Uncommon Soldiers

27 March 2014 - Chris Masters

Discussing his publication, Uncommon Soldier, Chris Masters, one of Australia’s foremost investigative journalists, turns his attention to the modern Australian soldier. Moving away from our ongoing fascination with Anzac story, he looks at the rich and illuminating present to write a character study of the modern Australian soldier—war fighter, peacekeeper, street-level diplomat, and aid worker.

Having been taken into their ranks in a way rarely before afforded an outsider, Masters gives heart and shape to the contemporary digger: how they are selected, how they are led, and how they are transformed from civilians to disciplined professional soldiers.

And in asking if they are unique, he examines what it is that allows these young Australians to lend moral authority to communities teetering on the precipice of violence in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan.