From service to support: Three veteran experiences of Afghanistan, 25 years on

As Australia marks 25 years since it began its service in Afghanistan, veterans are reflecting on what the experience meant to them and the paths they have taken since returning home.

For Open Arms lived experience professionals – known as peers John Naidu, Craig Turnbull and Timothy Loch, Afghanistan was a defining experience. Although their stories differ, they reveal shared threads of service, resilience and the search for purpose beyond ADF life.

As a section commander in Afghanistan, John Naidu was responsible for the soldiers under his command and experienced events that changed his life.

“That is probably one of the hardest things to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced an environment like Afghanistan,” he said. “Something devastating can happen right beside you, but the mission doesn’t necessarily stop.”

Craig served in Afghanistan as an explosive detection dog handler and completed three deployments. He remembers this time as defined by both hardship and human connection.

“They’re mixed actually, so there’s some good experiences and bad experiences,” he said.

One of the memories that has stayed with him most was seeing the challenges faced by local families and children.

“I think as a young father back then, seeing the medical and all that for the children and all that was probably the hardest thing for me to take.”

For Timothy Loch, a combat engineer responsible for clearing improvised explosive devices from routes, Afghanistan highlighted both the risks of service and the professionalism of those who served.

“I was 22 when that happened and I was one of the oldest guys in the section,” he said. “I’ve been in very, very few workplaces where everybody was just so focused and so professional.”

Their experiences did not end when they came home. For all three veterans, returning to civilian life brought new challenges and a different kind of adjustment.

After developing PTSD and eventually leaving the Army, John had to rebuild his sense of identity and purpose.

“You don’t necessarily lose your purpose. Sometimes your purpose simply changes,” he said.

For Craig, transitioning from Defence was difficult and involved years of personal rebuilding.

“It was a hard, long road,” he said. “I pretty much had to rely on my own self-help and learning and moving forward.”

Tim, who continues to live with injuries sustained in Afghanistan, focuses on looking ahead rather than dwelling on the past.

“We acknowledge that that chapter happened, and we acknowledge that that chapter didn’t quite end the way we wanted it to,” he said. “That’s not the whole story yet. That’s not the whole book yet.”

Over time, each found another way to serve. All three support veterans and families through Open Arms, using their lived experience to help others navigate challenges after service.

“I can’t walk their journey for them,” John said. “But I can walk beside them for part of it.”

For Craig, the determination he witnessed in Afghanistan continues to shape his work.

“That’s probably my biggest takeaway from Afghanistan, is just the determination of all the people that are over there,” he said.

Timothy Loch encourages veterans to focus on what comes next.

“When one door closes, another one opens, so you just gotta have that attitude, just to actually go out and look for that other door.”

As Australia marks 25 years since its service in Afghanistan began, commemoration means different things to different people. A national commemorative service will be held at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on 11 October 2026. It will honour the service and sacrifice of Australians who served and recognise the enduring impact on veterans and families.

“Every person who deployed to Afghanistan has a story,” John reflected. “Together, they form Australia’s Afghanistan story.”

The stories of these veterans, now Open Arms Peers, show that there is no single Afghanistan experience. Twenty-five years on, each continues to carry part of that chapter while helping others write a new one.

For information about the commemoration, visit the 25th anniversary of Australian service in Afghanistan.