Jack Waterford and the Canberra Times seem to be ahead of the pack with
an amazing story this morning claiming the Army ignored directions on the
handling of the body of Private Jake Kovco:

An Australian military police
direction that the body of Private Jake Kovco was not to be moved or touched
until investigators arrived in Baghdad was countermanded,
soon after the death, by the Australian commander in Iraq.

The decision set the stage for
the mix-up of Private Kovco’s body in Kuwait, claims of a
cover-up of the circumstances of the death, and continuing fears that later
investigations were now seriously compromised…

It looks as if someone senior – or various people – in the ADF or in the
know is leaking big time.

“The embarrassing and humiliating handling of the death of Private Jake
Kovco, and the return of his body to Australia, is now the subject of several
inquiries, and has undoubtedly hurt the government, and not only among ordinary
members of the public, but in the services, who expect that such matters are
handled with competence and dignity,” The Canberra Times editorialises.

Blud oath. The editorial also talks about how “in recent times Australia, and the ADF, have
been extraordinarily lucky in having very few casualties from its many
deployments”.

Talk to the services. The thin red line is stretched very, very thinly
with all Australia’s different
deployments around the world. The military know his. We’ve had a cock-up over a corpse as a result of this. It’s hurt.

But think how a cock-up that damaged national security – allowed a terror
attack on Australian soil, for example – because the military is being
overtaxed would feel.