Forgotten war continues inside veterans’ hearts
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008David Campbell; 23/4/08
My father fought in the hellhole that was New Guinea in 1942. But although he regularly kept in touch with a couple of his close army mates after the war, he didn’t march on Anzac Day. Not once. The war was not a popular topic for discussion in our house. Although he was outwardly fit and healthy - he died more than 20 years ago - my mother has always insisted that New Guinea killed him. Not with a bullet, a bomb or a knife, but with something far more insidious. Even if there are no physical wounds, combat leaves deep-seated mental scars. For some who return from battle, it is a crippling condition. They simply cannot function and their lives, and those of their families, are destroyed by drugs, breakdowns and suicide. Others, like my father, manage to repress the memories and get on with their lives.
