Yahoo Lifestyle The Women Who Have To Justify Their Medals On ANZAC Day
Suzanne Baker.
By the standards of any military veteran, Suzanne Baker has an impressive array of medals. They include the Australian Active Service medal, the Australian Defence Medal, the Australian Operational Service Medal – a glistening display of tributes to her service in theatres such as East Timor, the Persian Gulf and her role in border protection.
On Anzac Day, Suzanne, 33, like her male defence force peers, proudly wears her medals across her heart. Incredibly, unlike her male counterparts, she often has to justify why she has them.
One memorable Anzac Day in Sydney, no fewer than 22 people approached this distinguished naval veteran – a former aircraft controller – to point out that she was wearing her medals on the wrong side because veterans’ “relatives” should display decorations on the right-hand side of their chest, not the left. “It’s hard,” says Suzanne, who is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of her military service. “The last thing you want to do is snap, but...”
Pictured: Suzanne's medals.
The insults don’t stop there. Once, in the western Victorian city of Ballarat, Suzanne and a male friend, both dressed in sharp suits with medals on display, prepared to enter a pub’s two-up area, which was free for veterans. The man was waved through. “Sorry madam,” said the bouncer, as Suzanne stared into the palm of his hand. “You have to pay. All the girls wear their husband’s medals to get in for free.”
RELATED: "Don't Cry, Don't Cry, Don't Cry": The Untold Story of PTSD and Female War Veterans
Currently, women make up nearly 15 per cent of serving members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
So this Anzac Day, if you see Suzanne around the traps, or any woman wearing a band of medals across her heart, at the very least give her the benefit of your doubt – though she deserves much, much more.
If you want to say something, two little words always go down well with those who’ve served their country – male or female.
“Thank you.”
