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Lt General Peter Cosgrove AC MC
2001 Award
If there is one word that sums up a sense of duty and courage for Australians, it is ANZAC…. And if there is one man, who in modern times, embodies the legacy of the ANZAC spirit, it is Lieutenant General Peter Cosgrove. The son of an army officer, General Cosgrove, entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon, straight after school to begin the life of a career soldier. And while that career has included a variety of staff and overseas appointments, including a stint as commandant of Duntroon, it was as a young lieutenant in Vietnam that he tasted the raw reality of a soldiers life. Barely a month after arriving, and less than a year after receiving his commission, 22-year-old Peter Cosgrove won the Military Cross, leading his platoon in a protracted assault on enemy positions.
His achievements over the next 30 years saw him rise steadily through the army's hierarchy until, in 1999, he was thrust into the full glare of the nation's, and the world's, spotlight as commander of the International Forces in East Timor. General Cosgrove's mission, to restore order to this new country on our doorstep, required the utmost skill and sensitivity. Under his care and guidance rested the safety of thousands of young men and women, most of them Australians, and the security of the East Timorese people. Here at home we watched with pride, the professionalism and concern of our peacekeeping forces…as, under General Cosgrove's direction, they offered a helping hand to lay the foundations of a new nation with an enthusiasm that went well beyond the description of their role as peacekeepers. That pride heightened by the fact, that the man at the top displayed those characteristics we value most as Australians - strength, determination, intelligence, compassion and humour... Characteristics that have been developed equally through his family life with his wife Lynne, and their three sons. General Cosgrove was appointed a Companion of the Military Division of the Order of Australia (AC) for his effort in East Timor, and he is now Chief of Army. In every respect Peter Cosgrove has demonstrated that he is a role model, not just for the men and women under his command, but for all Australians.
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