Fallen soldiers honoured

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By GYNNIE KERO
AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has saluted the 3300 men – and one woman – buried at the Bomana War Cemetery outside Port Moresby, saying they died “so we may live”.
He visited the war cemetery on Saturday and paused for a few minutes at one of the headstones marking the grave of George Dick Wittington who died in February 1943.
Whittington was captured in perhaps the most iconic photograph of the PNG campaign, bandaged and aided by a Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel.
The only woman buried there with the 3300 men was Sister Marie Craig.
“Here (at Bomana War Cemetery), we have the largest number of Australian war dead in any given war cemetery. These men and one woman, Sister Marie Craig, all died so we that may live,” Turnbull said.
“Without their sacrifice, we would not be the free nation that we are today, nor would PNG be the free nation it is today.
“Australia’s freedom depended on the courage, endurance, mateship and the sacrifice of those Australians and Papua New Guineans who stood together and held back the Japanese advance. We must remember that in 2017, the descendants of these men and women are today defending Australian’s freedom around the world, especially in the Middle East.
“We always honour these veterans.”
He said there was no greater responsibility for a government “when we send our young men and women into harm’s way”.