Melbourne was still dark, under a light rain and with a temperature of 8 degrees Celsius, but these conditions did not stop thousands of Melbourne residents congregating at the Shrine of Remembrance, a national monument in the town center. It was 5 a.m. and a bugle sounded the start of proceedings.
It was April 25, 2012, the day Australia commemorates Anzac Day. On this day, people pause from their daily lives to remember the fall of 8,000 soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at the Gallipoli landings in Turkey, 97-years-ago during World War I.
Nowadays, ANZAC Day has also become a day of public admiration for all Australian servicemen and women, past and present. That is the way Australians value their military services.
A number of young Indonesian Military (TNI) officers — Maj. Agus Yudhoyono; Maj. Frega Wenas and myself, Maj. M. Iftitah Sulaiman S. — have accepted the Australian government’s invitation to visit a number of military establishments as part of the annual Young Future Leaders 2012 program. Apart from being given the chance to see various attractions, there will also be interaction with Australian leadership candidates.
The question is why does Australia — a commonwealth country — want such close military ties, with the aim firmly on future leaders? What are the benefits for Australia and Indonesia?
... baca selengkapnya di Australia, Indonesia formalizing military diplomacy Cerita Motivasi dan Inspirasi Nomor Satu
