By CASEY NEILL
AFGHAN solider Scott May choked back tears as he spoke at the Dandenong Anzac Day service.
The hundreds gathered at the Pillars of Freedom hung on every word of the story they believed was about a 17-year-old soldier who signed up for World War I.
He was looking for a great adventure, following his big brother into the armed forces, Mr May said.
But the boy learns that war is not a game, and returns to Australia “changed a little”.
He returns to a “relatively normal life” but is called back to the battle field.
“This time he’s not so eager. He has seen what war is like,” Mr May said.
An explosion changes his life forever.
“The soldier doesn’t remember much. A searing pain,” he said.
“The young soldier’s war is over.
“This story is about my younger brother Christopher.”
Mr May said his brother suffered permanent injuries when an improvised explosive device struck a vehicle he was travelling in.
He said his story was to show that today’s soldiers were not dissimilar to the Diggers of years past.
“Today is a day for us to show support for those of us fortunate enough to come home and pay tribute to those who didn’t,” he said.
RSL President John Wells said he hoped the story helped the crowd realise “that these things are real”.
“Real stories of people exactly like us,” he said.
“We must not continue to look back on Anzac Day without remembering at the same time to look forward.”
