What was expected of soldiers when they returned to Australia after the First and Second World Wars? How did the soldiers respond to these expectations? The process of repatriating soldiers who fought in the First and Second World Wars took place in difficult conditions, as these men were returning to a society that had undergone great transformations. Responses to socially accepted norms of behavior varied widely, but this essay will aim to demonstrate some of the ways in which returning soldiers negotiated the transformed social milieu to which they had also returned home. This essay also aims to explore how expectations placed on returning soldiers were shaped by the influence of pre-war gender roles as well as the emergence of the cultural mythology of the legend of ANZAC and how these two forces influenced the public and private behaviors of returning servicemen. . For example, how returning servicemen were able to take advantage of their status as national figures to help them in their campaign for higher levels of welfare benefits. The second argument that will be discussed concerns the assertion that upon return, soldiers were expected to maintain a level of male dependency, as outlined in the Soldier Resettlement Program. The final argument explored will examine how the “culture of silence” forced men to internalize their wartime experiences, which also caused tension in the relationships they had regained. Soldiers returned to the home front, not only as individual men but also as public representations of ANZAC mythology. In response, the military, united as a political entity, was able to exploit the attention that this national sentiment perpetuated as leverage for its own political gains. The combined cultural milieu...... middle of article ......008).McKernan, Michael, The Australian People and the Great War (West Melbourne: Nelson, 1980).McQuilton, John, Rural Australia and the Great War: from Tarrawingee to Tangambanga, (Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 2001). Muir, Kristy, “Public Peace, Private Wars: The Psychological Effects of War on Australian Veterans,” War and Society 26, no. 1, pp. 61- 78.Nelson, Elizabeth, Victims of War: The First World War, Returned Soldiers, andUnderstandings of Domestic Violence in Australia, Journal of Women's History 19, no.4, (March 2007) pp. 83-106Stewart, Elizabeth and the Wounds of War: Medicine and Conflict Trauma, (Wollombi, Exisle Publishing, 2011), Slater, Elizabeth, “The First World War, Returning Soldiers and Understanding Domestic Violence in Australia” , Journal of Women's History 19, no. 4, 2007, p... 83- 96. .