War Hero or Criminal?
Ben Roberts-Smith’s military medals, December 2011. Image by Adam Bourke, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ben Roberts-Smith, a former Australian soldier who was awarded the Victoria Cross, was charged on the 7th of April, 2026, with five counts of war crime murder.
But let me get this straight. You send men to war. Not to a boardroom. Not to anything else, but to war. Into chaos. Split-second decision-making, bad intel, human shields, IEDs, and the kind of pressure that most people, judging from Canberra, would simply fall under in about 14 seconds.
And then, when he gets home after serving his country, after wearing the uniform, after risking his life, and after being awarded the Victoria Cross (one of the highest honours this country can give), suddenly the same system wants to turn around and treat him like he was never a hero at all. Instead, like he’s nothing but a common, filthy murderer. When in this country, that is supposed to matter only once it’s proven.
But here’s the thing I really can’t get past, and maybe it’s because I also gave this country nearly eight years of my life in service. Governments are happy to use soldiers when it suits them. Very happy to wrap themselves in patriotism. Very happy, of course, to talk about sacrifice, courage, service.
But when the politics changes, when culture shifts, when it becomes convenient to make an example out of somebody, all of a sudden the men they once celebrated become liabilities.
And that should concern every Australian, because if you want brave men to keep stepping forward, you don’t bury them the moment it becomes politically fashionable to do so. You do not send men into hell and then act shocked that hell looks like hell.
Lest we forget.
Happy Anzac Day, folks.
Emeka Edwin-Nweze
Emeka is a podcast host, public speaker, serial entrepreneur, committed husband, and father of 3. His podcasts include Emeka Conversations and Emeka Unscripted.
Related Resources:
