Multiple Australian Defence Force veterans have returned their medals to their local MPs after SAS hero Ben Roberts-Smith was charged with alleged war crimes.
Liberal National Party MP Phillip Thompson, an Afghanistan veteran himself, shared photos of three sets of medals that had been returned to him with letters, and Bob Katter, from Katter’s Australian Party, was also given five medals by a constituent earlier this week.
The arrest of Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, has angered many Australians and sparked an outpouring of support, including from Mr Katter, who wrote “I stand with Ben Roberts-Smith”.
One of the veterans said in a letter sent to Mr Thompson that he had “lost any trust I had in government”, while another asked him to please take the medals with him when he was next in Canberra.
“Bob, give my medals back to Canberra, I no longer want them after seeing the way they treat veterans,” read the letter sent to Mr Katter.
“Today my heart is bloody broken into a thousand pieces. What sits in front of me are not just medals. They are years of service, sacrifice, mateship and moments most will never fully understand,” Mr Thompson wrote alongside photos of the medals returned to him.
“They represent those who answered the call, who carried the weight of this country on their shoulders and who lived with the consequences long after the uniform came off. The pain in the notes kills me.
“A loss of trust. A sense of betrayal. A question of whether their service meant anything at all. These are not political talking points. This is human. This is real. This is the hurt being carried by people who gave everything and are now left wondering where they stand in the country they served.
“I proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with our Defence personnel and veterans. Always.”
Mr Thompson was injured by an IED while deployed to Afghanistan, and was elected as MP for Herbert in Far North Queensland in 2019.
Header image: Left, the medals returned to Mr Thompson. Right, those sent to Mr Katter (Facebook).
