For many, September 11, 2001 is a day they'll never forget.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They'll forever remember where they were when the commercial airliners were hijacked and flown into the Pentagon and the towers of the World Trade Center in the US.
For the Australian military, the attacks were the catalyst for the longest war the world has seen since Vietnam. After the attacks, president George W Bush called for a global "War on Terror" and Australia responded, sending troops to Afghanistan almost immediately.
Acknowledging Australia's commitment to the Global War on Terrorism, Returned Services League (RSL) Gloucester Sub-branch held an inaugural commemoration service on September 11 at the clock tower in Gloucester Memorial Park.
For the sub-branch, it was important to take time out for the younger generation of soldiers who have been involved in fighting a war for the past 18 years.
Corporal Jason Gill from the Port Macquarie Sub-branch, attended the service as the guest speaker, having been among the troops to be sent to Afghanistan. During the service, Corporal Gill retold the timeline of the attacks which claimed the lives of 2977 people, including 412 emergency service personnel who responded to the attacks.
"It's a war that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, still with no end in sight," he said.
For his generation of military personnel, this is their Gallipoli.
Gloucester sub-branch president, Alan Vale thanked all the people who attended, including the school children from St Joseph's Primary School and Gloucester Public School. He said that although the gathering was small in numbers, the service was big in meaning.
Part of the service including the reading of the Honour Roll which listed all the Australian military personnel lost in the War on Terror.