Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, 18 August was Vietnam Veterans' Day, otherwise referred to as 'Long Tan day'. As I have done every year, I attended the annual commemorative service at Henderson Square in the Montague Farm estate of Pooraka, where a Vietnam War memorial has been established. In spite of this year's COVID-19 restrictions and wet, wintry weather, the service was very well attended. Standing on damp grass with a bitterly cold wind blowing and intermittent drizzle, it crossed my mind just how insignificant our discomfort was when contrasted to the conditions endured by the 61,000 Australians who served in Vietnam, and it paled into insignificance when compared to the horrific ordeal faced by soldiers in the midst of a sloshy jungle, with rain and enemy bullets pelting down through the 1966 Battle of Long Tan. Guest speaker, His Excellency Hieu Van Le, whose own journey to Australia was precipitated by the Vietnam War, provided a moving personal insight into the horrors of war. His address was later followed by keynote speaker Lieutenant Colonel Bill Denny AM BM. Bill, himself a Vietnam veteran, in his honest and frank remarks shared three anecdotes about the Vietnam War which exposed the truth, the fallout of the war and the futility of war. I particularly noted Bill's recount of local South Vietnamese people's heart-wrenching pleas to Australian soldiers not to leave them to the mercy of the North Vietnamese forces.

Earlier this year, I met with local resident Adrian Taylor, who co-authored with Karl Metcalf From Nui Dat to Discharge; Book 2. The book honours the service of Vietnam veterans, with a special reference to 4 Platoon, B Company, 7 RAR. Graphic insights and not previously told stories collated from personal diaries, letters and interviews with veterans reveal the Vietnam War as it really was for those who served. Around a quarter of the Australians who served in Vietnam were national service conscripts. Over 200 of them died between 1965 and 1973, representing around 45 per cent of all deaths during that period

For many who served, their return home from Vietnam was difficult. They were veterans of a lost war, physically or mentally scarred, shut out by many RSL clubs, and often treated with indifference by society. Life for them would never be the same. They share a special bond with one another that only they understand. But their service to country should be recognised and thanked, no lesser than the service of any other personnel who has worn the Australian uniform. Today I salute their service.