New campaign to bring Diggers' wall home from Afghanistan (petition to save a memorial to war dead)

news.com.au ^ | 1st November 2013

[naturalman1975]

THOUSANDS of people have signed a petition demanding the return to Australia of a memorial wall built to honour fallen soldiers by their comrades in Afghanistan.

News Corp Australia this week revealed a Defence top brass plan to paint over the 114 names recorded in chronological order of death on the wall (including 40 Australians), break up the three concrete T-walls and bury the rubble at Camp Holland.

[naturalman1975]

The wall in question carries the names of every Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan and was primarily set up as an Australian memorial. But the men who erected it also chose to recognise the troops of our allies (in this case, France, Holland, and the United States) who also died in Oruzgan province, which is why there are names from these other countries on it as well.

The idea of this memorial being destroyed rather than brought home to Australia seems wrong to me. If the other countries involved objected, it might be different, but that does not seem to be the case.

Please consider signing the petition at: Our diggers sacrificed their lives for us - don’t destroy the memorial with their names on it.

One of the things I find most disturbing is the apparent implication that because our troops chose to honour their allies as well, that this makes the wall somehow less Australian. Standing by your mates is one of the most Australian idea there is.

[Venturer]

I can understand why Australians would want this wall brought home.
It should be brought home, but if it cannot be, it must be destroyed, broken into pieces so small that it cannot be recognized in any manner.

Better that than desecrated by the human filth that live in Afghanistan.