What does Anzac Day means to a young veteran? It’s a very loaded subject and one I’ve struggled to put into words.

I grew up the son, great grandson and godson of veterans of Malaya, WWI & WWII. Many of my dad’s mates were Vietnam vets. All these quiet unassuming men had one major thing in common, they never talked about it. As I grew older, I always wondered why but never wanted to ask. Perhaps that and other unanswered questions were part of what inspired me to enlist.

I was an Infantry soldier and served as part of Combat Team – Charlie, deployed to Afghanistan in late 2010 in order to help mentor the ANA soldiers in the Tangi Valley. By the time Anzac Day 2011 had arrived we’d lost Australian and ANA soldiers. On that still, cool morning we had a gunfire breakfast and conducted a small, short ceremony before heading out on patrol.

As we paused to reflect, I looked down at the band on the wrist of one of my mates that had the details and in larger letters the nickname of one of the Combat Engineers we’d lost. I thought about his cheeky smile and about how, at the lowest of times he could pull out a quick, smart one liner that would crack up everyone in earshot. I then thought about how we’d never have that again. One of the best of us was gone.

To shake that thought off I looked around at the rest of the platoon. All of them I trusted with my life and knew they had my back, no matter what. We then geared up and headed out to do our job. It wasn’t until years later that I realized how good it was to patrol alongside those blokes. They came from all walks of life but wouldn’t hesitate to give you their last smoke, last bit of tucker, last dollar, last breath.

I guess in a small way that sums up what Anzac Day means to me. Great pride that I once wore our country’s uniform and had the honor of serving alongside some of the best I ever had the privilege of meeting. To reflect on the stories of great heroism and also the simple acts of mateship that, as we listen to, make us all proud to be Australians.

But also, great sadness. That many of our best have never returned and many more who’ve left a large part of themselves behind when they returned home. They gave more than they had to give, not for glory or praise but for their mates and their country.

So, on Anzac day in many towns and cities we gather together. To honor all who’ve served and are still serving. Countless volunteers put in huge amounts of effort to enable this day to happen. Most of us aren’t very good with words or showing our gratitude but I want you all to know that it means more than we could say.

Maybe that question has finally been answered.