South Vietnam. Phuoc Tuy Province. 17 August 1966.
Just before 3:00am, Viet Cong mortar fire rains down on Australian forces stationed at Nui Dat base. Australian counter-battery fire commences within minutes. But a follow-up attack from the enemy doesn’t come. The guns fall silent. Twenty-four Australians have been wounded.
At 6:30am, the men of B Company from 6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, leave the base in search of the enemy’s position. They track, search and stay out overnight to continue their mission the following day.
At midday on 18 August, the men of B Company are relieved by the men of D Company.
D Company – about 100 men spread across three platoons – enter a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan at 3:00 pm. The enemy is sighted. A small skirmish soon becomes a major confrontation. The Australians find themselves pinned down and outnumbered by a well-armed and highly skilled enemy, some 2,000 strong. They face the relentless hell of mortars and bullets. They fight in a torrential downpour which hits the red earth and kicks up “mud mist” that reduces visibility.
On the verge of being overrun, the Australians are saved by the guns of a New Zealand artillery battery. Then, as ammunition runs low, two RAAF helicopters fly a daring mission in atrocious conditions and resupply D Company at the critical moment. At the eleventh hour, as the Viet Cong prepares for an all-in attack, hope appears on the horizon. Like friendly cavalry coming over the hill, Australian armoured personnel carriers arrive carrying A Company. The enemy withdraws. The battle ends.
At least 245 Viet Cong have been killed. The men of D Company have endured three-and-a-half hours of hell against all the odds. But not without cost. Seventeen Australians have died. A further 25 Australians have been wounded. One will die of his wounds days later.
This Vietnam Veterans’ Day marks the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. Today, we not only express our gratitude for the spirit, suffering and sacrifice of all Australians who served in the Vietnam War, we particularly remember those who fought and fell at Long Tan.
Between 1962 and 1973, some 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam. Some 15,000 were “Nashos” – men conscripted under the National Service Scheme who went to war and served wholeheartedly alongside those in the regulars. The Vietnam War saw around 3,129 Australians wounded and 523 Australians tragically killed.
Historian Geoffrey Blainey has noted that Australians serving in Vietnam “felt the sting of public apathy and derision.” Not all Australians made the distinction between their views about the war and their attitudes towards the service personnel sent to fight. Upon returning home, many veterans were treated with ingratitude, indifference or outright hostility. That mistreatment of our veterans was a dark chapter in our country’s history. And may it never be repeated.
Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies sent combat troops to Vietnam in April 1965 at the invitation of South Vietnam. Australia’s initial commitment consisted of Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) forces sent to train and assist South Vietnamese forces in a counterinsurgency campaign against the Viet Cong. Historian Peter Edwards has noted that, at the outset of the war, the general mood of the Australian community was acceptance with unease.
Like so many times before, and so many times since, the Australians who served at Long Tan did so side-by-side with our New Zealand and US allies. The Battle of Long Tan has gained due significance alongside many other battles where Australians demonstrated their courage, professionalism and initiative, often alongside our Kiwi and American cousins. Long Tan reinforced the courage, camaraderie and composure that defines Anzacs in war. That is why, every year on 18 August, we commemorate Vietnam Veterans’ Day.
We honour the memories of our fallen in Vietnam. And we express our gratitude for the sacrifice of all who served.