Photo By Staff Sgt. Jose O. Nava | Sailors with the Royal New Zealand Navy perform “Haka," or the Dance of War, to end...... read more read more
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DARWIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY, Australia — The inky sky gradually shifts colors as dawn turns to day. The crowd watches silently as groups of people walk up and place a wreath at the base of the cenotaph. On April 25, the City of Darwin hosted a Dawn Service and Australian and New Zealand Army Corps Day parade to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Australian and New Zealand forces landing on the Gallipoli peninsula.
“Fantastic day today, it’s an important occasion and significant,” said CDRE Brenton Smyth, commander of Northern Command, Australian Defence Force. “It was amazing to see hundreds and hundreds of people walking up to the cenotaph to grab a poppy and place a poppy on the cenotaph.”
U.S. Marines with Marine Rotational Force - Darwin participated in the Dawn Service and the following parade. The Marines where there to celebrate ANZAC Day with the Australians, as this rotation of Marines to Darwin provides an opportunity to improve the knowledge of each nation’s customs and traditions which will ultimately strengthen their military interoperability.
“You couldn’t ask for a better welcome than to march down the main street of Darwin with people propped and saying ‘Yeah Marines’,” said Lt. Gen. John A. Toolan, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific.
Australians across the nation, and world, meet on ANZAC Day to remember their fallen service personnel with services held at dawn followed by a parade later in the day. The significance of the time that the dawn service is held is to mirror the original time of the Gallipoli landing.
ANZAC Day started to help remember those who served during the Gallipoli campaign and now encompasses all Australians and New Zealanders that served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
During the parade, veterans and units from the Australian Defence Force marched out followed by ADF tanks and other armored vehicles. As the groups marched by the crowd of people, three F/A-18 Hornets flew overhead for a “fly-over”. Showing their willingness to be a part of the community, the Marines marched two companies led by Lt. Col. Eric Dougherty, commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, MRF-D.
“When you get the response like you get from the public here, everyone saying ‘thank you, thank you, thank you’ it’s special,” said Toolan “When they say ‘thank you’ they really mean it because they understand the sacrifice.”
Even though the ANZACs lost thousands that morning, and many more during the war, it was their courage, endurance and mate-ship that forges a spirit and legend that is remembered and honored today.
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2015 04:30 |
| Story ID: | 161489 |
| Location: | DARWIN, NT, AU |
| Web Views: | 530 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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