort of the message we're really trying to
Speaker 2: push out. There's so many great services out there. So
Speaker 2: I did a lot of work with Bravery Trust as
Speaker 2: an example, which is how I got the opportunity for
Speaker 2: the nsach of Game and they provide and that's one
Speaker 2: of many organizations that's there to help. But the message
Speaker 2: I'd say to everyone, just pick up the phone. Nothing's
Speaker 2: that bad in LifeLock. Through some of those experiences in
Speaker 2: the military, you actually see people that have got absolute disadvantage.
Speaker 2: They've had horrible upbringings that don't we don't sort of
Speaker 2: take for granted the privileged life we've got in Australia
Speaker 2: and they go through some difficulties but nothing stopping you're
Speaker 2: picking up a phone and calling you mate if you
Speaker 2: are having times that are down. And that's where I
Speaker 2: really struggled. I guess most it's the what ifs. So
Speaker 2: my first friend that took his own life, the immediate
Speaker 2: thing was what could I have done?
Speaker 3: And it's not my fault, but that's so often the case,
Speaker 3: right It's the people that are left behind that feel
Speaker 3: like they're the ones who are who could have made
Speaker 3: a difference. Yeah, it's also it's not always the case,
Speaker 3: but there is so much that I think people aware
Speaker 3: of their own responsible to their mates.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, and that mayship never stops. So I still
Speaker 2: have soldiers will reach out now and this is twenty
Speaker 2: five years since I've been and they still call me boss,
Speaker 2: which is a don't I'm not your boss, and Jess
Speaker 2: like no.
Speaker 3: But I imagine it is like a unique club that you're
Speaker 3: in and other people like for you to tell us
Speaker 3: these amazing stories. We can sort of imagine them, but
Speaker 3: we don't understand them, like return servicemen and women. So
Speaker 3: you are in this unique club where when you lean
Speaker 3: on those people, they're the ones who really get.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and they're the ones that will look. There are
Speaker 2: mates now that I could call all and they would
Speaker 2: drop everything and would come, and just that loyalty that
Speaker 2: makeship it never stops because of that bond. You serve
Speaker 2: in really difficult times and this and Garthur's the CEO
Speaker 2: of Bravery Trust I served with and he's had a
Speaker 2: far more horrific experienced with than I did. But we
Speaker 2: often we spoke at Pete's funeral, but we're only getting
Speaker 2: together at funerals.
Speaker 5: Yeah, terribly terrible.
Speaker 2: And then and through those experiences, you see and you
Speaker 2: see some of your friends that some of the most
Speaker 2: professional and dedicated soldiers are really struggling with PT this
Speaker 2: day and other things through their service or things that
Speaker 2: have happened to them since they come back, and it
Speaker 2: just breaks your heart. And you know, some of them
Speaker 2: we've spoken to you that you might be aware of,
Speaker 2: and they've shared the struggles they've gone through another's happening.
Speaker 4: Are the strongest of men.
Speaker 1: And can I ask your advice? Just going into NXACT
Speaker 1: Day this weekend, a lot of people will be at RSLs.
Speaker 1: We say, you know, go and speak to servicemen and women.
Speaker 5: What should we ask? How do what's the appropriate way
Speaker 5: for us to pay our respects?
Speaker 2: Great question. I think it's just thank you for your service.
Speaker 2: And it's not just the veterans, it's their families as well,
Speaker 2: because the sacrifices that the families make is massive because
Speaker 2: they're losing their support network for their own families and
Speaker 2: dealing with the stress of everything. But just thank them
Speaker 2: for the service. And everyone has a different way of
Speaker 2: approaching it. But some people want to have a chat
Speaker 2: about it and will be really open. Others won't because
Speaker 2: of their experiences, but you give them the opportunity. But
Speaker 2: if just saying thank you, it means so much because
Speaker 2: you often don't, particularly in Melbourn where there's not a
Speaker 2: big defense community, you don't hear it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's really two part, isn't it. It's you know,
Speaker 4: remembering those that have fallen, but also celebrating and giving
Speaker 4: thanks for the service. Do you think we're as Australians
Speaker 4: can be better?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd look better in many aspects of life. But
Speaker 2: I think it's a really good question around recognizing some
Speaker 2: of the skills for what military people can bring. Men
Speaker 2: and women that have served have got some really unique experiences.
Speaker 2: So if we go back to my own personal situation,
Speaker 2: like I was an armored Core commander, and there's not
Speaker 2: a lot of call for people that can manage a
Speaker 2: group of armed vehicles around the battlefeld in the corporate world.
Speaker 2: But I look at my personal like I was twenty
Speaker 2: seven and in charge of about one hundred and fifty people. Wow,
Speaker 2: in a war zone, Like you just don't if you
Speaker 2: went through any other sort of career path, you're not
Speaker 2: going to get that level of experience, and that's where
Speaker 2: I've taken and there are many people like that, more
Speaker 2: specific skills, but just that ability to problem solve, deal
Speaker 2: with adversity, manage risk and issues. And I know and
Speaker 2: this is something probably the thing I've taken away most
Speaker 2: Like I always look back at the sort of work
Speaker 2: I do now and people get flustered quite easily. Something's
Speaker 2: gone wrong. My god, no one's going to die. Just
Speaker 2: take a breath, let's solve the problem together. And that
Speaker 2: sort of calmness you can bring to some of those
Speaker 2: situations has been really available. And there's plenty of veterans
Speaker 2: in their families can bring similar experience, and that's something
Speaker 2: that's getting better recognition now, but it took a long
Speaker 2: time to sort of get that awareness across workforce.
Speaker 3: ANZAC Day is a huge day on Saturday. But tonight
Speaker 3: you will be at the MCG and you have been
Speaker 3: asked to light the eternal flame at the ANZAC Eve game.
Speaker 3: It is I find the ANZAC Eve ceremony at the
Speaker 3: MCG one of the most moving five minutes of the year.
Speaker 2: It's extraordinary. How are you feeling? Incredibly nervous? I don't
Speaker 2: have to do much except light the flame. But like
Speaker 2: you said, an absolute honor and it's not about mate,
Speaker 2: it's about the message for being the representative of all
Speaker 2: the veterans and their families past and present. To be
Speaker 2: able to do that, and I think it brings just
Speaker 2: the silence they have that many people. Yeah, it's the
Speaker 2: one event, whether it's anzac Eve or the ends of
Speaker 2: day game that I've never been anywhere with that many
Speaker 2: people where they're actually truly focused and hear hear a
Speaker 2: pin drop and that is just an amazing thing. When
Speaker 2: you hear the bugle sound and it's just incredible. So
Speaker 2: I can't wait. It's great to be able to share
Speaker 2: it with family and friends.
Speaker 5: I was about to stay. The family going to be there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm a little bit worried about my six year
Speaker 2: old and three year olds about making about them, which
Speaker 2: is a fair risk, but we'll see there we go.
Speaker 5: Did your old man used to play for fitz Yeah, he.
Speaker 2: Played Fitzroy so unfortunately didn't get the skill it he died.
Speaker 5: But I was about to say first time running out
Speaker 5: on the j Yeah, first.
Speaker 2: Time for me. I think I often give him grief
Speaker 2: because he didn't sign me up for him, so see membership.
Speaker 3: Never forgive him for that, No, but no.
Speaker 2: It was good even Yes, I had a great opportunity
Speaker 2: the Richmond players to share my story and they still
Speaker 2: remember the old man running around back in the day.
Speaker 2: But football has always been to be part of my life.
Speaker 2: You know, when dad came and he never is his
Speaker 2: claim to fame. I think he came fifth in the
Speaker 2: Brown Law in nineteen eighty as a centerf back, which
Speaker 2: is rare. No back whenever does well in the Brown Laws.
Speaker 2: We know became he wasn't invited, so they were freaking
Speaker 2: out and.
Speaker 5: I'll get ready, you're going.
Speaker 2: To come along. He didn't have a seat, I don't think,
Speaker 2: but then dropped off because he was injured the last
Speaker 2: few ends and he got his invite the day after
Speaker 2: in one, so he's never actually got to go. But yeah,
Speaker 2: it's always been a big part of it. And that's
Speaker 2: sort of one of the reasons I I always love
Speaker 2: the leadership aspect of the team aspect foot. Yeah, and
Speaker 2: that's sort of one of the parallels that you can
Speaker 2: often draw, like just looking up, do your role, look
Speaker 2: after the person next to you, and it brings people together.
Speaker 4: Which is which is why I think all those years ago,
Speaker 4: Kevin Sheety sort of came up with the concept of
Speaker 4: Anzac day footy because he could, in part see very
Speaker 4: a lot of similarities between the mate ship that you
Speaker 4: explored in Iraq for instance, and the matship that footballers
Speaker 4: share on a footy field as well.
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, and I think that's where you see the
Speaker 2: great teams, as they'll do anything for their mate. It's
Speaker 2: just that strong culture says so much, and it's probably
Speaker 2: the thing I miss most about the military. There's that
Speaker 2: team culture, like you'd spend so much time. It's not
Speaker 2: a twenty five, it's not a nine to five job,
Speaker 2: like it's twenty four seven through sixty five, So you
Speaker 2: spend so much time with each other so much, to
Speaker 2: the point I was quite happy getting back from someone
Speaker 2: performance and not spend time with an infigem the It
Speaker 2: is like you'll do anything for them, and you know,
Speaker 2: you often know these people better than what you know
Speaker 2: some of your family members because you're with them so
Speaker 2: much and you do some really dumb things together.
Speaker 1: But yeah, that we can relate to. Captain Jeremy Smith
Speaker 1: is joining us on the air. If you are heading
Speaker 1: along to the g tonight they ask you to be
Speaker 1: in your seats by six forty five.
Speaker 5: It's a huge honor.
Speaker 1: Congratulations on receiving it tonight, Thank you very much and
Speaker 1: most importantly, thank you for your service mate.
Speaker 2: Thank you all. An absolute wanted to be able to
Speaker 2: share the story and be part of the vent tonight