well done
Back in the 1960s (and until the 1970s) Australian servicemen received 'Imperial Honours' when they were decorated - the same medals that British service personnel received. The system worked until Vietnam because until then Australians had always been serving alongside British troops in the same wars. But Vietnam was different - Britain was not part of the war, and the British Ministry of Defence (which had to approve Australian recommendations for decorations) was reluctant to pass on too many such recommendations.
Also, in contrast to all previous wars that Australian troops had served in, there was no immediate 'End of War' Honours list for Vietnam - the purpose of the 'End of War' list was to identify and recognise actions that had been overlooked during the conflict. But when Australia exited the Vietnam War, a socialist government had just been elected that wanted to put Vietnam behind them as fast as possible and didn't care if this meant service personnel were not recognised. That oversight was eventually corrected in 1998 when the Howard government did formulate an End of War list for Vietnam 25 years after it should have been done - but even with that, there were still men who went unrecognised.
We needed to correct this. It is - literally - a matter of honour.
THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN
The Battle of Long Tan on August 18, 1966, was one of the fiercest battles fought by Australian soldiers in Vietnam.
A total of 105 Australians and three New Zealanders faced a North Vietnamese and Viet Cong force that exceeded 2000.
Despite the odds, the Australian troops forced the Vietnamese to retreat.
Eighteen Australians died and the enemy death toll likely exceeded 500.
Hand Salute.
And thank you, Australia.
Lieutenant Adrian Roberts to be awarded the Medal for Gallantry. This is a tacit acknowledgement that he should have received the Military Cross for which he was recommended.
Sergeant Frank Alcorta to be awarded the Medal for Gallantry. This is a tacit acknowledgement that he should have received the Military Medal for which he was recommended.
Lance Corporal Barry Magnussen (now deceased) to be awarded the Medal for Gallantry. This is a tacit acknowledgement that he should have received the Military Medal for which he was recommended.
Second Lieutenant Gordon Sharp (now deceased) to receive the Commendation for Gallantry. This is a tacit acknowledgement that he should have been Mentioned In Dispatches.
Private Neil Bextrum to receive the Commendation for Gallantry. This is a tacit acknowledgement that he should have been Mentioned In Dispatches.
Private Ron Brett (now deceased) to receive the Commendation for Gallantry. This is a tacit acknowledgement that he should have been Mentioned In Dispatches.
Private Ian Campbell to receive the Commendation for Gallantry. This is a tacit acknowledgement that he should have been Mentioned In Dispatches.
Private William Roche to receive the Commendation for Gallantry. This is a tacit acknowledgement that he should have been Mentioned In Dispatches.
Private Geoffrey Peters to receive the Commendation for Gallantry. This is a tacit acknowledgement that he should have been Mentioned In Dispatches.
Private Noel Grimes to receive the Commendation for Gallantry. This is a tacit acknowledgement that he should have been Mentioned In Dispatches.
A good movie about the Aussies in Vietnam is “The Odd Angry Shot” from 1979. Was an early 80s HBO staple. If you’ve seen many Aussie films then you’ll recognize some of the actors like Bryan Brown ( FX1 and 2 ).
“Justice has been done,”
Yes it has.
Thank you for your efforts soldiers.
About time. Sounds like the Australian liberals treat their VN vets the same as US types.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gUSq7pxux4
My dad and uncle (Nam vets) always tell me the Aussies in Vietnam were not to be trifled with.
well doneThank you for your service. I just heard an interview on the radio with the author of Poking Lions.
amazon.com/Poking-Lions-Keith-Quincy/dp/1785544160/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470960805&sr=8-1&keywords=poking+lions
The author talked about the bad stuff done by the Americans soldiers in Vietnam, the guilt they have today and the lack of support they receive. The author wrote in fiction so that they will not be charged. Brutal war stories. President JFK gets a lot of blame.