For Navy veteran Luke McCallum, April 24—the day before Anzac Day—is one of the most emotionally difficult days of the year.
This date marks the 21st anniversary of a tragic event that left a lasting impact on him: a suicide bombing in the Persian Gulf that claimed the lives of two U.S. sailors and a coast guardsman.
“Each year I try to find a way to honour those three sailors,” former petty officer McCallum told 7.30. They were crew members of a rigid-hulled inflatable boat from the USS Firebolt, which had approached a dhow—a traditional fishing vessel—loaded with explosives.
At the time, McCallum was serving aboard the nearby HMAS Stuart, close enough to feel the force of the blast.
“I was just inside the ship when the explosion happened, and it shook the vessel violently,” he recalled.
The explosion was part of a planned suicide attack targeting two major Iraqi oil terminals, ABOT and KAAOT, capable of exporting up to three million barrels of oil per day. Two additional explosive-laden dhows were intercepted and destroyed before they could strike the terminals.
Tragically, the three American servicemen on the first boat did not survive.
“It really hit me hard because they were my age, doing the same kind of work I was doing,” McCallum said.
That emotional trauma was compounded by serious physical injuries he had sustained two years earlier during a training exercise in the Middle East. While practicing a ship-boarding maneuver from a helicopter, McCallum lost his grip on a rope and fell, severely damaging both legs. He required multiple surgeries and metal rods were inserted, which later led to recurring infections.
In 2013, he was medically discharged from the Navy, cutting short a career he had loved since enlisting at 17.
But his physical struggles continued. In 2019, due to persistent infections, doctors amputated his lower right leg. Three months later, the front portion of his left foot was also removed.
His mental health began to deteriorate alongside his physical health.
“I started noticing that I couldn’t handle everyday situations the same way anymore,” he said. “Even being stuck in a fast-food drive-through made me feel trapped. Loud sounds became overwhelming.”
He also found it difficult to visit commemorative places.
“I couldn’t bring myself to go to the War Memorial,” he said. “I just couldn’t be in that kind of space.”
