When Singapore surrendered to the Japanese in WW2 many Australian soldiers fell into the tragic captivity of the Japanese army. It was a long hard war for them.
Their commander, General Gordon Bennett, left his men to it and escaped to Australia. He faced criticism for this for the rest of his life. In many circles the term "Gordon Bennett" is still a swear word.
Fast forward to today and Australian commanders are deserting their men to suffer a drawn out punishment for their actions in Afghanistan. The commanders conducted their combat from air conditioned facilities in Dubai. When it was time to hand out medals they claimed to be closely involved enough to earn medals. When it was time to take back the same medals they claimed to be too remote to have those same medals stripped.
It is the commander's job to design, implement and control an effective chain of command. How can they possibly argue that soldiers, NCOs and junior officers should have the medals stripped while ducking responsibility themselves.
These modern day Gordon Bennetts should return their medals and stand alongside their men.
