Documentary recalls service in East Timor
Twenty-five years ago, Aaron Horrell took a video camera to his first deployment to East Timor because he said he knew they were going to be a part of history.
Last year, Mr Horrell commemorated that history by taking 15 veterans back to the place of the conflict and filming their emotional return for his documentary, Back to Timor .
In its largest deployment since Korea, New Zealand was part of the multi-national force sent to East Timor in 1999 after its people voted for independence from Indonesia.
After the referendum, devastation and violence erupted as pro-Indonesian militia tore through the island, systematically razing its towns to the ground.
Gore RSA president Bradley Bridgman said when he arrived in Timor-Leste in 1999, there was nothing but "scorched earth".
Mr Bridgman said the Timorese had fled their country when he first got there and his battalion worked to repatriate them back to their home.
He said by the time he left and Mr Horrell's battalion arrived, people were starting to get back to their normal lives but it was still a "hostile" environment.
It was in this environment in July 2000 where Private Leonard Manning was shot during an ambush by the militia, becoming the first New Zealand soldier killed in action since Vietnam.
A total of five New Zealand soldiers were killed during the deployment.
Mr Horrell said the Gore RSA helped to fund the three veterans' return to East Timor, while some of the others used their $1500 "travel warrants" which they are given to go back to a place where they served.
He said Community South Trust funded the rest.
"Probably 70% or 65% of funding came from Southland."
The veteran said the documentary highlighted the emotional and positive experiences his crew had in returning to the war-torn country they had served in.
He said it was touching for them to see how things had changed, that the country had healed, with the jungle regrown, but also how evidence of their presence remained.
This evidence ranged from physical details like a drawing he had left carved on a door of the old barracks to the locals saying "kia ora bro" and remembering their service.
Mr Horrell said he wanted his documentary to connect with veterans who did not get the chance to go, so they could experience the healing and appreciation, too.
He also said he wanted to use the documentary as a tool to remind the government of the sacrifices contemporary veterans made, not just those who fought in the world wars.
He wanted the documentary to remind people that we need to be doing more for these veterans, who often come back isolated by the things they have experienced.
"You created these veterans by sending them overseas, but you need to look after them a bit better once they come back," he said.
Mr Bridgman said his RSA invested in the documentary as he similarly wanted to draw attention to the plight of the returned servicemen, and to remind them of the services, support and community the association could provide.
• Back to Timor airs tomorrow at 5pm on TV3 and at the same time on RNZ's video platform.
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