FORT MYER, Va. —
Being a “mate” in Australia has a whole different connotation than in the United States.
Australians trust a mate implicitly. A mate is a person who shares the last drink of water or the last bit of food or the last beer in the six-pack.
A mate is always ready to help.
A mate shares values, and that is why the United States and Australia celebrated 100 Years of “Mateship” yesterday morning with services at the National Cathedral, followed by a special Twilight Tattoo here last night.
For the U.S. and Australian militaries, the idea of mateship reaches to a higher level. On July 4, 1918, U.S. and Australian soldiers went into combat together assaulting the German line on the Western Front. The Australian soldiers were battle-hardened. The Americans were green. In one of the few instances in World War I, American troops fought under the direct command of another country. Australian and American soldiers literally fought shoulder to shoulder at the Battle of Hamel. Platoons of Americans were attached to Australian companies.
At the end of the textbook combined arms effort, there were 1,062 Australian casualties and 176 American.
Strong Bonds Through Various Conflicts
Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that while mateship began at Le Hamel, it grew with each…
