As Anzac Day approaches, Social Futures reflects on service, sacrifice and the ongoing support Veterans and their families need during and after military life.
This story shares one Veteran’s experience and highlights why understanding, connection and support matter every day.
Each year on Anzac Day, Australians pause to reflect, remember, and honour those who have served and those who have lost their lives in conflict.
It is a day grounded in respect, marked by gratitude for the courage, sacrifice and service that have shaped our nation.
While we remember those who did not return, Anzac Day also invites us to recognise the thousands of current serving Australian Defence Force personnel, Veterans, allied service members, and their families who carry the legacy of service forward.
For many, that service continues long after uniforms are set aside, shaping identity, relationships and the pathway into civilian life.
As a Veteran himself, Michael Butler, Care Coordinator with Social Futures’ Veterans Connect program on the Central Coast, understands this journey firsthand.
After joining the Australian Defence Force at age 21, Mr Butler later did his first overseas deployment to East Timor where he served on a peace keeping mission. He returned briefly to Darwin before deploying to Afghanistan in September 2010, in charge of a combat engineer search troop. The group comprised two Explosive Ordinance Disposal teams, an Explosive Detection Dog and handler.
“We were in charge of providing high risk search and explosive ordinance disposal to our combat team in the Mirabad Valley, in Uruzgan province,” said Mr Butler.
On returning from Afghanistan in 2011 there was no time to decompress, after one week’s leave Michael was posted to Townsville for an Operations Captain job, at the same time Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi hit.
“My regiment was put in charge of Defence aid to the civilian community to do the clean-up.
“Afghanistan had a significant impact on my mental health, but it didn’t hit me until later on.”
He describes the period after his medical discharge three years later as “Extremely difficult, because you were a part of something and as soon as you discharge, you’re no longer part of it. You lose contact with everyone that you have deemed as friends, peers, people in the same situation as you.
“You go from having a doctor on base, a military psychologist and everything, to nothing. After medically discharging I was left to my own devices to find a GP and other services.
“I wish the Veteran’s Connect program was around when I got out, because I had to do it all myself. I wish we’d had continuation of support.”
His experience reflects a broader reality for many Veterans, where the transition to civilian life can involve navigating new systems, redefining purpose, and reconnecting with community.
“When you’re in the military, you are with people who are having shared experiences with you.
“When you get out, you move to a place where friends and family are, but these people have had their own lives for years, so it’s actually quite hard to reconnect with your friends and family, they’ve moved on with their lives.
Behind every person who serves there is often a network of family, partners and loved ones. These people share in the challenges and adjustments that come with service, both during and after military life.
“I was married for 17 years. We got married young. My serving in the military had a significant impact on that relationship, I could be told where to go at any moment.
“But I think the biggest problem for her was that you can’t go to war and come back unchanged, so she always mourned the person that she lost because of war.
“Whereas I think I became a much more well-rounded person because of my experiences.
“It’s very hard on relationships, there’s not a lot of people I know that have served and haven’t made it through their first, or even second, marriages.
Simple acts like taking the time to listen, seeking to understand experiences different from our own, small gestures of respect, and fostering communities where people feel connected and supported can mean the most.
“I think it’s important for all people not to judge others. Judgement is the most damaging thing we have in our world. You don’t know that person’s story.
“Being kind to one another is the biggest thing for me. And reflecting on the sacrifice of those who came before us.
As a community, there is an opportunity to move beyond a single day of reflection and consider how we can contribute to a culture that values inclusion, understanding and care.
This may mean checking in with someone who could be doing it tough, learning more about the experiences of those who have served, or simply creating space for conversations that are open and respectful.
Anzac Day remains a powerful reminder of sacrifice and service.
