Legacy
Since the end of the war, the 39th Battalion's involvement in the fighting around Kokoda has become a significant part of the narrative surrounding the Anzac legend and Australia's emergence as a modern nation. The battalion's actions were first shown in Damien Parer's 1942 film Kokoda Front Line and more recently in the 2006 Australian movie Kokoda.
After the war when Australia's part-time military forces were reformed in 1948, while many battalions that had been disbanded during the war were re-raised, the 39th was not. On 8 August 2006, the Australian Army raised the 39th (Personnel Support) Battalion, adopting the 39th's numerical designation in order to perpetuate them on the order of battle. During the ceremony that was held at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, the Governor General, Major General Michael Jeffrey, described the 39th Battalion as some of "Australia's most gallant soldiers", stating that the Australian nation was indebted to them for "their heroic service".
Read more about this topic: 39th Battalion (Australia)
Famous quotes containing the word legacy:
“What is popularly called fame is nothing but an empty name and a legacy from paganism.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)