‘My son gave his life for our country’

A father who challenged the ADF chief to retrieve his dead son’s citation from his grave has thanked Peter Dutton for overturning the order to revoke the awards.

Greg Sher, a reservist from the 1st Commando Regiment, was killed in 2009, well before the majority of alleged war crimes by Special Air Service Regiment troops.

A father who challenged General Angus Campbell to retrieve his dead son’s Meritorious Unit ­Citation from his grave has thanked Peter Dutton “from the bottom of my heart” for overturning the Chief of the Defence Force’s order to revoke the awards.

Felix Sher joined the outpouring of thanks from veterans for the decision, which was condemned as a “knee-jerk reaction” by CDF Angus Campbell to the Brereton war crimes report.

A close associate of General Campbell, Australian Defence Association director Neil James, said Mr Dutton risked “improperly undermining the authority of the CDF”.

“Civil control in a democracy is a reciprocal arrangement,” he said. “Just as the military should never interfere in politics, ministers and politicians have to think very carefully before they interfere in what are military professional matters.”

Mr Sher, whose son was killed by a Taliban rocket attack in 2009, said Mr Dutton’s ruling, revealed by The Australian on Monday, was “a great relief for our family”.

Greg Sher, a reservist from the 1st Commando Regiment, was killed in 2009, well before the ­majority of alleged war crimes by Special Air Service Regiment troops.

“Our son gave his life in the service of his country,” said Mr Sher, who keeps his son’s citation in a framed display.

“He went to Afghanistan to help and support.

Private Greg Sher.

Greg Sher died in Afghanistan.

“He was upset about girls ­getting acid thrown in their faces, and women getting stoned.”

Mr Sher galvanised opposition to the citation decision last Nov­ember when he told General Campbell he could collect the award “from my son’s gravestone”.

“I commend Peter Dutton from the bottom of my heart for what he has done,” he told The Australian on Monday.

“It is unfortunate the CDF ­attempted to implement this recommendation from the Brereton report before thinking it through a little bit more.”

Afghanistan veteran Harry Moffitt, a former SAS sergeant, said the wholesale removal of the battle honour was never going to be popular among those who had received it.

“It was a knee-jerk reaction where the leadership appears to have panicked in a couple of the decisions they’ve made, which is remarkable in that they had eight years to see this coming,” he said.

“It didn’t go to one or two or 10 missions, it went to thousands of missions.”

The Sher Family at an Anzac Day dawn memorial service for their late son killed in Afghanistan. Barry Sher, Felix Sher, Yvonne Sher, Karen Goldschlager and Stephen Sher.

Another veteran, former SAS captain Mark Wales, said he didn’t go to Afghanistan to win awards but believed revocation of the citations had been poorly ­handled.

“What really bothered me was them saying they were going to ­remove the citation from units where literally 99 per cent of people have done the right thing, and then say and do nothing about senior officers’ medals,” he said.

“That is an absurd double standard. They really didn’t think that one through.”

Mr Dutton’s decision has compounded tensions between the government and the Defence ­hierarchy over its response to the Brereton inquiry, which flared ­almost immediately after General Campbell announced the citations would be stripped from more than 3000 veterans in recognition for their “collective accountability” for the crimes.

Mr Dutton played down the rift on Monday, describing General Campbell as “an incredibly capable and professional person”.

Former SAS soldier Harry Moffitt. Picture: Daryl Wright.

“I have the utmost respect for him. I’ve worked with him and a finer Australian you couldn’t find,” he said.

Mr Dutton said General Campbell’s order was “appropriate at the time” but needed to be reviewed “considering all of the facts now”.

“My judgment was we can look at the individuals who have done the wrong thing but their actions shouldn’t define the acts of ­bravery and the valour of the vast majority.”

He said his decision meant veterans could wear the award on Anzac Day, and “continue to be proud of the service you’ve given”.

Labor defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor said Scott Morrison and former defence minister Linda Reynolds had “left the CDF exposed” by failing to stand alongside General Campbell when he released the Brereton report. He said in the absence of new evidence from the government, “we can only conclude that the Defence Minister has decided to make a decision at odds with Angus Campbell”.

Mr James said Mr Dutton needed to take care to avoid a backlash from Defence leaders, like that faced by former Labor ­defence minister Stephen Smith when he tried to sack the commandant of the Australian ­Defence Force Academy over the 2012 Skype sex scandal.

“That almost caused a mass resignation. It was only that Smith backed down at the last moment that stopped that,” the ADA director said.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville. Picture: Max Bree