Defence officials backflip on stripping SAS soldiers of bravery medals

Amid a public backlash, top Defence officials have walked back a decision to revoke a unit citation given to special forces personnel who served in Afghanistan.

Defence officials overwhelmed by the response to their decision to strip unit citations from special forces who served in Afghanistan have backed down, paving the way for a reversal.

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds revealed “in light of the feedback” from veterans and the public, Australia’s Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Angus Campbell had not made a final decision on revoking the Meritorious Unit Citation granted to Special Operations Task Group members for their outstanding service.

On November 19, when the Brereton Report was released, General Campbell said he had “accepted the Inspector-General’s recommendation” and would “write to the Governor-General requesting he revoke the Meritorious Unit Citation” awarded to SOTG rotations serving in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013.

Chief of the Australian Defence Force General Angus Campbell delivers the findings of the Brereton Report earlier this month. Picture: Mick Tsikas

“The CDF did make some statements upfront,” Ms Reynolds said yesterday. “He’s assured me he is considering those further in light of the feedback that he and the Prime Minister and I have received.

“So we are listening. But, you know, there is no guidebook for this.”

It comes as The Daily Telegraph revealed veterans and former special service personnel were concerned about the impact of stripping the citation from the families of soldiers who died in Afghanistan.

NSW Veterans Affairs Minister David Elliott, a former army staff officer and peacekeeper, said the backdown would “humiliate” General Campbell, who “really should resign for embarrassing the PM like that”.

“(Former CDFs) Hurley and Cosgrove would never be out of step with public sentiment the way Campbell is,” he said.

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds. Picture: Stefan Gosatti

General Campbell released a statement on Monday night confirming “no decisions have yet been made” in relation to “appropriate options and approaches” to implement the 140 recommendations in the Brereton Report, which included a call to strip the unit citation from veterans.

“Any further action ... will be considered as part of the implementation plan, which is being developed,” he said.

The report found “credible information” 25 special forces soldiers committed 39 murders of Afghan civilians.

Let them R.I.P: Stripping bravery medals an insult to fallen

Veterans are pleading with the Australian Defence Force to reconsider stripping bravery awards from entire Special Forces units who served in Afghanistan, saying the “rushed” decision has “ripped open the scars” of families who lost loved ones in the conflict.

A petition calling on Australia’s Chief of Defence Force Angus Campbell not to revoke the Meritorious Unit Citation awarded to the special operations task group in Afghanistan has already amassed 55,000 signatures in less than a week, as veterans call for the same “case-by-case” treatment offered to higher levels of the military.

Former 2nd Commando Regiment officer Heston Russell.

Today, The Daily Telegraph launches a campaign, Save Their Medals, in support of the call for all veterans — living and dead — to retain their citation unless convicted of a war crime.

Earlier this month General Campbell said he would write to the Governor-General requesting he revoke the citation, given to about 3000 soldiers, after the release of a report detailing horrific ­alleged war crimes.

But the government has since distanced itself from the recommendation, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying “decisions haven’t been made yet”.

Former 2nd Commando Regiment commander Heston Russell said the decision to strip the unit citation was particularly harsh for the families of Special Forces personnel who died in Afghanistan.

Sergeant Matthew Locke, 33, was on patrol when fatally wounded by small arms fire from Taliban extremists on October 25, 2007.

Private Luke Worsley, 26, was shot and killed by Taliban leaders after he shouted a warning to his fellow soldiers during a battle on November 23, 2007.

Lance Corporal Jason Marks, 27, was killed by gunfire on an operation to take a heavily defended Taliban position two days after Anzac Day in 2008.

Signaller Sean McCarthy, 25, was killed in a roadside bomb attack when the vehicle he was in drove over the 20kg explosive on July 8, 2008.

“Where is our moral responsibility with the way in which these families are being exposed to tearing open these scars,” he said.

“They are hurting so badly. Where is the moral responsibility of the government to do what is in the best interest of our people, especially those who have already suffered through the ultimate sacrifice of one of their family ­members.”

Major Russell said General Campbell needs to “practice what he preached” when he committed to assessing commanders who received honours and awards on a “case-by-case basis”.

Major Russell has co-launched a petition calling for the citation not to be stripped, which has gained 55,000 ­signatures and 35,000 comments in just six days.

Private Gregory Michael Sher, 30, died instantly when he was struck by a 107mm Taliban-fired rocket that failed to explode on January 4, 2009.

Bomb disposal technician Sergeant Brett Till, 31, was disarming a bomb when it exploded, killing him instantly on March 19, 2009.

Private Scott Palmer, 27, was killed on June 21, 2010, in a Black Hawk helicopter crash. The chopper crashed coming in to land. He was one of four casualties.

Private Timothy Aplin, 38, was killed on June 21, 2010, in a Black Hawk helicopter crash. The chopper crashed coming in to land. He was one of four casualties. .

Liberal Herbert MP and Afghanistan veteran Phil Thompson said the families of the nation’s “bravest” who died in Afghanistan should not lose any award.

“They have done above and beyond, and they should not have to even think that something like this would even happen to their sons,” Mr Thompson said. He said the decision to individually consider awards and honours given to “armchair officers” who ran the conflict from the relative safety of a base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while tarring all units in ­Afghanistan with the same brush, was “wrong”.

Private Benjamin Chuck, 27, was killed on June 21, 2010, in a Black Hawk helicopter crash. The chopper crashed coming in to land. He was one of four casualties.

Trooper Jason Brown, 29, was ambushed and died from multiple gunshot wounds in a clash with Taliban insurgents near a river bank on August 13, 2010.

Sergeant Brett Wood, 32, was killed by a roadside bomb attack during a clearance operation on May 23, 2011.

Sapper Rowan Robinson, 23, was killed by insurgent fire after his patrol destroyed an enemy weapons cache on June 6, 2011.

“Men and women in supporting roles or in the unit were putting themselves at a high risk of injury or being killed, who have done their job well, are now being ­punished by the same people who were sitting in the ­airconditioning in the UAE,” he said. “These armchair officers … have no idea what it’s like to be outside the wire, having friends injured or killed, rounds going over head, then being told their units will have their citation taken off them.”

Labor Solomon MP and East Timor veteran Luke Gosling said the “overwhelming” majority of the special forces units in Afghanistan “served with distinction”.

Sergeant Todd Langley, 35, was shot dead while leading his troops in a raid on an insurgent hide-out on July 4, 2011.

Sergeant Blaine Diddams, 40, was on a kill mission against an insurgent leader when he was shot and killed on July 2, 2012.

Private Nathanael Gallagher, 23, died in a helicopter crash during a planned raid on insurgent targets on August 30, 2012.

Lance Corporal Mervyn McDonald, 30, died in a helicopter crash during a planned raid on insurgent targets on August 30, 2012.

“It’s devastating to strip it from those who were mutilated by Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) or killed in action and had nothing to do with these crimes,” he said. “Their sacrifices should not be politicised, or denigrated.”

The MP, who also worked in security in Afghanistan, said his friend Ray Palmer, who lost his son Scott when a Blackhawk helicopter crashed in 2010, would be devastated to have the ­citation revoked.

Corporal Scott James Smith, 24, was killed by a bomb blast during a compound clearance operation on October 21, 2012.

Corporal Cameron Stewart Baird, 32, was shot dead while trying to save a mortally wounded mate under fire on June 22, 2013.

Lance Corporal Todd Chidgey, 29, died from a gunshot wound in a non-combat-related incident in Afghanistan on July 1, 2014.

Lieutenant Michael Fussell, 25, died when he stood on the trigger of an insurgent bomb while on foot patrol on November 27, 2008.

“If we don’t treat this really carefully … it’s going to have a detrimental effect and even cost lives in terms of the morale of veterans,” he said.

Former 2RAR Platoon sergeant Justin Huggett, who was awarded a Medal for Gallantry during his time in Afghanistan, said the decision to strip the meritorious citation was creating an “incredible amount of tension and divide” in the defence community.

“You would be kidding yourself if you think this isn’t going to have a terrible effect on the mental health of the veterans and defence community,” he said. “Afghanistan has cost us enough, people died and were wounded serving over there, and that conflict is still costing us lives.”

The Department of Defence did not confirm if or when the meritorious unit citation would be stripped when contacted by the Telegraph.

On Monday morning Mr Morrison said a decision to revoke a bravery award given to thousands of Australian Diggers who served in the special forces in Afghanistan has not yet been made.

Despite Australia’s Chief of Defence Angus Campbell previously stating the ADF would accept a recommendation to strip the Meritorious Unit Citation from those who served as part of the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013, Mr Morrison said there had not been a final decision.

“No decisions has been made on that,” he said.

“And were decisions to be made on that, it would only be following a further process and that is where that matter rests right now.

“The best thing we can do is to ensure that we have a fair process that deals with this.”

Mr Morrison said there was a lengthy “process” in place to consider issues before the Governor General made the final decision on stripping unit citations.

“As always Governor Generals take advice of their prime ministers, and in addition to that I would simply note the oversight panel that was appointed by the (Defence) Minister to oversee the actions being taken by the CDF and the ADF in relation to actioning the recommendations that have come out of this report,” he said.

Originally published as Defence officials backflip on stripping SAS soldiers of bravery medals