Service medal rules waived for Kabul airlift heroes

More than 400 Australian ­Defence Force and civilian personnel who supported the ­Afghanistan airlift last year will ­receive the Australian Operat­ional Service Medal.

Australian Operational Service Medal. Picture: LSIS Kylie Jagiello / Defence News

More than 400 Australian ­Defence Force and civilian personnel who supported the ­Afghanistan airlift last year will ­receive the Australian Operat­ional Service Medal after the Governor-General waived normal requirements that recipients spend 30 days in a war zone.

The move follows lobbying by the member for Herbert, Liberal MP Phil Thompson, who called for Townsville-based 1RAR soldiers to be recognised for their “bravery and restraint” amid the chaos at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton will present the medals in ceremonies at RAAF Base Amberley near Ipswich on Friday, and Townsville’s Lavarack Barracks on Saturday.

Australia managed to evacuate more than 4000 citizens, residents and refugees from Kabul during the August 2021 operation.

Mr Thompson, who urged Mr Dutton and Governor-General David Hurley to make the medal available to those who participated in the operation, said the decision was “a massive win” for those who would not have been eligible for the medal under the normal rules.

“They were short on time, but they needed to be recognised for what they did and the thousands of people they saved,” he said. “The Governor-General agreed, and so did the minister, so now these brave soldiers will be ­awarded the Australian Operational Service Medal.

“We are talking about selfless service to our nation, to go into such a hostile environment where there is no rule of law, where the Taliban use women and children as human shields, who killed the innocent mercilessly.”

Mr Thomson, a veteran of the Afghanistan conflict, said unlike when he served in the country, those involved in the operation had no option to call for help if things went wrong.

“They saw carnage and mayhem, they protected families, and they worked their backsides to rescue people in a very hostile ­environment,” he said.

Mr Dutton thanked the ADF personnel and their Defence and Foreign Affairs colleagues who participated in the airlift, which was one of Australia’s largest ­humanitarian evacuations.

“I thank the ADF personnel who, along with our government colleagues, deployed to the Middle East region to conduct the emergency evacuation,” he said. “I appreciate the extraordinary ­circumstances under which the ADF conducted airlift evacuations from Hamid Kazi Airport in Kabul.

“Working with Australian officials, they operated around the clock to evacuate as many as possible in a highly volatile and dangerous environment.

“Our Australian government colleagues from the Department of Home Affairs and Australian Border Force, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, will also be recognised for their work on the ground in the Middle East region.”

Anticipating a potential backlash from veterans who served in combat operations in Afghanistan, Mr Dutton said the evacuation “should not detract from the service and courage of more than 39,000 ADF personnel who served in support of Afghanistan over the 20-year history of Australia’s engagement”.

The government announced in the budget that it would provide an additional 16,500 places for ­Afghan refugees, bringing the number of places for Afghans in the humanitarian and family visa programs to 31,500 over the next four years.

The places are in ­addition to the nation’s 13,500-a-year refugee program.