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A defence force regiment is to be renamed as a tribute to the Australian soldiers who halted Japan's 1942 advance along the Kokoda Trail.
The NSW-based Australian Deployed Forces Support Unit – which trains army, navy and airforce personnel in the skills needed to serve overseas – will be renamed the 39th Personnel Support Battalion, it was announced.
The news came as Federal Treasurer Peter Costello launched a book which also commemorates the deeds of Australia's 39th Battalion, which served in New Guinea and protected Port Moresby from invasion in World War II.
"The 39th fought at Kokoda with unbelievable bravery, this is a welcome announcement and something that is long overdue," Mr Costello told a gathering of veterans at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance.
The renaming will officially take place on August 8, also at the shrine.
More than 2,100 Australian soldiers were killed and over 3,500 wounded preventing Japanese troops from entering Port Moresby.
Japan is said to have lost around 13,000 troops. It was a major turning point of the war in the Pacific.
The book launched on Friday, titled Mud Over Blood, is a collection of stories from Australian soldiers who served in the 39th infantry battalion from 1941 until 1943.
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