In 2001 I was silent to a truth that I knew would come and would only deepen with Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Our military, like our police in NSW yesterday, are paid to protect us and it is our duty to protect them from the mental and physical scars they will almost certainly bear. Whether law enforcement, fire, ambulance, nurse or doctor all have chosen careers to safeguard the public too. The public through government owes them. It is a moral contract.