He has spent six of his 24 years in the army, witnessing worlds far removed from his childhood in Warrnambool. 

He spoke about his experiences at Warrnambool’s Anzac Day service and described how he hoped to one day share his story with his son.

“Only recently, I made the decision to leave the army for good. My partner and I will be welcoming our first child in August and my hope is that I can impart the values I’ve got over the past six years to my son,” he said.

“I hope to show him that the spirit of Anzac is alive and well and that good men must stand up against evil to make the world a better place.”

Mr Moore described Anzac Day as “undeniably the most important day” for Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women.

Mr Moore said it was a centuries-old folk tale and not the modern warfare of the “Afghanistan generation” that attracted him to a life in the army.

“From a young age I was fascinated by the story of King Arthur and his knights, so from early on I felt a calling to become a soldier, much to the distress of my family,” he said.

“Once I decided I was joining the army, there was no changing my mind and so on the 1st of March, 2011, I enlisted as a rifleman and began my journey in the Australian Defence Force.

“It wasn’t long before I was on my first deployment. In 2012 I was flown to Timor-Leste, or East Timor as it is more commonly known, as a member of the last infantry platoon to serve on operations in the newest country of the 21st century.

“This was a country that Australia had an integral role in helping gain its independence and bringing peace to its people.

“Not long after the Christmas of 2012 I was back on a Hercules, Adelaide-bound and looking forward to a break. That break was put on hold, however, as the day after our return to Australia we got the call up that most of my platoon had been kept together to form the OGA platoon and we were going to Afghanistan.”

Six months later, Mr Moore walked out of another Hercules, this time onto the tarmac at Tarinkot, Afghanistan.

“The dry burning heat, the taste of dust and the eerily beautiful mountains that towered on the horizon were all just a blur at first as the surreal feeling that I was actually in a war zone slowly sunk in,” he said.

His time in Afghanistan was spent closely guarding members of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and OzAid as they liaised with local government to develop schools, hospitals and infrastructure.

“Afghanistan was a major turning point in my life and shaping me into the person I am today,” Mr Moore said.

“Being in a country where war and death is normality, where children walk the streets missing limbs and women hide in fear behind closed doors –  it opens up your eyes to a world far from our own, and yet in a place where there is so much pain, there is also so much beauty and happiness from the smallest act of kindness.”

He says his favourite memory was playing catch with some local kids using an empty water bottle.

“Theses kids were just having the time of their lives throwing the empty water bottle to my mates and I. It was humbling to see such innocence and joy in such a harsh environment and seeing the smiles on those kids’ faces is something I will always cherish,” Mr Moore said.

He said returning to Australia and settling back into “normal life” did take some time.

“No matter what your individual experiences are, war is not pleasant and it takes a way a little piece of everyone it touches,” Mr Moore said.

“For me, it gave me a new appreciation of the good in life and a deeper understanding of what is really important.”