Vietnam veterans recognised

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Vietnam veterans recognised

LEONGATHA RSL held a wreath laying on Friday afternoon at the Leongatha cenotaph to honour men and women who served Australia during the Vietnam War.

On August 18, 1966 in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam, 105 Australians and three New Zealanders of the sixth Battalion Royal Australian Regiment came face to face with an estimated 2500 North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong soldiers in a rubber plantation at Long Tan. The battle took place in a torrential downpour.

Despite seemingly insurmountable opposition or probability of success, the troops engaged in an unrelenting close quarter bloody firefight.

The encounter would go down in history as the battle of Long Tan.
Some served as ground troops in a combat capacity in country, some were off shore in a Navy ship providing gunfire support.

Others were in air support or provided necessary support roles both in Vietnam, other nearby posts and some back in Australia.

Whatever the specific method of service, all personnel were affected in some way by that experience.

Often referred to as the most unpopular war of Australia’s history, Australian troops comprised of volunteers and drafted personnel deployed to fight what turned out to be an unwinnable war.

Recognising them: Leongatha RSL committee member and Vietnam War veteran Colin James and South Gippsland Shire Council mayor Cr Ray Argento were at the Leongatha cenotaph wreath laying ceremony to mark the 41st year anniversary of the battle at Long Tan in South Vietnam.

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Posted by on Aug 22 2017. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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