Vietnam Veteran's Day today

barina · Guru

Vietnam Veteran's Day today

bill12 · Guru

I had some mates who were at LongTan, both dead , but not forgotten. One was in 3 Cav, and the other in the infantry.Love to go there, one day. Lest we forget. Bill

-- Edited by bill12 on Sunday 18th of August 2013 06:20:52 PM

barina · Guru

Gerty Dancer wrote:
I'm so glad its ok to show respect for the servicemen who served in Vietnam nowadays.
At the time, they were spat on, their supplies were stopped, the mail was stopped so they wouldn't get any letters (Some blokes were planning a "punch a postie" day when they got home). I mentioned to a lady on a train who admired my baby that my husband was in Vietnam and hadn't seen his son, and she said I should be ashamed to be married to a murderer!
Tough times indeed.

I will never forgive Jim Cairns for inciting that treatment in Melbourne damn disgusting. I cry every time I see it in documentaries. Some poor Bu****s never got over that treatment.

Mail was stopped in the 2nd WW also never forgot that either.....

-- Edited by barina on Sunday 18th of August 2013 04:30:19 PM

ibbo · Senior Member

barina wrote:
Thank you to all our veterans and current serving forces.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1185444_531652566906884_750709397_n.jpg
may I ditto your remarks and thanks with a great big "Well Done".lest We Forget.

-- Edited by barina on Sunday 18th of August 2013 02:07:56 PM

Gerty Dancer · Guru

I'm so glad its ok to show respect for the servicemen who served in Vietnam nowadays.
At the time, they were spat on, their supplies were stopped, the mail was stopped so they wouldn't get any letters (Some blokes were planning a "punch a postie" day when they got home). I mentioned to a lady on a train who admired my baby that my husband was in Vietnam and hadn't seen his son, and she said I should be ashamed to be married to a murderer!
Tough times indeed.

NeilandRaine · Guru

Thanks for comments but unfortunately I will never forget the treatment handed out to us and not just from the radicals............ The Government of the day has a lot to answer for

Pejay · Guru

Peter also will never forget the way they were 'snuck' back into Townsville at something like 4am, then pushed off to their homes with no 'by your leave' thank you very much.

As is the 'norm' here on Bribie Is this afternoon a fairly large march/dinner etc, at the RSL, and he just will not go - instead we had a lovely afternoon/evening with some friends.

ibbo · Senior Member

NeilandRaine wrote:
Thanks for comments but unfortunately I will never forget the treatment handed out to us and not just from the radicals............ The Government of the day has a lot to answer for

I know the pain and feelings of ejectment that was shown to our heroic forces..I often wonder how many government members had relatives who answered the cause.Lest We Forget.

jandas fun · Guru

Thanks guys.

Johnw

GarrynLyn · Senior Member

Nice service at Port Macquarie today, run by the local RSL.

Garry

ex RAAF

Gerty Dancer · Guru

That's another thing that upset us GarrynLyn, the RSL were no help, people with PTSD symptoms and other health problems were on their own for years. Nowadays I think the RSL has a high membership of Vietnam Vets so they are very supportive.

herbie · Guru

Veteran Retreats around Australia.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

herbie wrote:

Veteran Retreats around Australia.

The work done by some Viet Vets not only benefits them and their families, but will be helpful to the Afghanistan Vets too. Good on "em!

Pejay · Guru

The RSL are the ones who are having to eat humble pie - they are losing most of their WW2 members and are having to rely on the Vietnam Vets to keep their numbers up and the clubs still viable. Know of quite a few RSL's that have closed due to lack of numbers.

cultana · Senior Member

Pejay, I agree.
I remember the crap, trying to be polite, from the RSL toward vets. The reason I never joined and won't attend anything to do with them.
Couple of my mates here in town have the same feeling.

The dog lady · Guru

I confess I never agreed with Australia taking part in the war, but the way our returning soldiers were treated was disgraceful. I was ambivalent about the apology to the "stolen generation", but I would wholeheartedly support a formal apology to the rejected generation of young men who went to Vietnam in good faith. You have my apology for what it's worth.

bill12 · Guru

I didn,t go to Vietnam, but a lot of my mates did, and come back as damaged goods.The way they were treated in those days was a disgrace,after a lot of them sacrificed their youth , and lives, for this country.I personally think that everybody should do some form of national service, perhaps not in the military. It would teach some discipline to the young generation of today, sometime very lacking in a lot of young people.It didn,t do me any harm.I will probably get lambasted for saying so, but thats how I feel. Bill

Duh · Guru

Just reading this link on Australian Forces in Vietnam, in all 60,000 Service men and women served there from the three services, most were Regulars (full time) and over 15,000 were conscripted National Servicemen, see;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Australia_during_the_Vietnam_War

-- Edited by Duh on Saturday 24th of August 2013 04:43:43 AM