Former commander questions diggers' role in Afghanistan

26 Sep 2012, 6:32 pm   -   Source: SBS/AAP
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Army commanders are undergoing preparations to resume joint activities with local troops in Afghanistan, but Major General John Cantwell has questioned whether the high human cost is worth it.

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Army commanders are undergoing preparations to resume joint activities with local troops in Afghanistan.

But Australia's former top commander in the region has criticised the government and questioned whether the high human cost is worth it.

Retired Major-General John Cantwell was the commanding officer of the Australian forces in Afghanistan in 2010. He told SBS the likelihood of a successful conclusion is incredibly low.

Earlier today, when former army chief Peter Leahy launched the major general's new book, Exit Wounds, in the timber-panelled dining room of Canberra's Royal Military College, most of the talk was about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - the debilitating mental condition Major General Cantwell suffered for 20 years and which cut short his 38-year military career when he was in the running to be the next army chief.

He ended up in a psychiatric ward.

"I have no mortgage on pain or hurt and sadness associated with losing friends and soldiers and colleagues," Major General Cantwell said.

"I have got no mortgage on the effects of PTSD. It's a prevalent and deeply troubling complaint. It is wounding by stealth. You can't see where the injury goes in, but you can certainly feel its effects."

Major General Cantwell's book tells the story of how he joined the army as a private in 1974, rose through the ranks and served in the 1991 Gulf war and again in Iraq following the 2003 invasion.

In 2010, he commanded all Australian troops in the Middle East. Ten Australian soldiers died in Afghanistan on his watch, and he personally farewelled each of them in the morgue at the Australian base in the United Arab Emirates on route back home.

He still questions the human cost of the Afghanistan mission.

"There is no doubt the courage and endurance and remarkable skills of our soldiers and sailors and airmen have produced good results in our little part of Afghanistan," he said.

"What I do say, though, is the human cost has been terrible. When one compares the loss of a human life, the life of so many, 38 Australians, and compare that against what we have achieved, it is a very very high price to pay.

Defence force chief General David Hurley said defence had done a lot of work to address PTSD.

But for some the stigma remains, with soldiers reluctant to come forward because of fears their careers will suffer.

"What I really felt we needed, and John provided an answer there, was for someone of seniority and significant experience to come forward and say, `Hey, it's okay to be open about this,'" General Hurley told reporters.

"The support is there. You need to reach out. Sometimes we can't get in unless you have reached out."

(Exit Wounds: One Australian's War on Terror by Major General John Cantwell with Greg Bearup, Melbourne University Press).

Watch Anton Enus' interview with John Cantwell:

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Your Comments

Thankyou

Fiona Coogan - from Camperdown, 8 months ago

I think I'd really like to hear more from General John Cantwell. Thank you for what you said. I hope to read your book shortly.

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