Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence: I wish to make some remarks on this important day, Vietnam Veterans Day. Together with Senator Humphries, representing the Leader of the Opposition, I attended today a ceremony on Anzac Parade at the Vietnam War Memorial. It was an important occasion to reflect on the contribution made by the more than 60,000 Australians who fought in the Vietnam War. It was also an important occasion to reflect upon the more than 500 Australians who died during the Vietnam War. It was equally an important occasion to reflect upon the burden subsequently borne by the families of those who came back from Vietnam and the extraordinary challenges which they have faced now over many, many decades in dealing with the scars of war both physical and psychological. Today, therefore, was an important occasion for the nation to reflect on their service and their sacrifice.

We also today at the Vietnam War Memorial were able to reflect further on the fact that we have been able to return home the last physical remains of one of our veterans and to anticipate the return home of the last two missing in action, and we hope to appropriately commemorate that at a later point. As I reflected in my remarks at the memorial today, it is right and proper for the nation never to rest until we have exerted our every last effort to bring those who have fallen in foreign battlefields home to proper recognition or to be properly interred in our war graves abroad. These loyal and patriotic sons of Australia fought in all of our names.

There was, as we know in this place, controversy concerning the war. It divided the nation. If, however, there has been one legacy since that time, it has been that we have all learned that our men and women, and uniform, should never ever become the subject of any form of attack which should properly be constrained to the political sphere. Therefore it is important that we honour those who have served in Vietnam. It is important that we honour the return home of the physical remains of the last of our missing in action. It is important also that we reflect on the continued scars and journey to healing on the part of families and those who have survived that most terrible conflict, the Vietnam War.

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