A GRUNTS VIEW

A Diggers viewpoint of being at the sharp end. Gained while serving with 3 Platoon - 'A' Company -7 Battalion (Infantry) Royal Australian Regiment, as a Rifleman in Australia's longest ever war - fought in South Vietnam.  

Chapter 1 - Page 3 - Updated October 2013 - Next Page:- Announcements 4/35

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ORDERLY ROOM  -  Stop Here For a BRIEFING!

   

Site Index

CHAPTER TWO

INTRODUCTION TO OINK

CHAPTER THREE

 arrival in viet 13

contact with chq 14

 enemy 15

 odd angry shot 16

 advance contact 17

CHAPTER FOUR

ENEMY ACTION

 bunker battle 18

night move 19

 mine incident 20

 ambush 21

 

SUBJECTS ON THIS PAGE

  • Latest News
  • What is a 'Grunts View'?
  • What does 'Oink' mean
  • What the site is about?
  • Why the site was built
  • Cherry Tree Walk
  • Notice Board Area
  • Disclaimer & Copyright
  • What is Coming Next to this site?
  • Royal Australian Regiment
  • PANDORA
  • ANZAC Digger for this page
  • List of ANZACS

Oink at Kapooka in 1969

LATEST NEWS

Chapter 1 to the start of Chapter 6.

There are general LINKS to the Chapters that the web site is now divided in to. A list on the Site Map page highlights the pages, titles and subjects divided in to six chapters.

WHAT IS "A GRUNTS VIEW"??

A 'Grunt' is the name gven to an infantry soldier during the Vietnam war in the first instance by the American infantry. It was used by the Diggers in my platoon, during training in 1969 when we discussed Vietnam. They thought grunt was an apt description of our role. Given we carried nearly our body weight in equipment and when you stood up with all your gear and the fully loaded Big Pack on your back, you would 'grunt', with the effort.

I was a grunt for over four years. First as a National serviceman for two and a half years then in the late 1970s I joined the Army Reserve, serving four years with 4th Battalion Royal New South Wales Regiment (RNSWR). However my first 'Grunt' time was with the 7th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, (RAR) known as "Porkies People" for reasons, you can find elsewhere on this site. My time with 7RAR included a 13 month Tour of South Vietnam on active service.

Some years ago I wrote two stories for a military magazine. I used them as a foundation for this web site, knowing I had more to tell. In 2009 I aim to add some further information to the site; as much as I am able about my 'TOUR' of Vietnam and its effect in later years on my life.

So as it states, 'A GRUNTS VIEW', is my personal viewpoint of active service in South Vietnam, as a Infantry Soldier/Rifleman with the Royal Australian Regiment and then further service with 4RNSWR. Then the later years dealing with the effects of of that war. In particular dealing with PTSD. A secondry aim is since the Viet Nam War has grown as an area of interest for Students, I also intend to write a Students Page that willput the War in to context with the 1960s and 70s.

WHAT DOES OINK MEAN?

When I first joined the World Wide Web in 1997, when meeting other Diggers I was called an "oinker". A reference to the fact that 7 Battalion was during its life and its two tours of Vietnam, known as the PIG Battalion. So a bit of a joke I started to sign my emails 'oink', over the years on the net it had become my 'call sign'!  oink;-) For the full story go to 7 Battalion The Pigs. Page 11

WHAT IS THE SITE ABOUT??

The site is an attempt to detail the era of the 1960's. The age of flower power, the age of Aquarius. Sex, drugs and rock and roll and the war in South Vietnam. The longest war that Australia was involved in. The catch cry of the 60's. "If you remember the 60's you were not there", the saying goes!  This is BULL SHIT. Thats just an excuse from the pot heads who were spaced out most of the time.

There was plenty of young Australians who's catch cry was "DUTY, SERVICE, RANK and FILE".  Duty of an Australia Soldier. Service to our Country. The officers and men who made up the Units who served overseas during the 60's. As Vietnam was not the only overseas active service posting during those years. There was Malaya and Borneo as well, where the Battalion's of the Royal Australian Regiment fought Communism.   

This site will detail the transition of ordinary young Aussies; working, surfing and chasing girls, to becoming skilled Riflemen. It will cover the Australian way of training for war, via the eyes and experiences of 'Oink'. Then leave with "Oink" and members of Three Platoon 'A' Company 7RAR for Vietnam, as members of one of the finest Australian Infantry Battalions that saw active service against the dedicated soldiers of the Viet Cong.

Those solders became in every sense of the word, "DIGGERS". This new generation continuing the Australian legend of Jungle Fighters. This time against the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) in South Vietnam. The site is a view from the level of the baggy arse, the private soldier. The Grunt, who made up the front line Battalions, the fighting units in the Royal Australian Regiment.

It will endeavor to take you in to the everyday world of the Grunts, to get down and dirty. To feel the tension as you lie behind the M60 machine gun waiting for the Viet Cong to walk in to the ambush site. To get an idea of what it was like to experience the routine of life in the jungle, day after day, for weeks and weeks on end.

The Vietnam War may be over 30 years ago for many people but for those who fought it and those who waited, along with those who still suffer from their service, it was only yesterday.

WHY THIS SITE WAS BUILT

The site "A GRUNTS VIEW", resulted from the many requests of my American Vietnam Veteran Mates, asking about the 'Australian Way' of doing things in Vietnam. I thank them whole heatedly, as they have offered their friendship and mateship to me without reservation. As well as having a keen interest in the Aussie experience in Vietnam.  So the easiest way to tell that story was to built a web site. Here it is!

NOTICE BOARD AREA

WHAT NEXT FOR A GRUNTS VIEW?

  1. 2011 a Complete Up Date by ANZAC DAY!
  2. Add the War Dead from Afghanistan
  3. So far the site has 26 of 35 Pages finished and active.
  4. New pages with be added in Memory of 7 Battalion AIF - WW1 & :-
  5. 2/7th Battalion AIF WW2.
  6. Together with the info about the NEW 7th Battalion RAR Mechanised Infantry.

CHERRY TREE WALK

The Vietnam War Memorial at Bowral NSW, called the Cherry Tree Walk is "THE" major Vietnam War Memorial outside the ACT, where the National Memorial is situated.

CHERRY TREE WALK INFORMATION AND UP-DATES ARE NOW OFF-LINE.

I intend to move the files to the end of this site when the presentUpDate is complete.

 Disclaimer & Copyright

The Badges of the Australian Army and that of the Royal Australian Regiment and 7RAR are symbols of my service. They do not imply that this site is authorised or in any way connected to the Australian Army or the Royal Australian Regiment, The Royal Australian Association, or 7RAR Association Inc, or the newly created 7 Battalion. Nor is it implied that this site offers opinions or speaks for those organisations.

Be it known that the contents of this site are the result of my own experience in the Army and any errors, points of view or opinions are those of the site owner.

COPYRIGHT

All rights reserved by Author of this site. All works and image are the work of the author, unless other wise stated.

The Royal Australian Regiment Links are on RAR Page

PANDORA

  • The Australian National Library Site has an on-line archive called PANDORA.
  • Pandora is an on-line archive of many subjects relative to Australia in many areas.
  • In the History section "A Grunts View" is listed among a number of other site.
  • This site was first "captured" in 2001. Also 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008.
  • The site address for Pandora is:- http://pandora.nla.gov.au/index.html
  • Then 'Click' on the History and Geography Link, A Grunts View is about 20th place?  

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL

  • The Australian War Memorial have 28 images of mine from Vietnam on their data base.
  • To find them go to the AWM and put in key words such as; "tony blake, vietnam, & 7RAR".
  • One great image taken at Brigid during 1970 has been used in "On the Offensive" part of the official history of the Australian Army in Vietnam.
  • It is on page 37. Murphy's law means they have the wrong initial. A 'D' instead of an 'A'?
  • In fact they also describe what is happening incorrectly?

  

THIS SITE SALUTES THE ANZACS

THIS SITE SALUTES THE ANZACS THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE. THOSE DIGGERS WHO FOUGHT ON MANY A BATTLE FIELD IN THE SERVICE OF AUSTRALIA.

THIS PAGE SALUTES THE ANZAC.

LIEUTENANT RUPERT MOON

AWARDED the VICTORIA CROSS.

58th BATTALION AIF. Platoon Commander.

On 12 May the 58th was to support the British by attacking German positions Lt Moon was to capture a 'pillbox' and led a charge of his platoon. Wounded in the face he called to his men, "Come on boys! Don't turn me down!'

Driven out of the pillbox the Germans jumped in to a trench. Moon used a Lewis-gun crew to fire on the trench and force them back. Lt Moon followed them now wounded in the shoulder. Ordering 'grenades' Moon led a charge, he was wounded in the leg and foot.

The Germans hid in a another dugout and when other Diggers from his unit came up they captured 186 Germans. Lt Moon then locating the next German position was shot in the face with his jaw broken and face mutilated. Moon made sure his men were safe and secure before allowing his self to be moved to the rear for treatment.12 May 1917 at Bullecourt, France. © DJL

List of ANZACS listed on this site

LT RUPERT MOON VC - Page 2

CPL GEORGE HOWELL VC Page 3

PTE WILLIAM CURRY VC - Page 4

PTE ROBERT MACTIER VC Page 5

SGT PERCY STATTON VC

CPL FRANCIS SHAW DCM

 

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