CITATION: MAJOR Harry Smith 

The award has been given for the leadership that Major Smith has shown to current commanders in the Defence Force regarding the obligation to support men and women who have served their country in time of war.

His stand against the failure of authorities to pay full and proper respect to the deeds and the deaths of the men who fought at Long Tan is outstanding in the understanding that it shows of the obligations of command.

The reciprocity of obligations between commander and commanded is core to the achievement of inspirational leadership – a greatness that is attained only when the inspirational leader is themself inspired by the deeds of the people that they lead.

Such understanding is unlikely to have taken root in the purposes of others who allegedly took medals for such deeds without the need of any involvement in that battle.

The recent efforts by Lieutenant Colonel Harry Lovelock on behalf of the Australian Army training team, and of the supporters for the 100 year old former POW Fred Collett, only demonstrate the further loss of commander memory, within our Defence bureaucracy, of past service and duty, and the denial of that reciprocity of obligation.

Major Harry Smith’s disclosures are a statement that some of our commanders in the services do not forget the past service of their soldiers.