Our People in VIC
Glenn Memery - Building the Afghan army
Wangaratta sportsman Glenn Memery is now a soldier and earning his living in the dangerous valleys of Oruzgan Province, southern Afghanistan.
The Wangaratta High School student is a keen sportsman and was the winner of a prestigious Victorian Sportsman Award. Glenn played football for the Hermit Park Tigers and played cricket for the Wangaratta Magpies.
In the Army Glenn has specialised as a combat engineer and these days he’s usually based in Townsville.
Afghanistan is Glenn’s first overseas deployment, and his job in to mentor Afghan National Army engineers (ANA), teaching them various skills including how to find improvised explosive devices.
Glenn said the stand-out of his deployment so far is being one of the first Australians to work with and mentor engineers from Afghanistan’s 4th Kandak (battalion).
“Everything is going well for me over here. It’s hard work, but it’s a job that needs to be done,” he said.
“By mentoring the ANA, they become capable of conducting missions by themselves in the future.”
“The locals appear to be happy with our presence. However, I feel they’re looking out for themselves,” said Glenn. “It isn’t as bad as it’s built up to be, however there is still a large threat,” he said.
“The country is so beautiful with the green zone and the mountains. I’m very proud to be over here doing my job with real threats and not just training.”
Australia's military contribution to Afghanistan is part of the nation’s broader commitment to Coalition efforts against international terrorism, countering piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and maritime security.
The Australian deployment, comprising around 1550 personnel in Afghanistan and a further 850 across the Middle East, is know as Operation SLIPPER.