The black men they interviewed gave glowing reports of the Diggers, and how they related to each other. This was the 1940s, when blacks were still second-class citizens in America. These old soldiers said the Aussies treated them with respect. They invited them to visit their families in Australia when the war was over (many took them up on this offer).
The thing that stuck out the most was the fact that when there was any trouble between the white American soldiers and the black American soldiers, the Aussies always jumped in in defence of the underdogs. We love underdogs, and we hate unfounded arrogance. And in that situation, there were clear underdogs and a whole lot of unfounded arrogance.
So many of the ANZACS are dead, and it's getting harder to remember them without further mythologising their achievements. We need to remember they were humans, just like us, who made mistakes, made hard decisions, and probably got them wrong as often as they got them right. But they were guided by decency and respect. I think that shows through in the way they treated the black American soldiers. They didn't have to be nice to them. But they were.
And a whole lot of them died. So millions and millions of us can go through life without ever having to fire a gun in anger. Without watching the government take away our livelihood with no recourse through the law. Without living in the real fear our sisters or daughters would be raped by armed men, immune from prosecution. Without ever really having to confront the sharp and harsh reality that human life on this planet can entail.
We've got it good. Unashamedly, we are the lucky country. In a large part, that is down to the men who fought so hard across four continents to keep this island at the corner of the world safe.
Lest we forget.
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