Epic is a much-abused term, hijacked by football commentators and food writers. Nowadays, on the rare occasions when it is employed in the service of art, it is mostly used to imply duration rather than scope. As such it's an unlikely descriptor for three, one-hour television documentaries. Yet this series was epic in a more literal sense and this ultimately framed its principal successes and failures.

What made the programs epic was their focus on the history and aspirations of the nation and how the fulfilment of this collective narrative was embodied in the exploits of a cast of warrior heroes (the politicians excepted). For Australia, the fighting in Afghanistan was an all-too-rare opportunity to take the global stage among elite military and political company. Successive Prime Ministers jetted off to Washington to discuss grand strategy, while on the ground, shoulder to shoulder with their A-Team counterparts from the US, our square-jawed heroes battled a wily and elusive foe.

The story of Australia's engagement in Afghanistan wasn't just told by the soldiers, it was written all over their bodies. Some whole and full of fight, others damaged, all changed utterly by their experiences, the veterans spoke of their pride in what they had achieved and their frustration at what had been left undone. Lips trembled, eyes brimmed with tears, voices quivered: every mark of vulnerability underwrote the profoundness of what they had been through. Nothing in their lives would ever match the intensity of these experiences. They spoke with an intelligent, earthy directness, and their unpretentious insights consistently illuminated the programs: "I learned a hell of a lot from war. There's a lot of powerful information. It's all very naked. Very honest."

In these moments the series was at its best, bringing a formerly distant and elusive war into the living rooms of Australia in a whiff of dust and the echo of stones crunching beneath boots.

However, with a line-up of warrior heroes like this, the voiceover and the visuals inevitably trespassed into the realm of myth and legend. As it soberly reappraised the costs and outcomes of the war, the series also promoted the nation's most cherished military myths – the pre-eminent quality of the Australian fighting man and his (and her) determination to use might as a force for right.