Joint Operations Command Remembers Its Fallen

Joint Operations Command Remembers Its Fallen

Headquarters Joint Operations Command will commemorate Remembrance Day with a service and the dedication of a memorial for the 29 Australian Defence Force personnel who have died and the many wounded on operations in the 10 years since the original headquarters was formed.

The Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Mark Evans, said Remembrance Day held a contemporary meaning for Defence and its personnel.

“In the ten years since the inception of Headquarters Australian Theatre, the precursor to Headquarters Joint Operations Command, more than 50,000 troops have deployed on operations. During this time 29 members have lost their lives on operations. They have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country and this memorial is a modest symbol of this contribution.”

LTGEN Evans said that Remembrance Day service would recognise the 11 deaths in Afghanistan, including the ADF’s most recent operational death of Private Benjamin Ranaudo, who was killed just four months ago, on 18 July. The service would also remember the 90 who have been wounded.

He said the memorial would also act as a constant reminder to people that visit and work at the headquarters of the sacrifice and commitment that Defence continues to make in the service of the nation.

In East Timor, Australian and New Zealand defence personnel will mark Remembrance Day with a solemn ceremony at Camp Phoenix in Dili. The Commander of the Australian Army’s 1st Division, Major General Michael Slater, will be joined by the International Stabilisation Force Commander, Commodore Stuart Mayer and ISF personnel to pay respects to fallen service personnel.

In Solomon Islands, a commemorative service at the Private Jamie Clark Memorial will involve a multi-national Catafalque Party from Australia, New Zealand and Tonga. The High Commissioners from Australia, New Zealand and the Great Britain as well as the soldiers of the Task Force and members of the 15 nation strong Participating Police Force, including many officers from the Australian Federal Police will be in attendance.

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of each year marks the signing of the Armistice in Europe in 1918. 330,000 Australians volunteered to fight in the First World War – 40 per sent of the male population. By the end of the war nearly 60,000 had been killed and another 165,000 wounded, the highest casualty rate of any nation that took part in that war.

ENDS

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