Ex-soldier remembers the sacrifice of veterans
Ex-New Zealand Army infantry officer Jason Lee comes from a long line of servicemen and women.
After growing up in Central Hawke’s Bay, the young man joined the NZ Army in the mid-90s.
During his six-year stint in the forces, he experienced a camaraderie and mateship he believes can be experienced only when serving.
To Lee, serving with the army meant selfless devotion to duty to serve your country for the overall greater good.
A few years after leaving the army, he started his own business in the vehicle industry.
He found a niche in the market and opened Village European in Havelock North, employing five staff to repair European vehicles.
“We chose Havelock for a specialist European vehicle service centre as there is minimal support for vehicle owners unless they travel over to Napier,” Lee said.
Although he has been away from the army for some time, he has been heavily involved with the New Zealand Remembrance Army working on cleaning up the headstones of returned servicemen’s graves.
“I don’t specifically have involvement in the army but regularly see old army mates.”
Anzac Day is a chance to remember those who lost their lives and remember and support surviving service personnel, new and old.
The 46-year-old believes Anzac day is a “genuine” time to remember the sacrifice of all service personnel for their country.
Lee has great-grandparents, grandparents, and close friends who have been killed while serving in wars, to whom he pays special remembrance on Anzac Day.
While all Anzac ceremonies have been humbling experiences, one that sticks in Lee’s mind is a service in Tauranga he attended with his grandfather.
The respect and admiration for his grandfather, who served in WWII, received during the service was overwhelming, he said.
The mid-90s were a peaceful time around the world, so apart from overseas deployments on exercises around the Pacific and Asia, Lee was not involved in active service.
However, he does have friends who have served in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.
“While they may not have come home physically wounded, I see a huge amount of them struggling to cope with PTSD that these deployments caused.”
PTSD affects everyone differently, he said. “These are the guys in their 20s, 30s and 40s who you’ll see wearing medals at Anzac Day.
“I think the public perception of ‘veterans’ means seeing an old soldier on Anzac Day. And I ask the public to thank these young soldiers.’’