Star that points to mateship
THERE are reports that Australia’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the closure of the international military base at Tarin Kowt in Oruzgan Province will mean shipping home some 2500 pieces of infrastructure, 3000 pieces of fixed plant, five million items of equipment, 1300 containers and 2500 radios.
THERE are reports that Australia’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the closure of the international military base at Tarin Kowt in Oruzgan Province will mean shipping home some 2500 pieces of infrastructure, 3000 pieces of fixed plant, five million items of equipment, 1300 containers and 2500 radios.
Among the sundries of Australia’s war effort is a sole Magen David, forged in metal, and used in a solemn ceremony to send home the body of Private Greg Sher, who was killed in a rocket attack in Oruzgan Province on January 4, 2009. Sher was one of 40 Diggers who died in the war.
The Magen David (Star of David) was formally handed over to Private Sher’s parents, Felix and Yvonne, by 2 Commando Company Officer Commanding Patrick Johnson in a ceremony at Fort Gellibrand, Williamstown, on Tuesday.
The story of how this Magen David came into existence is a tribute to the mateship between Private Sher and other fighters in 1st Commando Regiment.
Felix Sher, his father, was told the large metal Magen David was requested by the young soldier’s comrades as preparations began for dispatching his remains back to Australia for burial.
The ceremonies for fallen Diggers traditionally take place in the chapel at the Tarin Kowt base, with a picture of the dead soldier beneath a cross.
“Greg never hid his Judaism … and his friends really respected him for it,” Sher told The AJN. “When he was killed, they made it known something had to be done so he wouldn’t lie under a cross.”
The soldiers contacted Sergeant William McAleese of the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Unit, and asked him to build a Magen David for their friend.
“He set to work and built a Magen David, working through the night,” said Sher. The star was used to farewell Private Sher on his last voyage home.
“I was later able to contact him and I thanked him profusely,” his father said.
The Magen David was kept in the chapel in case it was needed for another Jewish burial, as there have been a number of Jewish Diggers in the Australian forces at Tarin Kowt, but fortunately it has not been required again.
When Sher noticed the Magen David that was used to farewell his son in a photograph, he enquired and was told it could be transferred to the family, and plans were made for the December 3 handover.
By coincidence, Tuesday would also have been Private Sher’s birthday, so the handover was laden with memories for the Sher family.
Felix Sher was among some 45 family members of fallen Diggers who visited Tarin Kowt in November. “It was a dust bowl … [the soldiers] lived in a fairly primitive way,” he said.
The families witnessed the Australian Defence Force closing-down ceremony at Tarin Kowt. Said Sher: “It was very moving. There were lots of tears all round.”
PETER KOHN
Felix and Yvonne Sher this week received the Magen David used in the farewell ceremony for Greg Sher in Afghanistan in 2009. Photo: Peter Haskin
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