Bostock was decorated twice in 1948 for his war service , in March with the Distinguished Service Order " in recognition of distinguished services whilst in command of air operations in the Borneo Campaign during the period March to September , 1945 " , and in April with the American Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm . He entered politics in 1949 , standing as a Liberal Party candidate for the Federal Division of Indi in Victoria . Elected to the House of Representatives , he retained his seat until being defeated in the 1958 poll . Bostock served on a joint committee for foreign affairs and sometimes came into conflict with his own party on matters of defence policy . He continued to contribute to '' The Herald '' while in government . During parliamentary debates in 1951 and again in 1957 , Bostock spoke for " an integrated defence force with a single minister " , advocating amalgamation of the four separate Departments of Defence , Air , Navy and Army into one Department of Defence , headed by the Minister for Defence . He further proposed that a single Commander-in-Chief lead the Army , Navy and Air Force ; the Chief of the General Staff , the Chief of the Naval Staff , and the Chief of the Air Staff would report directly to the new position . In 1973 the single-service departments were abolished in favour of an all-encompassing Department of Defence , and by 1984 a Chief of the Defence Force position had evolved to directly command all three armed services through their respective chiefs
Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm
Medal of Freedom (1945)
William Bostock