Battle OF Long Tan Day!

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The 18th August is set aside here to commemorate Vietnam Veterans in Australia.

 

It's called the Battle of Long Tan day to remind us of the huge battle that our troops fought on that day in 1966. I will attach a link for those that care to read about this epic battle where Australia lost 18 young men on that day, our single biggest loss in that war.

 

I lost a mate on that day, in that battle and always think about him on that anniversary every year. This was essentially an ambush carried out by approx 1000 NVA or well trained and equipped regulars, not part time soldiers like the VC. One of our platoons got cut off and bore the brunt of the attack and the survivors faced a night of fierce fighting in a monsoonal rainstorm. The morning saw over 300 approx NVA dead and a complete rout of the North Vietnamese army unit who thought that the Aussies were going to be a push over. Official losses were 245 but the number was much higher than that because the enemy always removed as many bodies from the battlefield as they could so we wouldn't know what their losses were.

 

We owe much to our Kiwi matea in artillery that kept a wall of steel between us and the NVA. They don't let their mates down those blokes!

 

This is a time to reflect on all who served in this conflict and all who have served, and are serving, in any wars. Because of the unpopularity of this war many troops are still fighting battles to this day and likely will do until their passing. We must ensure that we value these people and never again allow ourselves to turn on service men and women who have done a bloody hard job for their country.

 

Lest we forget.

 

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