Soldier opens up on what fighting in Afghanistan was REALLY like – as he blasts army for ‘hanging Ben Roberts-Smith out to dry’ and warns the toughest battle is often coming home

An Australian soldier who fought in one of the bloodiest periods of the Afghanistan campaign has opened up about the challenges of returning to the ‘civilian world’ and revealed how the Ben Roberts-Smith case shook the veterans community.

Brodie Moore, 32, from Brisbane, served as a rifleman with the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment for six years.

He was deployed to Afghanistan between April and October 2010, six bloody months during which ten of his colleagues were killed.

Now a nurse, Mr Moore said Mr Roberts-Smith’s libel case was symbolic of the lack of support veterans received from the Australian Defense Force after their formal contracts ended.

He claims his hero has been “left behind” by the ADF and made the “scapegoat” of systemic failures overseen by military commanders.

“I know a lot of veterans, myself included, are asking the commanders of the forces in Afghanistan to take more responsibility,” he said.

“If there were all these problems in Afghanistan, how on earth did every commander responsible for soldiers get a Distinguished Service Cross? »

Mr Moore (right) deployed to Afghanistan between April and October 2010 – a bloody six months in which 10 of his colleagues were killed

In May, the Federal Court dismissed the libel suit brought by Mr Roberts-Smith following media reports that he was involved in unlawful actions as an SAS corporal, including the murder of four unarmed prisoners while fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

In July, Mr Roberts-Smith appealed Judge Anthony Besanko’s findings after a mammoth lawsuit that backed claims by Nine Media newspapers The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and Canberra Times.

The former SAS corporal claimed he was libeled in 2018 over reports he threw a handcuffed man off a cliff and ordered him executed, and machine-gunned another prisoner, taking home his prosthetic leg as a container to drink memory.

The 44-year-old man, who remains Australia’s most decorated soldier in history, has not been charged and maintains his innocence.

“I am extremely proud of him (Ben Roberts-Smith) and the other Victoria Cross recipients,” he said.

“It was left to dry, that’s obvious. Many veterans feel this.

More generally, Mr Moore said soldiers often face some of their biggest challenges when they return to the “civilian world” after their ADF contracts have terminated.

Now a nurse, Mr Moore said the defamation case of Ben Roberts-Smith (pictured) was symbolic of the lack of support veterans received from the Defense Force after their contracts ended

He said a large majority of former and current members of the ADF do not know how to present themselves at interviews for employment outside the armed forces.

“You have this group identity that’s way bigger than yourself, it’s really hard to replace and very hard to find an individual identity,” he said.

Last November, an explosive report on the suicide rate among current and former members of the ADF recommended that suicide prevention become a national priority.

The report was the fifth annual suicide watch report commissioned by the Department of Veterans Affairs and revealed some chilling statistics.

Between 1997 and 2020, there were 1,600 certified suicide deaths among members who had served in the ADF since January 1, 1985.

Among veterans and women, suicide rates were 27 percent higher than in the general population for men and 107 percent higher for women.

“Whatever they (the army) do, they do it badly. The discharge rate increases. They need to work more on retaining soldiers,” Moore said.

Mr. Moore earned a three-year nursing degree after leaving the ADF and now manages a group of nurses in various clinical settings, including an emergency department.

The 32-year-old, who admitted failing grade 12, said he only felt inspired to continue his education after feeling empowered by his role in the defense forces.

Mr Moore said the difference between him and the 7,500 soldiers who leave the ADF each year is that he always had a plan.

“The (education) model is not for everyone, I was empowered by my time in the defense forces and finally felt ready to pursue my higher education,” he said.

Last November, an explosive report on the suicide rate among current and former members of the ADF recommended that suicide prevention become a national priority.

Mr Moore (pictured) said the difference between him and the rest of the 7,500 soldiers who leave the ADF each year is that he intended to return to higher education.

One of the veteran’s toughest days during his deployment was when his battalion lost two engineers he knew affectionately as Smithy and Snowy – sappers Darren Smith and Jacob Moerland.

Both men were killed after being hit by improvised explosive devices. Mr Moore said he felt ‘very grateful’ not to have witnessed their traumatic injuries.

“You knew something tragic had happened, we were getting information on the radio and the situation was only getting worse,” he recalls.

“Engineers play a crucial role: they patrol ahead of us, clearing paths and making sure there are no improvised explosive devices in front of us.”

The loss of the engineers sparked a tragic situation, with eight more soldiers killed during his deployment, including four members of his combat team.

Despite these deaths, Mr Moore said he was never afraid in Afghanistan.

“If you’re not operational at a bad time, it could mean the loss of one of your very good friends or another member of the team,” he said.

“We had fear training before deployment, they asked us to think about why the enemy is fighting – and those are pretty bloody reasons.”

“So I thought I better fight too for a damn good reason.

“It was about exploiting my personal reasons why I was there – for the team, my friends and my contribution to Australian society in some way.”