Fremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia

Young soldiers' deaths

On thirteen November I mentioned that the unveiling of Private Kovco's name on the Roll of Honour last Saturday had sparked another controversy. A former president of a NSW Vietnam veterans' association had objected, apparently on the grounds that the death was not warlike enough.

My own view was that Private Kovco's name was deserving of inclusion. He had been a soldier posted away from his family on active service, and he died in that capacity. I wrote that soldiers die in all manner of unusual ways during wars and their loss by whatever means is no less tragic for their nation and their families.

There was an interesting letter in this morning's The Australian which I think is worth reproducing here as a postscript:

Letters -The Australian - Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Deaths in Vietnam
For those who are interested, there were 501 Australian deaths in the Vietnam War. Among these serving defence personnel, 25 were killed accidentally, 74 were non-battle deaths, six were missing believed dead. There were also seven civilian deaths.
The figures include suicide (how many?), murdered (fragging) and death by stupidity. These are all listed (except for civilians) on the honour roll at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Chris Moore
Perth, WA.

There was a tragic death of another young soldier at Leeuwin Barracks last Friday. The facility is not far from my home. Originally it was used by the RAN for training new naval recruits, then the Army took over and it is now mainly an establishment for civilians doing the mundane clerical jobs that there are not enough soldiers to do.

The dead man's name was Trooper Peter Justin Gurdulic, and it appears that he took his own life. His name first appeared in the press a couple of weeks ago. He had fronted in a Perth magistrate's court early November charged over a 29 October matter undertaken in the company of a young woman. The incident had allegedly involved the restraint and sodomising of another soldier with a sex toy.

This other soldier had allegedly been involved in a secret affair with the woman. According to a 2 November 2006 report in The West Australian he had been invited to the woman's Perth home and tricked into being handcuffed and tied to a chair. She then phoned Mr Gurdulic, who went to the house. The police said they had seized graphic photographs of the subsequently offensive activities.

Both soldiers were based at Robertson Barracks in Darwin, but were on leave in Perth. Trooper Gurdulic was remanded on bail of $20,000 and a similar surety and ordered to be confined to Leeuwin Barracks while awaiting trial on charges of aggravated sexual penetration without consent and unlawful detention. The woman was facing similar charges. Presumably, the shame of the incident overcame Trooper Gurdulic.

I see it as a tragedy that all three of these people were 19 years old. We have had a lot of young people of about that age getting into trouble in Australia. Since the age of consent was lowered from 21 to 18 they have less time to develop into what we call maturity.

I suppose too that Trooper Gurdulic has left behind a shocked and bewildered family. I feel very sorry for his parents, wherever they may be.

I can hear our youngest daughter (8) in another room singing the Christmas carol, Away in a manger... We all need more of such beautiful things in our lives.

© MMVI Paul R. Weaver.

About the writer

Check out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21st century Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to write a couple of million words.

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