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After
The War 
After getting
home from Vietnam I
stayed with 7 Battalion
until July 1971. Straight after the March though Sydney I
was released to Helen and we spent a couple of hours in Sydney with
my brother and his girlfriend talking about events and I remember
being very "twitchy" when cars back-fired. We stayed over
night in the City and returned to Wollongong by train. When I finally
reported back to the Battalion lines at Holsworthy I can remember
many angry soldiers. When a Parade was called many would turn up
with a mixture of uniform and civilian clothes. So the dress
of the day often was a jungle green shirt and maybe jeans? By lunch
time most people were gone for the day, so I would hitch hike
back to Wollongong to stay over night with Helen.
When
it started to change I cannot remember only that when lessons started
to take place again, as the War was still under way and 7 Battalion
was now training to return, our first group lesson was water conservation
in the field and small arms tactics? I was sitting with a group
of old and new members of 7RAR. We were being looked after by a couple
of very enthusiastic young men with a 'Pip' on their shoulders.
I looked around at the keen faces of the new diggers and the rather
indifferent, bored look on those who were wearing Vietnam Ribbons
and the Infantry Combat Badge, I looked down at my own medal ribbons
and thought, fuck off!
No
way was I putting up with this shit. "Water conservation in
the field and small arms tactics", you have to be joking? What
do you want to know? I decided not participate and say nothing.
Did we all have that same look? One that came to be known as the
1000 yard stare? The new lieutenants finally recognised that they
were not getting any cooperation and decided a new tactic was required.
The next thing they relaxed a little and said words to the effect.
Ok we are aware that many of you have returned from Viet Nam and
do can these lesson standing on your head. However we have to conduct
these lessons so how are we going to go about it?
If
we all hook in and get it over with we can run through the lessons
and have an early mark. So we looked at each other and nodded, anything
was better then being out here all afternoon. So we duly got in
to the spirit of the subjects and got through it.
During the months I stayed with the Battalion
I had a very difficult duty, that of coffin bearer. In June
1971, in South Viet Nam a number of Diggers serving with the
Task Force D & E Platoon were KIA in a contact with the VC. Three
of them were 7RAR Diggers who stayed in country after the battalion
came home. We were given the Honour of taking part in their
funeral. We were flown to the country towns to carry out our
duties and this was very difficult. Carrying the soldier out
of the Church it was all most impossible to maintain your composure.
This was followed by moving out to the cemetery for burial with full military
honours.
A very painful and trying experience for all concerned.
The one Digger who I could not pay respects too was Mick Towler
as his remains went back to England. It was not until the year
2000 I was able to dedicate a Tree to Mick at the Cherry Tree
Walk. A Photo to this effect is on the Memorial Page. The Battalion also took part in Parades at Victoria Barracks
in Sydney, which was still manned and guarded by soldiers in those
days. Below are a couple of photos taken outside the Barracks of
myself, Helen and my brother.
I
enjoyed my tour of the Barracks which in those days was rotated
between Units in NSW. It was an opportunity to see a bit of Sydney
and to do some Parade ground soldiering. Somehow I came to the attention
of the unit RSM during our pretraining. We were lined up doing
basic rifle drill with the fantastic SLR and the RSM was watching.
Then for some reason picked me out and marched me out to the front
of the Guard. Addressing the Guard he said something about wanting
the rifle drill to improve and to watch this soldier.
With
that he gave me orders to slope arms. Which is when the rifle is
flung up the right side of the body and caught with the left arm
around the stock and guided by the right hand to hold it steady.
I concentrated really hard and threw the weapon up as hard as I
could. As the weapon had bayonet fixed, I drove the bayonet right
through the right sleeve of my Service Dress. Fortunately I missed
sticking it in to my shoulder.
"Order
Arms". I put the weapon back on the ground and the RSM said
right ho, lets try that again shall we? Fortunately this time I
managed to slope arms and then Present Arms without any further
mishap. It was a good enough demonstration for the RSM to release
me to go and get the tear in the uniform repaired.
After
that debacle I managed to stuff up again when I did the main Parade.
During the Parade which I was selected to be the left marker I was
to pin the right form as the Guard formed up for its march across
the front of the public viewing area. As I had experience of a number
of Parades which included Forms, which is a method of changing direction
but not formation, I felt comfortable in the role. Apart from being
pleased for being selected as Left Marker. All was going well as I
was in the form, marking time when the Digger next to me said you
are out of step; change step. This is a maneuver by which you take
two paces with one foot that enables you to pick up the correct
left, right, left right! I was not convinced. "No I'm ok".
He said it again. Thinking about it much later I always wondered
if it was a fit up?
Despite
my better judgement I changed step as soon as the Form was complete
and stepped out. As soon as we went two paces I was very aware that
I was now well out of step. So I changed step to once again, to
get back in step with the rest of the Guard. I was very aware
someone had picked it up. This was the case when we had a post
Parade briefing, I was given a ticking off. What was there to say?
I did change step?
For the next stage of my military career
I then signed up for three more years, I transferred to the Royal Australian
Army Medical Corps. I under took Corps Training at the main training
center for the Medical Corps at Healsville in Victoria. It
was a very difficult time but I shared it with another Grunt Rob
Hines who
also had made the move from Infantry to Medics, from 4RAR and had
just arrived home after their 2nd Tour.
Medics
and 2 Military Hospital - Ingelburn - NSW
After
the course I was posted to 2 Military Hospital
this time at Ingleburn
NSW. Which as it happened was only half an hour by car from Holsworthy
Village and still close to Wollongong. Helen my wife lived there while
I was training; with her mother.
During my training as a "medic" at 2 Military Hospital, David our first
boy was born, in December at Wollongong hospital.
After training and gaining the qualification
of "Medical Assistant"
I was posted to the hospital and soon started work on seven day
shift work,
as the hospital ran 24 hours a day. While at the hospital I
was able to secure an Army House at Cavalry Crescent, Holsworthy
Village. My wife Helen and our new son, David moved from Wollongong to our first
house. The house was not far from my old unit lines, of 7RAR.
Although
due to
government cutbacks it had been amalgamated with the 5th Battalion,
(the Tigers)
and the new Battalion was called 5/7 Battalion (Mechanised).
The Battalion has served some TOURS of Duty at the turn of the
Century in East Timor and performed magnificently. The 5/7 Battalion RAR
then moved up to Darwin
as part of the reorganisation of the Australian Defense Forces.
As of 3rd December 2006 7 Battalion has been reformed along
with its sister Battalion, 5RAR. 7RAR will move to South Australia
in the
future.
For
over three years I worked in Simpson Ward which still treated wounded
from the Vietnam War as well as handling routine surgery need by
those serving in the Regular Army. However
I was also working with another Grunt who had transferred to Medics
and we were the only Medics at the time who not only had Vietnam
Medal Ribbons but the coveted Infantry Combat Badge. We worked
well together and kept our uniforms smick as we regarded ourselves
as soldiers first and medics second.
After
a couple of years of hard work in the wards building my skills;
Rob and I was sent
on subject for Corporal courses. The
RSM was Warrant Officer Class One 'Bluely Mellowship whom I
had
worked with in Vietnam, at 1 Australian Field Hospital and literately
bumped
into getting off the chopper, after I had been wounded and
flown to 1st Australian Field Hospital
at Vung Tuy aboard a DUSTOFF Chopper. SEE Story on Mine
Incident Page 20 
I
returned from the Course and stopped in at the hospital to say g'day
to a few people I bumped in to the RSM. His first words after saying
welcome back were "You are out of uniform". Now I knew
I was spot on having just come from the Corporal's course so
asked him how? He was having fun now and said "you don't have
any Corporals stripes up I expect to see them first thing in the
morning" with a big smile. I was very pleased I expected to
get promoted of course that why Rob and I were selected, but to
be promoted so soon, the both of us was NOT bad.
In particular that
time in the Army's life when it was being attacked and degraded
by the then Labour Government and torn apart. It was a sad period
in the life of the Australian Army.
So it came to be that there were soon two brand knew Corporals marching
around 2 Military Holspital and as very junior NCOs used for duty
left right and center but that's how you pick up your management
skills. You are not a Corporal so you are expected to carry your
self as such and set an example. That was easy for Rob and I as
it was not as case of the Diggers doing as we said, it was a case
of us leading by example.
After
spending time in Medical Ward and Out Patents and a very short
time in Training Wing, when I fell out of favour with the then Matron
of the Hospital I was been my first RAP. The next posting was a move just up
the road as it happened, about 300 yards from the hospital.
This time as a Corporal Medical
Assistant to 101 Field Work Shops in 1975. The unit was a Field
Force unit, in support of the Brigade at Holsworthy. It was
an 'Royal Australian Electrical
& Mechanical Engineers' or RAEME unit and I was its 'Medic'.
It was during this posting that Helen and I decided to
build at house at Mittagong. It was a difficult
year I had a knee operation, which was very painful, and the
house was being built down south. The Unit went on an exercise to
Queensland and I stayed behind to be admitted in to 2 Military Hospital
for the operation. I had damaged my knee which involved having a
medial operation which removed the damaged meniscus. At the same
time I had a growth removed from the side of the knee. I was in
the hospital this time as a patient
At that stage we
did not own a car, so I had to hitch hike to check its progress.
However after many months the house was finished and we and
our belongings moved
to Mittagong, which thanks to creative accounting by a mate
in the Orderly Room, was paid for by the Army. By this time we
had a VW Beetle which used to fly.
The present
Sydney to Melbourne freeway was not in the picture in those days the trip to Ingleburn
and back every day was done at a high speed. It was about this time in
late 1975 early 1976 that I noticed a change
in my behaviour. Mainly while driving and became one of the first
'road rage drivers'. At this time I did not connect my behaviour and
thoughts to anything to do with
Vietnam, while struggling to carry on my duties for the unit.
The
war was now some time away and I was getting on with life. After
all what was so special about being a Vietnam Veteran in the 1970s?
Finally after many months I went to a doctor
for help, one that I trusted at the hospital. He made an appointment for me to see a Psychiatrist.
The Psych recommended that I move from Field Force as he thought
this was part of the problem, as I was still "switched
on" like Vietnam. As my present unit was Field Force I was
even carrying a weapon in the bush, an SLR just like my Rifleman
days with 3 Platoon. In early 1977 I
was posted out of
the field force unit to 2 Base Workshop Battalion at Moorebank. However the move did not
work and after much discussion with Helen I looked for a job
in the local area.
I left the Army on Monday afternoon and started a shift
work job at a local brickworks on Tuesday afternoon, as a Kiln
Burner, making bricks. Not bad, in 24 hours from serving as a Soldier to someone making bricks?
Highlight of that year was the Birth
of another son who we named Paul. Staying at the brickworks
for 2 years, I moved to a Staff job in Security at a production
plant, again on shift
work, That year another son was born. Shawn our third son made it a good size family, so we called it quits
on any more kids.
About this time I received my discharge certificate
and was incensed to read that I had been graded "unfit
to be a soldier". So after seven years as a professional
I was so angry that I Crumpled
the
certificate in to a ball, I threw it as hard as I could
away from me. It
was some time in 1977. Some day I must do something about that
and try to get another one? For someone who had just left the
Army, I missed it? So I looked at how I could still be involved.
4
Battalion - Royal New South Wales Regiment
I was introduced to a member of a sub unit of B Company 4
Battalion Royal New South Wales Regiment, (RNSWR) an Army Reserve Unit.
I decided that I would join and started attending their Parade
night to have a look at what they did. The unit I was posted to
Paraded in Moss Vale. A Parade night which started with being on
parade with an inspection and then moving in doors for lessons.
The Company its self was based at Wollongong. The Battalion was again
a Grunt Unit and I was soon working in platoon tactics and handling
my favorite weapon, the SLR. I found it hard to be excepted
in the unit at first, even being a War Veteran?
Despite
being a substantive Corporal in the Regular Army and wearing Campaign
Ribbons and an Infantry Combat Badge, I found it very difficult
to get excepted in 4 Battalion and I could never work out why? It
was now only seven years since I had returned from War Service inVietnam
yet this had no relevance to the CMF in 1978? However because of
my experience and the fact I had not been out of the Army for over
12 months I was able to keep parading without having to under go
Recruit training.
I worked very
hard in all aspects of soldiering and although I could have used
my medic qualifications I decided to work as a grunt to gain some
credibility in the unit by working with the Company. I was careful
to down play my activities in Vietnam and did not 'big-note'
my self by playing the 'old soldier'. Some time we would join 'B'
Company down at Wollongong and have weekends in the bush. The Company
had a decent Officer in Charge at that time which saw realistic
training .
Soon
I was able to utilize my infantry skills when I was placed in a
platoon of B Company when we were pitted against there Platoons
from the Battalion to see who would have the right to represent
4 Battalion on a visit to our ANZAC brothers in New Zealand. Our
Lt who is better left un-named was very keen to win this trip and
he was well supported by the efforts. He gave me the role of Forward
Scout. Perhaps it was good that he did not know my time in Vietnam
as a Forward Scout lasted just one Operation?
PLATOON
AGAINST PLATOON
Perhaps
he thought my infantry skills would give his Platoon an edge? Another
plus was the Platoon Sgt who had served with 7RAR when they had
returned home so he knew the standard required of a Platoon that
could take out this trip. The platoon came together well and worked
hard. Up the front they responded to my signals correctly, also
I was given a back up to give some training to. We looked all day
and as last light was approaching fast I was told to find a Harbour
position that we could defend. Without really thinking about it
I selected some high ground to one side of our patrol direction.
The
Platoon Harboured up and spent a reasonable night but we did not
light fires and worked tactically greeting the dawn with a
'stand too' just in case. After a quick breakfast we saddled up
and started working. For a change of pace I sent the newby
up as first scout, the platoon followed and was pleased to see that
under the influence of Dennis the Platoon Sgt everyone was wearing
their gear correctly and moving with signals not talking. After
moving forward in a few bounds the scout turned around to me and
signaled he could hear something. I directed him to go to ground
and watch his to his front. I then signaled the Platoon to go to
ground and moved forward very low towards the scout. I left
my big pack with him.
Moving
forward slowly, I could also hear chatter and smell cooking. Down
in to a crawl I moved slowly to the edge of the high ground we were
on and to my surprise could see the whole Platoon and it was clear
that they were just climbing out of their farters and had broken
a fundamental tactic of infantry work. They had failed to secure
the high ground either with a sentry or cover it with fire. They
were sitting around having breakfast talking in loud voices. Unforgivable.
I was
amazed if I was the Company OC I would have sacked the Platoon Commander
and Sgt on the spot!
After
sussing out the layout I crawled back to the scout and whispered
"stay put, don't move, don't fire I'm going back for the boss".
I pointed out the arc I wanted him to cover as I did not want us
to be surprised at this stage, as the platoon would be wondering
what was going on. Normally if I was working with 7RAR I would have
called the boss up and shown him the area. However I knew that we
would have to put in a deliberate attack straight away to take the
advantage away from the other Platoon, just in case they did wake up to
the error of their ways.
I
left my big pack with the scout as I knew we would be putting in
a killing attack in a few minutes and would not need our big
packs to slow us down. I made my way back to the boss. Giving the
thumbs down signal (enemy) with a smile they knew we had them on
toast with salt and pepper. Getting to the boss I outlined were
we were and the fact we had them cold and the high ground. He responded
quickly, "Right Sergeant we will put in a deliberate attack,
I want two sections on the ground before we open fire. I will initiate
the fire with an M60 please pass that on". Dennis started giving
his orders and spreading the Platoon along the ridge line, you could
see smiles everywhere and thumbs up to me as they knew I had turned
the situation in our favour with some quick action.
Then
the boss did something I still don't believe and don't approve off.
He took an M60 off the gunner and telling me to follow him started
off for the center of the two sections on the ground. The third
were used to cover our equipment and cover both ends of the ridge
line incase of a counter attack. The M60 opened up and the two sections
blazed away into the position. The other platoon 'died' were they
sat, with no weapons. They were either out of reach or buried under
piles of basic webbing. Ridiculous.
NEW ZEALAND
After
that I was selected
to join a special 4 Battalion Platoon to spend two weeks in
New Zealand with a Battalion from Auckland on exercise. This
was entirely
due to my skills learnt the hard way in Vietnam, while
keeping my mouth shut. It was
a great trip. We stayed in Auckland with the 4th Auckland North
Battalion and they were very good hosts.
PROMOTION
TO SGT
After the New Zealand trip I was placed on the Sergeants carter course.
This was my first trip ever to Singleton
for a two week exercise. I arrived having missed out on the
pre-course preparation that every one else had been ploughing through
for some weeks.
After a few very hard weeks the result was, along with the other successful course
members,
being promoted to Sergeant. This was handled by being on parade
with the Battalion then in front of the whole Battalion having your
name called out and being marched in front of the CO.
Then
later that night, being introduced into the Battalion's Sergeants Mess.
I
can still remember this as a very proud day marching out in
front of the Battalion, one of a few Diggers so recognised.
KANGAROO 81
In 1981 I was lucky to be selected
and involved in a major exercise as a Sergeant, in November
of that year, this being KANGAROO 81. (i still have the T/Shirt;-)) This is held most
years in North
Queensland with many different units of the Army, Air Force
and Navy of Australia. After the exercise and in the new year
for some reason I decided to leave the Reserves, something which
I later regretted, taking discharge in 1983.
Importantly this Service
has been recognised and is included on my CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE,
reissued in 2002 after receiving the new NASHO Medal. The
medals are listed on the Orderly Room Page. All except for the
new Australian Defense Medal which arrived just before Vietnam Veterans
Day last year.
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