UNLIKELY HERO
JUSTIN Huggett’s deployment to Afghanistan was one that should never have happened.
In the lead-up to Anzac Day the former corporal reflects on how his desperation to fight led to him being threatened with military charges but then ultimately to him receiving one of our country’s highest honours – a Medal of Gallantry.
The Townsville man had just returned from (East) Timor when action was ramping up in the Middle East.
“I thought I’d missed my chance due to just bad timing,” he said.
“I was ready to pull the pin. “I didn’t want to be in an Army I couldn’t fight for.”
Huggett listened to some wisdom from his boss at the time and stayed in the Army.
He was nominated to take part in Exercise Long Look, an exchange program that sent him to England to work with one of the oldest infantry battalions in British history, the Grenadier Guards.
The battalion was gearing up to deploy to Afghanistan and Huggett was determined to go with them.
His chain of command had no idea of the plan the ambitious mortars-trained junior soldier was concocting.
“I sent an email outlining my (work) background,” he said.
“I just asked very simply if my service would be needed to deploy.
“I lied through my teeth to get there. I wouldn’t have been able to set foot in that country had they known.”
After four months spent inches from death in Afghanistan, Huggett’s facade was revealed and his character was under attack by high-ranking officers within the Army demanding answers.
“There were threats for military charges to be laid for breaching the operational agreement,” he said.
When Huggett arrived back in Townsville, he found himself in isolation. Not only did the swift departure from a war zone to normality feel anything but normal to him, he didn’t undergo a psychology assessment despite it being standard practice for all returning personnel.
He felt guilty for his actions but immense pride for his work training.
“I looked at it like this, I’m an Australian soldier and I’ve been billeted out to do a job and represent the British,” Huggett said.
“I was still there to do a job that needed to be done.”
It’s this mentality that in a strange turn of events earned the war fighter one of our country’s highest honours – a Medal of Gallantry.
“I got this award and all of a sudden the negative connotations got shoved away,” he said.
Ex-corporal Huggett enjoyed another six years, serving mostly at the 2RAR based in Townsville, before discharging in late 2013.
“I signed my discharge the day my daughter Millie was born,” Huggett said.
“As much as I was a soldier and always will be a soldier, family is more important.
“My body and head were completely broken by this point and I refused to be another statistic.”
The hardened veteran is referring to the alarmingly high number of family breakdowns within Defence as a result of the demanding nature of work.
With Anzac Day fast approaching, ex-corporal Huggett reflects on his life in the green, especially the mates he’s made and lives lost along the way.
“It’s very important that we remember but it's also a day for us to look around and see how our mates are going,” Huggett said.
“To stay linked as a family, including the older blokes that are still kicking around to make sure they’re noticed.
“Anzac Day is becoming more important as the ranks are thinning because there will come a time when we say goodbye to our last World War II vet.
“This is about holding on to our history.”
IT’S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE REMEMBER BUT IT'S ALSO A DAY FOR US TO LOOK AROUND AND SEE HOW OUR MATES ARE GOING.
JUSTIN HUGGETT