Lyle Holt

My last job was serving as the Commander of United Nations (UN) Command–Rear in Tokyo, Japan; a command that maintained international preparedness during the ongoing 71-year Korean War Armistice.

Both my father, Lyle Holt Sr, and his eldest brother Pat were Korean War veterans. Dad served on HMAS Anzac from 1952-1953, while Uncle Pat was an infantry Private in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR). Born on Tasmania’s Flinders Island to a Palawa father, Harold John Holt, who was a WWI veteran of Gallipoli and the Western Front, they carried on the family’s tradition of service.

Uncle Pat first enlisted in 1940 with the 2/40th Battalion. He was captured by the Japanese at the Battle of Timor in 1942. As a prisoner of war, Uncle Pat was sent to Sumatra and forced into harsh labor building the notorious Sumatran Death Railway until liberated in 1945.

After this ordeal, Uncle Pat re-enlisted in 1950 with the newly formed Australian Regular Army. He served in the Korean War from 1951-1952 as part of K-Force with 3RAR, fighting in the major battles of Kapyong and Maryang-San.

My role in Japan continued the legacy of military service demonstrated by my father and Uncle Pat. They had fought bravely to secure peace on the Korean Peninsula decades earlier. I felt proud upholding Australia’s commitment to stability in that region through my work with the UN Command. I believe my father and uncle would have been pleased by my contribution there, as well as with my 34-year military career.