By Anu Hasbold
If you ever wondered how the investigative journalists at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald uncover hidden truths – locating and persuading sources to speak out – it’s worth listening to award-winning reporter Nick McKenzie, on the story of Dusty Miller.
Miller was a combat medic with the elite Special Air Service Regiment, on an operation in southern Afghanistan in 2012 during which a civilian – Haji Sardar, a farmer with seven children – was shot in the leg. Miller treated and stabilised Sardar, before the Afghani was taken away by an SAS soldier. “Then came the moment that has in many ways defined Dusty’s life ever since,” says McKenzie. “This SAS soldier – according to Dusty – took this man around the corner, and murdered him.”
Dusty Miller, a member of the Special Air Service Regiment and a combat medic, served in Afghanistan in 2012 on a mission that has defined his life ever since.
Caught up in a war crime, Miller later blew the whistle, which culminated in a late-June Good Weekend cover story: One Last Mission. McKenzie spoke at length about the piece with Good Weekend senior writer Konrad Marshall on the latest episode of Good Weekend Talks. The podcast takes a deep dive into the definitive stories of the day, and this week examines not only a shocking military cover-up, but also how a journalist approaches someone like Miller to tell his story, on the record, with such candour.
“The first thing you do is you don’t get him to tell his story on the record, with candour. You create a genuine connection,” says McKenzie. “I can proudly say that the biggest thing to come out of this story, for me, has been making a friend for life in Dusty.”
The piece itself examines what was not an isolated incident, but one of many atrocities uncovered in a sweeping inquiry into the conduct of Australian armed forces. In the podcast, McKenzie points out that the vast number of SAS soldiers are “terrific operators, highly professional”, but a small number have committed heinous acts on innocent civilians: “Killing for killing’s sake became – for a small number – the reason they were there.”
Tribal elder Hamidi, centre, with two of Haji Sardar's seven children, Abdul, left, and Hazratullah.Credit: Richard Malone
“Yet those soldiers don’t operate in a vacuum,” he adds. “And the critical question is how this shocking egregious conduct – these bad acts – happen over and over again? Who up the chain of command knew about it?”
Those answers are coming, with a finalised report expected to be handed to the military top brass shortly. McKenzie says expulsions from the military are expected, as are potential criminal charges. The fallout could be catastrophic, but is already being felt by Miller.
Marshall, who has also written extensively on the plight of veterans, noted the devastating psychological wounds that accompany post-traumatic stress disorder. “Returned soldiers often report hypervigilance, constantly scanning public spaces for threats, compulsively checking blind spots, jumping every time a car backfires,” says Marshall. “For Dusty, it sounds more like he couldn't shake what had happened to this particular man under his care.”
McKenzie has been with Miller during such “dark moments”, including a tram trip one day. “I saw Dusty sweating – absolutely sweating gallons – from his forehead. And he was agitated and he was nervous. It was like he was back in the battle zone. I could feel those walls pressing in on him.”
The podcast discussion examines everything from Miller’s treatment regime to his pride in his service, whilst also looking at the pleasure and challenge presented to McKenzie in producing a long-form narrative in tandem with an on-camera investigation for 60 Minutes. The high point, he says, came immediately after Miller was able to meet two of Sardar’s sons by video link, and apologise to them.
“Afterwards, when the cameras had stopped rolling, I had tears in my eyes and I hugged Dusty,” says McKenzie. “It was an overwhelming, discombobulating, emotional, full-on experience that everyone in that room felt.”
“But is he healed?” McKenzie asks. “No. I think we’ve just had a glimpse into one man’s journey that will be difficult for the rest of his days.”
To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.