With the advent of Australian military leaving Afghanistan this year, a common question is, 'was it worth it?' or 'was it a waste of time?'.

Good questions, considering our military have been involved in Afghanistan in varying degrees since 2001. In my humble opinion, no, by no means was it a waste of time.

Let me explain.

It's all about how you view our involvement in Afghanistan. If you look at it in a purely political light, you're lost at the outset. Politicians like to waltz around in their expensive suits hurling primary school insults at one another at the expense of the Australian tax payer. Remove the political element of Afghanistan, as, I believe, it is a separate issue.

At the end of the day, the Australian Defence Force were sent there to do a job, and the particular job they were tasked to do (whatever it may have been), they carried out with dedication and professionalism to the best of their ability.

Our military have given the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police plenty of training, support and knowledge. Whether the afore mentioned forces decide to continue and hone their craft in order to defend their people and country, well that's their choice, the ball's in their court now, and that, too, is a separate issue.

But as for the ADF? Well they have well and truly done their duty. In fact, in true Australian form, they have gone far and above what they were expected to do.

For those soldiers who died, they died doing something they loved, (including our military dogs).

So, when someone asks whether it was all worth it, with all due respect, it is a slap in the face for not only the ADF, but for the soldiers, sailors and airmen of every allied country who have put blood, sweat and tears into Afghanistan.

Not to mention the families of the 40 dead Australian soldiers, or the 256 soldiers wounded, or the thousands who carry invisible wounds.

Our men and women were sent there to do a job, and they carried their task out in dangerous, arduous conditions with true professionalism.

Australia, an amazing country, she enjoys a laid back atmosphere, as well as freedom (of choice and speech). It is something of which we are proud.But, what if Australia were successfully invaded? What then?

Rest assured, our Defence Force would fight long and hard against the threat. However, although both the ADF and NZDF are ranked amongst the top 10 in the world, at some point, numbers will win the fight.

In 'The Reckoning', (now almost 90% complete) the ADF is smashed as an organised fighting force. We will follow the remnants of an infantry platoon as they take the fight to Indonesian supply lines, Special Air Service operators deployed into regional Australia who link up with a cattle farmer and turn his family and he into geurilla fighters, and a RAAF fighter pilot, whom is eventually shot down (and finds himself struggling to survive in the Aussie bush).

'The Reckoning' is dedicated to members of the Australian & New Zealand Defence Force, both past and present, who have or are protecting our way of life. 

I have always had two great passions, the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), and the Vikings.

First, let's look at the Vikings:

The Vikings are a severely misunderstood race of people. Yes, some were violent, yes, some of them did undertake lightning raids on all and sundry. But that time of history was a violent time, a time where tribes, clans and countries were often at war with one another. The Vikings' mark on our history is tainted mainly by the biased, literate Christian scholars that remember them in their writings. Today, modern historians and archaeologists are working very hard to shed light upon who the Vikings actually were. We know, for instance, that a Viking woman had the right to divorce her husband if she had grounds. We also know that the advice of a warrior's wife was usually heeded and often sought. Women in some areas of the world in 2012 do not enjoy that level of respect! The Vikings were also very cunning and intelligent traders, so much so, that present day York, which in Viking times was called Jorvik (pronounced Yorvik (from which the present day name is derived)) was, during the Viking reign, the trade centre of the world. The Vikings were a very colourful, sophisticated and rich culture. Oh, and they did not wear horned helmets!

Now, second, let's look at the Aussie SAS:

The Australian SASR (Special Air Service Regiment) are an elite group of Australian soldiers. When the war in Afghanistan started, people might remember an offensive called Operation Anaconda. When that operation commenced, the Aussie SAS moved well forward of the advancing allied troops and set up hides or observation posts (OPs) underneath the noses of the Taliban. They fed back all sorts of information to the American head sheds, including enemy number, weapons, level of morale, locations and so on. When the fighting began, the Australian SASR were in a position to guide in airstrikes and give grid references for artillery and mortar fire missions. In another instance in Afghanistan an Australian SAS soldier was shot by Taliban fire. Rather then bother his mates who were still engaged in heavy fighting with the enemy, he managed to make his way to the closest vehicle. Knowing that he was losing enough blood that he may lose consciousness, treated the wound as best he could and then wedged himself between the bulbar and the vehicle's radiator. He tied himself to the bulbar and then continued to fire at the enemy. He did this so that if the Australians were to make a rapid fighting withdrawal, then the Aussie's withdrawal would not have been slowed by carrying him and then securing him in the vehicle.

There is something about these incredible soldiers that has always intrigued me. Every country in the world has a small elite group like the Australian SAS. They are for the most part, quiet, easy going, never consider themselves any better than the next bloke, but have the courage of a rabid lion. To date two Australian SAS soldiers have been awarded the Victoria Cross (the VC, which is the Commonwealth's highest military award) for actions in combat. Both lived to tell the tale.

So in The Forgotten Land, I bring together the Australian SASR and the Vikings, my two greatest interests.