Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I commend all those who have spoken so far on this motion amidst all of the very important and fine sentiments that this day was created to reflect. Certainly, it is has been wonderful to have this opportunity every year to add new dimensions to that, to recognise new aspects of the entire conflict of the Vietnam War, and that we centre the recognition around the Battle of Long Tan. Many people have described a lot of the detail of the battle so I will not go into that detail again, but it is quite correct to recognise the key significant salient points about that, being the effort of the troops against such overwhelming odds. At various points of this battle it was actually a mere platoon that was facing, effectively, the brigade-size strength of the enemy.

But there were other units and subunits that were engaged that day that we should also recognise. Apart from Delta Company of 6RAR, there were, of course, the sterling efforts of the 9th Squadron (RAAF), who really risked life and limb to get the resupply happening to the isolated troops in terrible conditions and under significant fire. Of course, the 1st Field Regiment, with its 161st New Zealand battery, a true ANZAC effort that effectively kept those troops alive and prevented them from being overrun, laid down the steel curtain that really saved the day for the survivors of that battle.

There was a very significant barrage that was added to by our US allies as well, which we should acknowledge too, and also some air support. There was also the cavalry arriving literally towards the end of the battle and the 3 Troop of the 1st APC squadron and all of the legendary names that have emerged from that battle that really shaped the folklore and the heritage that I inherited when I first joined the Army. One of the things I would like to pay tribute to is that the people who trained me when I first joined the army were all Vietnam veterans, and I owe a great deal of gratitude and debt to those men, because the skills and things they taught me stood me in good stead for many years afterwards in many situations. They provided us with a wonderful heritage as young officers and soldiers in the Defence Force at that time. We were the immediate postVietnam generation and we used all the same gear and equipment as that generation. It was all the same vintage—all stuff from the sixties. There were SLRs—everything. So, we really had an empathy identified. The legendary Buick, Sharp, Kendall, Sabben and Smith were all fantastic people who would come and speak to us and teach us lessons about that battle and many others in Vietnam. We should acknowledge not only them but also the Kiwis who helped us in that battle, and particularly the forward observer Stanley, who died not long ago.

One of the most rewarding times for me in parliament is that we were able to address a number of these issues from Long Tan. I personally weighed in on one aspect of that, which was the South Vietnamese declaration of the Cross of Gallantry, which had been denied our troops because, at that time, it had been a policy to reject many of these foreign declarations. Subsequently it had been rejected as being awarded because it could not be established that that had been the intention of the South Vietnamese government and people had effectively given up and walked away from attempting to establish that.

Working with the historian Paul Ham, I was able to establish that there was actually signals traffic from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which was a place nobody had actually looked before, specifically rejecting this offer from the South Vietnamese government. So we could establish that that declaration had been offered but instead, at the time, the soldiers were issued with Vietnamese dolls, which was not quite what they were looking for in recognition of their efforts. So we were able to establish that and then go ahead and issue those declarations. Many, as has been mentioned, were elevated in the gallantry declarations that were awarded, so that was a very pleasing thing.

The other very satisfying aspect of my involvement as a parliamentarian was bringing home the remains of our last two missing servicemen, Michael Herbert and Robert Carver from No. 2 Magpie squadron. Being there with their colleagues from the squadron and their family was very special. To be able to say that we have brought everyone home is a unique claim to be able to make in a conflict like this. What was special was the reception, the assistance, the spirit of cooperation and the camaraderie that we experienced at the Vietnamese end while we were over there in Hanoi. It was a very warm and wonderful experience. We should put it in the context of the fact that the Vietnamese still have 300,000 missing personnel from that conflict. One of the heart-warming things about our modern relationship with Vietnam is that our Defence Force and our experts are currently assisting the Vietnamese authorities to pursue the continuing identification of those missing personnel. It is very heart warming indeed.

It is wonderful to see so many young Australians, young Vietnamese and others moving backwards and forwards in education and tourism. We really have built a wonderful and close bond with that country out of the ashes of such a bitter conflict, and that is wonderful to see. There are quite a few Vietnam veterans from Australia living in Vietnam. Some of them are involved in maintaining the Long Tan battlefield. That is a positive to have taken out of this. We always have to look for long-term meaning out of these sorts of conflicts and tragedies. One of those things is the relationship that we have built with the Vietnamese people, on a people-to-people level.

Mention has been made of the Long Tan Cross. That is very special. I know that the veterans have appreciated having it here. This is something that we can take special note of on this particular Vietnam veterans commemoration. I am very pleased that we have launched the Vietnam Vets Family Study to look into the impacts that there have been on the families. It has been noted that these veterans were treated very badly by all shades of politics and the community in general. That exacerbated the psychological impact of the experience of our veterans in Vietnam. Of course, much of that ends up being passed on to families as it is projected and played out in many domestic homes around Australia. This study is well overdue. I am very pleased to see that we initiated it and that it will be completed, hopefully, by the end of 2012.

We use this day to commemorate the whole of the Vietnam experience. There were many other major confrontations and battles and a lot of loss in the context of that conflict. I think of 5RAR's experience in Bin Ba and the 8RAR operations in the Long Hai hills. Those battles were very difficult and costly of personnel. The major battle that we were involved in over there was the Battle of Fire Support Bases, Corel and Balmoral, where we suffered more casualties in the course of a more extended period of time. The focus was on 1RAR and 3RAR and 102 Battery, which was nearly overrun in that battle. It was one of the last times of any significant scale where our troops were engaged in fixed bayonet fighting. There is no more terrifying, more personal or more horrifying experience than bayonet fighting. That was the last time that was really experienced on that level. We should acknowledge those conflicts.

There were also the incredibly tension filled days of 7RAR, 2RAR and the Horseshoe. All these names will resonate with our veterans. There were the booby-traps and minefields that they had to navigate and they experienced extreme tension in relation to that. You never knew whether that day, when you were out patrolling, would be your last on two legs. We suffered quite a large number of casualties needing amputations. I was recruited into the army by a great hero of mine, Brigadier Rolph, who lost both legs in Vietnam. He was a young platoon commander, straight out of RMC, who went straight over to Vietnam. It was just about his first operation, his first day out in the paddies, and he lost both legs. We should remember those who carry the scars and not just those who lost their lives.

We also have the experiences of 4RAR and 9RAR in Bien Hoa and the battle of Nui Le. There are quite a lot of things that we should remember that occurred alongside the sterling efforts of our troops in Long Tan. We commemorate the entire experience of our people in that long war.

Just recently, we have experienced around this country wonderful celebrations on Vietnam Veterans Day. I particularly want to congratulate the organisers of the event at Batemans Bay that I attended, the Eurobodalla Vietnam Veterans Peacemakers and Peacekeepers Association, particularly the secretary, Helen Kop, and the president, Tony Herbert. They produced an excellent day. What I particularly loved about the day was that in attendance and participating in the parade were Vietnamese veterans from the South Vietnamese Army accompanied by a wonderful troupe of Vietnamese women, beautifully decorated in their traditional dyed dresses. It was so wonderful to have them included. They spoke at the ceremony and went back with us to the Soldiers Club at Batemans Bay for a wonderful gathering and lunch.

The spirit in which these events are being commemorated is wonderful, too. As I mentioned, the important thing is to take lessons and motivation out of these things. We had Sandy MacGregor, former colonel and engineer, speaking to us at Batemans Bay. He had been in Vietnam during the time of the Battle of Long Tan. He lost members of his troops in the lead-up mortar fire that preceded the battle itself. Sandy is a wonderful bloke and has himself tried to take a lot of meaning out of his experiences in Vietnam, as a lot of veterans have. One of the things they have done is to set up MiVAC, which is the Mines Victims and Clearance Trust, established by Australian Vietnam veterans. They raise funds through the trust and I strongly suggest that all people who want to really make a practical impact and recognise Vietnam Veterans Day contribute to the fund because they are doing wonderful work in clearing some of the thousands and millions of unexploded ordnance and mines that still plague that part of the world. In fact, the most bombed country in the world was not Germany, Japan or even Vietnam; it was the little country of Laos, so a lot of the collateral damage that occurred from that war and the bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos et cetera has left a terrible legacy which continues to maim and kill many, many people. So it is wonderful to see people like Sandy MacGregor and others who have rallied to do something about that by raising funds, getting out there and, as engineers, deploying their expertise to clear these terrible legacies of war.

It resonates very strongly with me because I was involved in the landmines treaty process. I was in Oslo for that process working with my engineer colleagues and others to produce a good outcome there and advance the cause of clearing up these 110 million landmines scattered across the forgotten battlefields of the world. I pay tribute to Sandy MacGregor for his wonderful work in leading the charge and making something positive out of Vietnam Veterans Day. I encourage people to donate to that cause. We also had Ron Richards from the sub-branch at the event, who was a veteran of the Battle of Long Tan as well, so we salute Ron's service in that battle.

This is a great opportunity for us to continue to right the wrongs and to recognise all the dimensions of this conflict and its impact on our country, on the families of the veterans and on the regions which we fought over. And we must remember that our Vietnamese brothers and sisters also endure a continuing legacy. That is a relationship we must continue to build, taking something positive out of this whole experience.

I commend members for participating in this motion. I salute the service of all those veterans who gave their lives, were wounded and provided me with the training, the legacy and the heritage that has meant so much in my service and the service of so many of my brothers and sisters.

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