Combat Vehicle Crewmen (CVC) helmet

Private Gregory Williams served in Afghanistan between February and October 2010. A member of 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), he had joined the Australian Army in 2007. Private Williams served with Combat Team Delta in Afghanistan, and his Battle Group was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation.

The Combat Vehicle Crewmen (CVC) helmet incorporates a headset for communication and a bracket for head-mounted equipment. It was worn by Private Williams as a crew member for a Bushmaster combat vehicle. The Bushmaster, an Australian-designed armoured vehicle, is manufactured in Bendigo, Victoria.

Private Williams recalled in an interview the difficulty of distinguishing hostile forces from the civilian population in a war zone with no fixed front line and where the enemy did not wear uniforms:

'You look at everyone as an enemy first, while at the same time treating them with respect…. It is really hard to identify the threat.'

On Anzac Day in 2013 he addressed the Dawn Service at the Shrine of Remembrance and reflected that:

'The war in Afghanistan has been controversial and costly. The price paid is Australian lives. Many will ask if the mission has been a success or failure, but on this day the answer is irrelevant. We remember what those great Australians have done, putting their lives at risk to give the Afghan people something they have never known: Peace.'