ADF veteran Chris Hodder on interim Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide

The former defence member served Australia for 30 years in Somalia, Christmas Island, Afghanistan, Timor Leste, East Timor, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Starting his career in 1982, the Canberran was sent to East African amid a devastating civil war.

"My deployment to Somalia was where I started to have trouble," he said.

"You come back and you think you're okay. But the loved ones and people around you seem to notice that you're not okay."

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He said while he felt "a feeling of worth" overseas, it was coming back that was hard.

"I know people who have taken their lives. I'll be honest, I think a lot of veterans would sit there at times and feel you're useless, you're worthless," he said.

"It's like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole."

However, Mr Hodden said the military was not an environment where you could admit you were struggling.

The royal commission interim report, which was published on Thursday, said it was concerned about "cultural issues" in the ADF.

"The support that you got from defence, especially in the early years, was if you've got a problem, we're going to boot you out," Mr Hodden said.

"Up to about 2010, people weren't going to say anything. They were ostracised, you were made to feel stupid.

"Defence was classic at doing that. They [didn't] want to hear that you've got that kind of problem."

Mr Hodden also saw others suffer from defence apathy.

"One young guy used to come into the veterans' area, sit in the corner, rock backwards and forwards and drink coffee all day," he said.

"No one wanted to help him. The army basically told him he was weak, that he was useless.

"And that's the kind of attitude that is why younger, older and retired veterans, unfortunately and sadly, take their lives."

The royal commission interim report said rehabilitation and compensation processes were complex, harming veterans' mental health and potentially contributing to suicides.

Trying to navigate the Department of Veterans' Affairs system was not easy, Mr Hodden agreed.

"In the early stages of my career, they were extremely hard to get on with. They fought you every step of the way, for help [with] any injury you had," he said.

"[And] I've got a lot of injuries. I've had back surgery, I've had ankle surgery, I've had knee surgery, I've had two jaws replaced.

"They would push back, push back."

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Mr Hodden, who said his DVA-funded service dog Bella has changed his life for the better, does feel the department is improving.

"I'm not going to say they have been perfect in the past or right up to this point of time, but I do think they are trying," he said.

However, he believes it is hamstrung by government underfunding, and wants politicians to understand the impact of sending people to war.

"I went and did what I was told to do by the government. That's what soldiers do, that's what Defence Force people do. Apolitical," he said.

"People forget, especially the politicians, that where they put us and what they do with us and how they treat us, significantly impacts on not only our lives, but our families' lives."

Mr Hodden retired from the army in 2012.

"I was busted and broken and got to the point where I couldn't function really anymore, properly, because of the PTSD that I've been suffering from for years," he said.

He believes that while the royal commission was an important first step, how veterans fare will ultimately depend on decisions made by the current and future governments.

"There's a lot of talk, there's a lot of recommendations," he said.

"I sincerely hope that this royal commission will result in things getting better for veterans who feel they've lost their way and have nowhere to go.

"I'm still very proud of the fact that I served and I love my country.

"I think defence for Australia has proven its worth ... I just hope [the government] continues to look after the people in service."

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