The conflicting stories of David McBride and Ben Roberts-Smith paint a bloody battle for the nation’s soul.

Under the thick fog of the 9/11 attacks, John Howard — ordinarily not given to vaulting, Churchillian oratory — delivered a thundering address to the Australian Defence Association (ADA) in late October 2001 on his decision to commit Australia to what would prove an unwinnable war.

Threaded with righteous anger, the speech inveighed against the “false criticisms”, “false positions and false attitudes” of anyone who would dare question or find themselves opposed to the purpose or conduct of the Afghanistan mission. It then declared the dangers of “passive indifference in the face of evil” and the need to “banish terrorism from the face of the earth”. The arc of history was, he insisted, at an inflection point, and something must give.

Two decades on, the longest war in Australian history would end in ignominy, having snatched not victory but defeat along with the lives of countless civilians and 41 Australian troops. Hundreds were also wounded, and the conflict’s human toll pressed a staggering 500 veterans to take their own lives.

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiU2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNyaWtleS5jb20uYXUv...