Former Australian defence chief's son to be discharged from the Army

December 22, 2005

Private David Cosgrove, 22, the son of celebrated former defence chief General Peter Cosgrove will be discharged from the Army after going Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL) and breaching standing orders.

David Cosgrove was placed in Holsworthy military prison in October, 2005 for up to 14 days after going AWOL from his Singleton barracks. When released he is alleged to have breached "unit standing orders" and was administratively warned he was "unsuitable for service". It is believed that he will leave the Army by March, 2006.

David Cosgrove's indiscretions have upset the military at the senior level. Senior army figures were furious with The Australian newspaper for reporting the incident.

It is also thought to be an embarrassment for General Cosgrove who led a much celebrated 40-year military career before retiring to become an executive at Qantas.

It has also been learned that another of General Cosgrove's sons, Phillip, will be voluntarily leaving the Army following service in Iraq where he was injured.