By BRIDGET COOK
ANZAC Day holds a special place in the heart of Australian Army Major Ben Smith.
It not only gives him a chance to honour the sacrifices made by war veterans in the past, but also those made by his generation – his friends and fellow servicemen.
And the Cranbourne man knows well what some of those sacrifices are having served in the Australian Army for the past 10 years.
“Anzac Day means mateship and recognizing the sacrifices made by my generation and those in the past in the service of our great country,” he said.
“Get out there to local Anzac services and celebrate the safe return of these guys from whichever deployment they’ve been on.
“It’s a small way to say thanks and to show your respect for them and for those who have not come home.”
Major Smith said having been in the Army himself, the meaning of the day had changed for him.
“It’s strange to think that a veteran these days can be younger than I am,” he said.
“We have soldiers returning from combat operations in Afghanistan at the age of 19 in some cases.
“So what a veteran is has changed dramatically since I was kid looking up to veterans on Anzac Days past.
“They are a wealth of knowledge and some of the most down to earth folks you’ll ever meet.”
Major Smith joined the Army when he was 17-years-old after completing his VCE at Cranbourne Christian College.
He was accepted to the Royal Military College for 18 months for officer training and graduated on his 19th birthday into the Royal Australian Corps of Transport as a lieutenant.
In 2003 he served in the Solomon Islands for six month on Operation ANODE, where he was a watch keeper in the operations cell.
In 2006 he was promoted to captain and posted as senior defence interviewer in Defence Force Recruiting.
For eight months in 2010 he served in East Timor where he was in charge of one of the forward operating bases in Dili.
Major Smith was the leader of more than 50 soldiers who provided medical, logistic, transport and supply support for the Australian-led International Stabilisation Force.
In January this year he was promoted to the rank of major and posted as the executive officer of the Air Movements Training and Development Unit, RAAF Base Richmond, where he will remain for the next two years.
Major Smith said he’d wanted to join the Army since he was a child.
“As a kid, I loved playing with toy soldiers, reading books and watching movies about wars and famous battles throughout history,” he said.
“I joined the Army Cadets when I was 12-years-old, through until I joined the army at 17, and that just confirmed in my mind that serving in defence was what I wanted to do.
“I also have some family history in the British Army and Air Force which means quite a lot to me, too.”
