ANZAC Legend Essay

The ANZAC Legend
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
The Anzacs are the bravest people we remember to date. They sacrificed their lives for the future of our country. They did it with pride and honour. They were sent all the way to Gallipoli, Turkey in 1914. Even though the Gallipoli Campaign was deemed a disaster in terms of the loss of life suffered there and the failure to achieve a military victory, the ANZACS became a legend. What happened at Gallipoli made them an important part of Australian culture at a time when the newly-federated nation of Australia had not yet established herself at an international level.
In theory, the legend is that the Australian and New Zealand troops helped to establish their countries' reputations in the world through qualities of strength and bravery when faced with adversity. However, it is much more than that. The legend of these men who endured so much has given something of which Australians can be proud. It put Australia's mark on the world as something other than a nation descended from convicts. It gave Australia and New Zealand something to be proud of and will forever be remembered.

It is not uncommon for the characteristics of soldiers to mirror the characteristics commonly found in the society from which they come from. This has resulted in the emergence of a number of stereotypes for soldiers from each nation. The Australian soldiers, who had not proven themselves on an international front prior to Gallipoli, found that their strong characteristics were revealed in the most challenging of times. It was through events such as the landing at Anzac Cove and the battle at The Nek. The Nek was were the Australian soldiers were slaughtered in their masses. That they acquired the image that has become synonymous with the word 'digger.' Digger has come to embody the stereotype of a patriotic Australian family man who has temporarily become a soldier and has spent his civilian life in a rural area. More importantly, it suggests a soldier with certain moral qualities, such as a good sense of humour and an overriding belief in mateship and equality.
There were five particularly 'digger-like' qualities which emerged from the ANZACs when faced with hardship during the Gallipoli Campaign. These qualities set them apart from soldiers from other nations and were said to be attributable to their rural backgrounds in the bush. Many of the World War I diggers were third generation Australians from the early days of pioneering. Their particular attributes included:
1. The ability to remain cheerful with a good sense of humour, even in the most difficult of times
2. The ability to be resourceful when they had no supplies, for example by making hand grenades from empty tin cans
3. The spirit of mateship in which a soldier would risk his own life for his mate's
4. Australian courage, which was shown on the very first

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