CANBERRA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Australian soldiers who have fought in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq in recent years will be honored at an exhibit at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
The exhibit, which will open Wednesday, will pay homage to soldiers who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001.
It will feature objects including weapons and uniforms used in battles, as well as a soldier's fake leg and and the stuffed remains of a bomb sniffing dog.
The War Memorial's director, Brendan Nelson, said that more than 40,000 Australians had served and 44 had been killed in Afghanistan and the Middle East since 2001.
"It is extremely important we owe it to these families, these men and women to tell their story, and that's what we've got here," Nelson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Wednesday.
The War Memorial's senior historian, Aaron Pegram said it was important to honor not only those who had fought in historical wars, but those in recent times as well.
"There is a story of service and sacrifice in these galleries," he told the ABC.
"It's fair to say it's taken place during an era when most Australians wouldn't have much of an idea that troops were committed in such hard fighting. When this gallery opened in 2007 Australian troops were on the ground in Afghanistan. It was a current conflict."
Pegram said that many of the objects on display were generously donated by veterans who served in the battles in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
