Australian War Memorial video promoting female involvement slammed by veterans

A MUSIC video promoting female involvement and equality in the Defence Forces has become a laughing stock among veterans, with the “embarrassing” and “insulting” production drawing unwanted attention from US military media. WATCH THE VIDEO.

• Medals on the left: Women veterans on Anzac Day
• Women take the lead in Sydney Anzac Day march

AUSTRALIA’S war memorial director has taken responsibility for a song meant to promote female involvement in the Defence Forces that has been slammed as “cringe-worthy” and “embarrassing”.

The song On the Left and accompanying video, released for Remembrance Day, has been criticised in veterans’ social media groups and has even copped flack from US military media.

AWM director Brendan Nelson said the aim was to help stop women veterans from being wrongly challenged about wearing their medals on the left because of an assumption that the medals were actually a family members and not their own.

Women from the Defence Forces are depicted wearing medals on their left during the video. Source: YouTube

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Someone else’s medals should be worn on the right.

“I think there’s a place for a song that challenges this,” Dr Nelson said.

The video, in particular, has however been poorly received among veterans who have take to social media to label it “insulting”, “cringe-worthy” and “a big joke”.

“Not only is this wildly patronising you’ve provided more ammunition for those who like to mock the service of women,” one woman said on the Australian War Memorial Facebook page.

The video is being ridiculed by veterans on social media. Source: YouTube

Australian War Memorial director Brendan Nelson has taken responsibility for the song. Source: YouTube

Veterans’ community social media pages also shared dozens of memes mocking the video.

US news service MilitaryNews described it as Australia throwing its “hat into the ring of military rock fire, rolling out a smash hit so intense it nearly resurrected Ronnie James Dio from the silver mountain”.

“Truthfully, that was 3 minutes and 45 seconds of pure agony,” the article ended.

Dr Nelson said that any “anger, frustration or indignation” about the song and video should be directed at him because it was his idea in an attempt to promote the feminist cause.

One of the memes ridiculing the song on social media. Source: Facebook.

“There two things people need to remember is this was about challenging a social problem that’s still far too prevalent and it’s a music video not a documentary,” he said.

Dr Nelson believed the backlash was being fuelled by three key issues: people are angry about the direction of the ADF in recent years, some people don’t want women to get a profile and others just don’t like the song.

The production of the song and video, which was part of the album After the War, cost $50,000 which was raised directly through a small number of major donors.

All proceeds are from the album are directed back to the AWM for its efforts helping young veterans and their families.