Captain J.
Captain J : ANZAC Day talk – Army experiences including recent activity in Afghanistan
Captain J’s interest in the military started when he enlisted in the Army Reserves while at High School. He has now served 27 years with the Reserves which have a long history in Australia. He said when he joined as a teenager he had a romantic view of soldiering but reality hit once he started training. He served with a Commando company from the mid 1990s as a Team Commander and Platoon Sergeant until he was commissioned and then became an Instructor with a University regiment. He has been deployed to Timor Leste and has had several postings to Afghanistan. Captain J spoke of the changing face of the army and Defence. The Reserves traditionally rarely saw overseas service but this has changed. They train hard and participate in dangerous activities and volunteers join because this is what they want to do. They are part of multinational forces and work in a variety of areas. Captain J said although warfare, uniforms and other aspects of army life change, at the core the modern soldier’s values are unchanged, they are still warriors.