Please send all hate mail to:
sunrisestory@seven.com.au From: Cross, Thomas SGT
UNCLASSIFIED
It must be that time of the year again, the following was sent to Channel 7 Sunrise program on the 3 SEP 08 0635h in response to Kochie getting on his soapbox and suggesting we change the union jack for the aboriginal flag.
Your remarks on the Australian flag have surprised and shocked me, I am an Australian soldier that has served my country for over 16 years both at home and deployed overseas. Your suggestion that we should get rid of the union jack and replace it with the aboriginal flag is insulting. It is only while we were a British colony and eventually an independent country in 1901 that the modern Australia was formed. By your reasoning as a democracy we should have a Chinese or Greek or Irish flag in the top corner as there are more people from this background than of the indigenous population. You went to the middle east last year to see our serving soldiers and you were quick to come back a sprook about how professional the soldiers, sailors and airman were over there and how they were doing our country proud. It is amazing how short the medias memory is when it chooses to, because those same service men and women you spoke of are the proud custodians of the customs and traditions of the Australia Flag. Currently tens of thousands have now served under that Australian Flag in Iraq and Afghanistan and East Timor. You only need look at the young people at gatherings such as ANZAC Day, Australia Day, or even backpacking across the world to see that they are not ashamed to be seen wearing or draping the flag over themselves. Kochie if you find our flag that offensive then I suggest you have a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself a simple question, ' Am I really proud to be Australian and the things we have accomplished over the last 200 years'. If the answer is no then I suggest you leave this country as there are plenty of people in other countries that are literally dying to come here and be part of this great nation. I personally think your ego has got the better of you Kochie, and you have got some sort of god complex, but that another thing I can fix since I live in a democracy were the freedom has already been paid for with the blood of our young and continue pay to serve our country. I have been a loyal watcher of sunrise since the very beginning, but this is the final straw, today I start watching the other channels in the morning. P.S. I won't expect a reply as I'm sure you will just delete it because after all I'm soldier that the media couldn't give two stuffs about unless I stuff up and then the media is quick to bash the Army on any pretext to increase the ratings, and I will take the liberty to pass this email onto everyone I known in the Army so they can know about your comments too.
SGT Tom Cross
EIR Section Supervisor
WKSP TP, LSS, 1st SIG REGT
Ph:(07) 3332 7301
Pers Mob: 0414 456 071
Fax:(07) 3332 7082
PS: if any member gets email such as this Post them let the world KNOW!
