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On Anzac Day, as we remember those who sacrificed so much in war, royal commissioner Nick Kaldas is also remembering those the military has deserted. With the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide nearing an end, Kaldas said Australia must stop returned service people from slipping through the cracks. "I think nowhere near enough has been done probably in the last two or three decades to look after them," Kaldas said. READ MORE: Man acquitted over toddler's murder charged over death of Cobram woman Among a staggering 6000 submissions, the royal commission heard Reverend Doctor Nikki Coleman's story. A chaplain in the Royal Australian Air Force, she claimed she was indecently assaulted by a colleague, who was protected by military leadership. "I've not been able to tell my story. I've been ordered to not speak about my situation," Coleman told the commission. "It is a perfect storm of factors to enable covering up of abuse." Kaldas said Coleman's experience displayed a "blatant disregard for fairness" by the Defence Force. "She raised a complaint of sex abuse and was essentially forced out of the organisation and quite dreadful things happened to her and anyone who supported her," Kaldas said. For the former cop and United Nations investigator, it was one horror story among so many, which led him to vow the royal commission would force change. READ MORE: Tradie couple fears copycat business is fooling their customers "The royal commission hopefully has achieved one thing, which is to bring these problems out in the public to a point where they are now undeniable," Kaldas said. "It certainly did surprise us about the sheer number of people who had been traumatised, who thankfully found the courage to speak up, to put their hand up and come forward and talk to us," he said. The veteran investigator admits there has been pushback. "I know there are cynics who said well you're just the 58th inquiry and nothing will come out of this," he said. "I don't think that's the case ... I think we've turned a corner. "The bottom line is we want to have a very real and significant impact on the rate of suicide and suicidality, both in the serving community, the men and women who are in the organisation, as well as the veteran community who are out of it." The commissioners want a watchdog independent of the government set up to enforce their recommendations. "We think that is essential. It is the main recommendation this royal commission will make," Kaldas said. "We can't see any other way of dealing with the problems ... we could keep doing what we are doing now and the result will be the same. "We must have a way to break that cycle ... we have to do better." The royal commission will hand down its final report in September.