Air Force Rugby Union Tour Honours Fallen Heroes

 

Not content with claiming the Burn – Merz Shield from the Kiwis in April, the Australian Air Force Rugby Union (AFRU) team is now preparing to go head to head with the United Sates Air Force (USAF) Rugby team. The inaugural Rugby Test Match will see the Air Force contenders travel to the US in November to take on the USAF team, who have not lost their national services rugby union championships in over three years.

 

The match will be held at Fort Benning, Georgia in the United States and coincides with the US Armed Forces Rugby Championships. With joint operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan, US and Australian forces are now closer than ever, and this Rugby match will serve as a timely reminder of the close bonds and historical legacy both nations share.

 

To honour the sacrifices made by both RAAF and USAF personnel who fought together in WWII, the winning team test match will be awarded the Paul – Milne Trophy, named after an Australian pilot and American crewman who were shot down over Papua New Guinea in 1942. Pilot Officer Francis Debenham Milne (RAAF) and Troop Sergeant Joseph Paul (USAF) were killed in action fighting side by side to repel Japanese forces over Darwin and New Guinea. The US Army only recovered the remains of the two in 1990, and as they could not be distinguished, both have been buried together at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

The AFRU team will spend Remembrance Day in the US at Fort Benning paying homage to both our fallen American comrades and Milne, who has the distinction of being the only Australian buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

While the AFRU team have no doubts it will be a hard fought Test Match for the Paul - Milne Trophy, it is hoped this will become a regular event and increase the exposure of Rugby Union within the Air Force and the opportunities that are available to players, coaching, and management. AFRU is developing a strategic plan to ensure more opportunities such as the US Tour are available to develop Rugby Union in the Air Force. 

 

LT Lacey Western