Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to support the motion on Vietnam Veterans' Day, which is held on the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. Although in this place we often speak of the deeds of our service personnel in Vietnam and the enormous sacrifices in the Battle of Long Tan itself, it never gets any easier to talk about, and nor should it.

This year we have a very special reminder with the Long Tan Cross here in this country. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Henry Smith said that when we see the cross for the first time and reflect on that aftermath of Long Tan:

It was carnage, the battlefield was like a cyclone devastated area, trees blown apart.

I think it has been very good that we have the cross here in the country at the moment. But, of course, that was not the worst of it. There were 17 of our own brave soldiers killed in that battle, with one more dying later from his wounds. Lieutenant Colonel Smith has raised the possibility of the cross returning on a 99-year lease. It is on loan at present. He is quoted as saying that the cross is more than just a symbol of Long Tan:

It's a symbol of 520 soldiers we lost dead and some 3000 that were wounded and all the effects on their families and loved ones.

It's wonderful to see it here in Australia.

It's an Australian built memorial in a museum in Vietnam. I wouldn't want to upset international relationships but I believe it belongs here

I suspect, knowing many of the fabulous Vietnam veterans in my own community, that this is a battle they are well and truly willing to fight, just as they have fought for proper recognition of their brave deeds and just as they have had to for appropriate health support. This is a campaign where in the long term I hope very much that they are successful in.

We recall the battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1966 as one of the legendary battles of our own wartime history. The 105-strong Delta Company 6th Battalion RAR defeated the Viet Cong force estimated to be up to over 2,500. The outcome was 254 Viet Cong casualties, with some reports of up to 1,000 being killed and three enemies captured. Australia suffered 18 casualties, with a further 24 soldiers wounded. It is difficult to comprehend how anyone in Delta Company survived a battle between 105—and three New Zealanders there as well—on one side, and up to 2,500 on the other.

During the Vietnam War there was an understanding that the Viet Cong attack on the Australian base at Nui Dat was imminent, and that attack came on 17 August 1966 when the Viet Cong attacked the Australian base by mortar and rocket. Bravo Company was sent out to patrol the suspected Viet Cong base on the night of 17 August, and they were later relieved by Delta Company around midday on 18 August. Delta Company made contact with the Viet Cong at 15:40 hours when they were patrolling a rubber planation in Long Tan. Following the initial contact, the Viet Cong and Australian army soldiers would be in direct contact with each other for many, many hours to come. During this time, the soldiers were surrounded by enemy battalions firing mortars and automatic weapons.

President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded D Company Sixth RAR with the US Presidential Unit Citation. The men of D Company still wear that Presidential Unit Citation. The issue of proper recognition for Long Tan veterans first came to my attention with someone who I like to consider as a friend—Bill 'Yank' Akell is one of my constituents. He was a 19 year old at the Battle of Long Tan, and features in one of the many photos of that amazing force after the battle. As you see in the amazing man he is now, you can just see what a young person he was in that battle. In my first year of being elected as the member for Ballarat he came to tell me the story that instead of receiving the Republic of Vietnam's Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation, they had received a doll. I thought he was joking. I remember thinking, 'That just seems such an incredibly odd story. How can that possibly be true?' But, of course, it was.

Bill is someone who, again, I admire very much. He enlisted in the Australian Army on 14 May in 1964 and he was a member of the 105-strong Delta Company. As part of the battle, Bill—a signaller—was tasked with rushing alone from the company headquarters to 10th platoon to deliver a spare radio set to platoon commander, Geoff Kendall,. The 10th platoon had gone off the air, and it was vital that communication was restored between 10th platoon and company headquarters. Bill played a vital role in ensuring communication was resumed between the platoon and company headquarters. When you realise, again, that Bill was just 19 years of age, it is pretty amazing.

This is one of a number of stories about the Battle of Long Tan. Bill and D Company were not evacuated until much later that night. As a further sign of true courage the battalion, led by D Company, was assigned back into the area the very next day. It then took a change of government to resolve many of the issues regarding the recognition of D Company. I certainly commend Bill on his endeavours to support his commander, Harry Smith, in actions to seek recognition for those in Delta Company. Long Tan was a very real battle which affected real people and their families. The Battle of Long Tan will always be remembered as one of the most significant engagements in the Vietnam War. It is not the only battle of Vietnam, and it is important that we remember all the others as well, but the bravery and courage of our Australian soldiers in such demanding circumstances will not be forgotten.

We should not and do not forget the service of all our personnel in the Vietnam conflict. Without question they entered the fray on behalf of their nation. Many paid the ultimate price and, as we know, many more continue to pay that price today. We should certainly not overlook them and their families.

I particularly commend the many Vietnam veterans not only in my own community but also across the country who have continued to fight for fair services for veterans and now for younger veterans in particular. I recognise the work of some of the Vietnam veterans in making sure there was a Vietnam Veterans Health Study to look at the significance of issues that are now emerging with the children of Vietnam veterans, and that has been a very important study to have done. It was a long time in getting that put together.

I also commend people in my own community who took the decision to hold special commemorations this Vietnam Veterans Day. I attended a very small ceremony in Clunes. It was the first time they had held a ceremony on Vietnam Veterans Day at all. It was a very moving service and one which for some, hopefully, healed some of the wounds from that terrible time when Vietnam veterans returned home.

Finally, I was delighted that Bill and his wife, Carol, were able to come to Canberra both to see the Long Tan Cross and to be here at the service in Canberra. He tells me it was a freezing cold day, a very challenging Canberra day for the commemoration, but that it was beautifully done. If you know Bill, he is a big six-foot-plus fellow and incredibly tough. He said that, for him, it was a very emotional experience, and when the song I was only 19 was played he said that he had a bit of a tear in his eye. I think that, for Bill to say that, it was obviously a very special, very moving and suitable occasion to remember the Vietnam War.

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