Australians in the Vietnam War 1962–75

[Antipodean Andy]

You've probably seen The Odd Angry Shot? That's the only one I can think of off-hand.

[digger]

Think there was a mini series called Sword of Honour many years ago that dealt with an RMC graduate in Vietnam Nam. Not sure what channel now possibly 9 and think Tom Burlinson was in it

Rod

[Kyt]

Sword of Honour (Australian TV - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Australian Television: Telemovies and Miniseries: 1980s

Sword of Honour
Year: 1986 (Seven)
Executive Producer: Roger Simpson
Producer: Roger Le Mesurier
Writers: Roger Simpson, Kathy Mueller, Peter Kinloch, Tom Hegarty
Directors: Pino Amenta, Catherine Millar

At 21 Tony Lawrence won the Military Academy's Sword of Honour. At 22 he was fighting in Vietnam. With his best friend and brother-in-law Frank Vittorio, Tony was sent to Vietnam just as the war began to escalate. The horrors and carnage of the war leave an indelible impression on the two young men - ripping them apart from their families, girlfriends and country. Back home after the devastation and ugly battlefields, both try to cope with life in their own way. For Tony wandering into the wilderness is one way of coming to terms with the horror he has experienced. A wandering that takes him back to the killing fields where it all started... (4 x 100 min)

Cast: Andrew Clarke, Tracey Mann, Alan Fletcher, Nikki Coghill, Andrew Sharp, Linda Newton, Wyn Roberts, Margaret Ford, Paul Hampton, Julia Blake

[Kyt]

Originally Posted by digger

This is a poem I wrote and think it may be the appropriate place for it. I'm not a Vietnam Vet just have many friends that are and is based on their experiences and how they feel.

Great poem Digger.

What was/is the situation with Nam Vets in Australia. We probably all know about the US vets and the terrible time they had and still have when they returned. Is the Australian situation comparable?

[Antipodean Andy]

Pretty much the same here, Kyt. Shameful. They are starting to get the recognition they deserve though.

[Kyt]

This is a very interesting site covering one of the units that served there:

104 Signal Squadron, Australian Vietnam Veterans, Maps, Images, Names, Stories

[Kyt]

Names, cause of death etc:

www.vrb.gov.au/historical/VietnamDeaths.xls

(opens as an excel page)

[spidge]

Originally Posted by digger

Think there was a mini series called Sword of Honour many years ago that dealt with an RMC graduate in Vietnam Nam. Not sure what channel now possibly 9 and think Tom Burlinson was in it

Rod

Apparently very difficult to acquire for normal price!

[spidge]

Courtesy of:


Australian Army Training Team Vietnam: Australian War Memorial

4 VC's and 109 decorations


Australian Army Training Team Vietnam

The Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) began arriving in Saigon, South Vietnam on 2 July 1962. The thirty officers that made up “the team” were sent to Vietnam in a training and advisory capacity, as part of the US Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV). Members served 12- or 18-month tours of duty. They were sent to Vietnam singly or in drafts, as the unit did not exist outside Vietnam.
AATTV members operated with the South Vietnamese Army, Montagnards, Territorial Forces, and other local units. Attached to units or battalions as trainers, advisers, and occasionally leaders, team members usually worked in the field, accompanying units on operations. They worked with various groups from the United States, such as the US Special Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency.
AATTV was increased to eighty personnel in June 1964 and to one hundred in January 1965. The team reached peak strength in August 1970, comprising almost 130 members. As part of an overall reduction of Australian commitment, the size of the team was decreased gradually from March 1971, before a complete withdrawal in December 1972.
Members of the AATTV were rarely together as a single unit, apart for ceremonial occasions, such as ANZAC Day. Members operated as individuals, in pairs, or occasionally in groups of no more than ten. Their role in Vietnam was to train and advise South Vietnamese units in their fight against the Northern Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong. As a result of their unique deployment, team members worked across most of South Vietnam. Although primarily deployed in the field, AATTV undertook some work at Nui Dat at the Jungle Warfare Training Centre, established in June 1970. In addition to the training centre, mobile training teams operated outside of Phuoc Tuy, throughout South Vietnam.
The team often acted as advisors during combat and sometimes made decisions on artillery or fire support. They also took on the role of leading the South Vietnamese or Montagnards in battle.
AATTV remained in Vietnam after the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) was withdrawn in 1972. It was stationed in Phuoc Tuy province and focused on training. It also assisted with training Cambodian soldiers of the Forces Armées Nationales Khmer. AATTV was withdrawn from active service on 18 December 1972.
Glossary

1 Australian Task Force Vietnam ; Phuoc Tuy Province ; Nui Dat ; Jungle Warfare Training Centre Battle Honours

• Vietnam (1965-72)

Casualties

• 33 killed
• 122 wounded

For more information please see the Roll of Honour and Vietnam War Nominal Roll (external website) databases.
Commanding Officers

• Burnard, Raymond Lewis
• Clark, John Alexander
• Jackson, Oliver David
• Johnston, Peter Thomas
• Kirkland, Keith Henry
• Leary, Geoffrey John
• Lloyd, Russell David Ferrers
• McNamara, R G P St V
• Milner, Andrew John
• Preece, Alexander Vogler
• Serong, Francis Phillip
• Stewart, James David
• Tripp, Martin Terence

Decorations

• 4 VC
• 2 DSO
• 3 OBE
• 6 MBE
• 6 MC
• 20 DCM
• 15 MM
• 4 BEM
• 4 QC
• 49 MID

For more information please see Honours and Awards database
References

• Horner, David Murray, Duty first : the Royal Australian Regiment in war and peace, (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1990)
• Kuring, Ian; Australian Army History Unit, Red Coats to Cams : a history of Australian Infantry 1788 to 2001, (Loftus N.S.W.: Australian Military History Publications in association with the Australian Army History Unit, 2004)
• McNeill, Ian G., 1933-, The team : Australian Army advisers in Vietnam, 1962-1972, (Canberra : Australian War Memorial, 1984)
• McNeill, Ian Graham; Australian War Memorial, To Long Tan : the Australian army and the Vietnam war 1950-1966, (St Leonards, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin in association with the Australian War Memorial, 1993)
• McNeill, Ian Graham; Ekins, Ashley, On the offensive : the Australian Army in the Vietnam War, January 1967-June 1968, (Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 2003)

[spidge]

This is another great government site which lists the 60,000+ people that were involved in Vietnam including armed forces, civilians, etc etc and their tour dates and a facility to print a certificate.

Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans