Going Back (24 page)

NOTES

Introduction

1
Elizabeth Stewart, ‘Return to Vietnam', Paper, University of Newcastle, 2005

2
Ian McNeill,
The Team: Australian Army Advisers in Vietnam 1962–1972
, pp. 128–9

3
Elizabeth Stewart, op. cit.

4
Ibid

5
Ibid

6
‘Vietnam is a densely-populated, developing country that in the last 30 years has had to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financial support from the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally-planned economy. Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to 1997 in moving forward from an extremely low level of development and significantly reducing poverty. Growth averaged around 9 percent per year from 1993 to 1997.' Source:
The World Factbook 2007
,
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/vm.html

7
Elizabeth Stewart, op. cit.

8
Ibid

9
Ibid

10
Bruce Davies and Gary McKay,
The Men Who Persevered—The
AATTV: The Most Decorated Australian Unit in the Viet Nam War
, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2005

11
Gary McKay,
Delta Four
—
Australian Riflemen in Vietnam
, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1996

12
Interview with Garry Adams, Hoi An, SRV, 12 October 2005

Chapter 1 Great expectations

1
Interview with Garry Adams, Hoi An, SRV, 12 October 2005

2
Letter, Steve Campling, 24 December 2005

3
Letter, Derrill De Heer, 17 May 2006

4
Ibid

5
Letter, Bob Hann, 25 July 2006

6
Letter, Garry Heskett, 19 June 2006

7
Ibid

8
Letter, Suzanne Heskett, 16 June 2006

9
Interview with Bill Kromwyk, Mt Gravatt, Qld, 27 February 2006

10
Ibid

11
Ibid

12
Interview with Peter Rogers, Yaroomba, Qld, 12 December 2005

13
Ibid

14
Ibid

15
Ibid

16
Letter, Ian Ryan, 2 May 2006

17
Interview with Garry Adams, 12 October 2005

18
Ibid

19
Ibid

20
Letter, Bob Hann

21
Letter, Steve Campling

22
Letter, Derrill De Heer

23
Letter, Garry Heskett

24
Letter, Ian Ryan

25
Letter, Derrill De Heer

26
Interview with Bill Kromwyk, 27 February 2006

27
Ibid

28
Interview with Peter Rogers, 12 December 2005

29
Gary McKay,
Delta Four—Australian Riflemen in Vietnam
, Allen &Unwin, Sydney, 1996, p. 246

Chapter 2 The 5 RAR tour group

1
Interview with Paul Greenhalgh, Canberra, ACT, 20 February 2005

2
The HMAS
Sydney
was a converted ex-Royal Navy aircraft carrier. This ‘fast troop transport' ship became known as the ‘Vung Tau Ferry' or ‘The Steak and Kidney'.

3
Interview with Paul Greenhalgh, 20 February 2005. In the Second World War Chin Peng rose to prominence in the jungles of Malaya where many Chinese Malayans were waging a guerrilla war against the occupying Japanese. After the war he was elected Secretary General of the Communist Party of Malaya and gained notoriety for leading an armed insurgency that was responsible for the deaths of many civilians. He was exiled from Malaya but continued to lead the struggle against British rule.

4
Interview with Paul Greenhalgh, 20 February 2005

5
Citizen Military Forces (now known as the Army Reserve) soldiers and officers could be transferred to the Regular Army on what was called Full Time Duty status, abbreviated to FTD— usually for a minimum period of twelve months.

6
The Officer Training Unit at Scheyville just outside Sydney was established in 1965 to train selected national servicemen as officers for the Army. It was a 22-week course and based on the twelve-month Regular Army Officer Cadet School (OCS) course conducted at Portsea in Victoria. The training is described in some detail in my first book,
In Good Company
, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1987.

7
Interview with Paul Greenhalgh, 20 February 2005

8
Ibid

9
Ibid

10
Ibid

11
Ibid

12
Ibid

13
Ibid

14
Interview with Paul and Wendy Greenhalgh, Hoi An, SRV, 12 October 2005

15
Ibid

16
Prospective medical officers were trained in an Army undergraduate medical program that required a return of service obligation after graduation of at least five years.

17
Interview with Ted and Joy Heffernan, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

18
Ibid

19
Ibid

20
Interview with Peter Isaacs, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

21
Ibid

22
Letter, Peter Isaacs, 7 September 2005

23
Ibid

24
Ibid

25
Interview with Ben Morris, Yaroomba, Qld, 8 March 2005

26
Ibid

27
Ibid

28
Ibid

29
Ibid

30
Ibid

31
Ibid

32
Ibid

33
Ibid

34
Ibid

35
Ibid

36
Interview with Ben Morris, Hoi An, SRV, 12 October 2005

37
Interview with Ben Morris, 8 March 2005

38
Interview with Fred Pfitzner, Royalla, NSW, 2 September 2005

39
Ibid

40
Ibid

41
Ibid

42
Ibid

43
The Army infantry battalions underwent several organisational changes after the Second World War as defence planners struggled to come to grips with a shift in alliances and a change in strategic outlook. These changes are discussed in a history of The Royal Australian Regiment,
Duty First
, by Dr David Horner, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1990, pp. 134–44.

44
Interview with Ron Shambrook, Brisbane, Qld, 14 July 2005

45
Ibid

46
Ibid

47
Ibid

48
Letter, John Taske, 13 September 2005

49
Interview with John Taske, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

50
Letter, John Taske

51
Ibid

52
Interview with Tina Taske, Ho Chi Minh City, SRV, 9 October 2005

53
Interview with Roger Wainwright, Canberra, ACT, 15 February 2005

54
Ibid

55
Ibid

56
Ibid

57
Ibid

58
Ibid

59
Interview with Roger and Tina Wainwright, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

60
Ibid

61
Letter, Tony White, 9 September 2005

62
Ibid

63
Ibid

64
Interview with Tony, Doffy and Rupert White, Ho Chi Minh City, SRV, 9 October 2005

65
Letter, Tony White

66
Ibid

67
Interview with the White family, 9 October 2005

68
Ibid

69
Ibid

70
Ibid

71
Ibid

Chapter 3 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
and surrounds

1
Gary McKay,
Australia's Battlefields in Viet Nam
, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2004; this book is a tool for those who wish to visit the battlefields where the 1st Australian Task Force units fought during the war. For a more comprehensive guide to the country, the culture and travel-oriented matters, readers should refer to travel guides such as Lonely Planet.

2
Letter, Peter Isaacs, 18 November 2005

3
Interview with Peter Rogers, Yaroomba, Qld, 12 December 2005

4
Letter, Derrill De Heer, 17 May 2006

5
Interview with Ron Shambrook, Brisbane, Qld, 14 July 2005

6
Interview with Peter Rogers, 12 December 2005

7
Gary McKay,
Bullets, Beans & Bandages: Australians at War in Viet Nam
, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1999, p. 74

8
Gary McKay,
Bullets, Beans & Bandages
, p. 61

9
Gary McKay,
Bullets, Beans & Bandages
, p. 73. Wallaby Airlines was the nickname given to the RAAF 35 Squadron and the Caribou short take-off and landing aircraft, owing to the squadron insignia on the tailplane.

10
For a full account of the battles, see
The Battle of Coral: Fire Support
Bases Coral and Balmoral May 1968
by Lex McAulay, Hutchinson, Melbourne, 1988.

11
Interview with Peter Rogers, 12 December 2005

Chapter 4 Inside the wire: Nui Dat

1
Interview with Bill Kromwyk, Mt Gravatt, Qld, 27 February 2006

2
Letter, Derrill De Heer, 17 May 2006. (On 23 November 1969 and just prior to 9 RAR's departure from South Viet Nam, a disgruntled soldier placed an M26 HE grenade into a tent that housed Lieutenant Convery and his platoon sergeant. Convery was killed in the subsequent explosion.)

3
Letter, Bob Hann, 25 July 2006

4
Letter, Ian Ryan, 2 May 2006

5
Interview with Roger Wainwright, Canberra, ACT, 15 February 2005

6
Interview with Ron Shambrook, Brisbane, Qld, 14 July 2005

7
Ibid

8
Letter, Peter Isaacs, 18 November 2005

9
Interview with Paul Greenhalgh, Canberra, ACT, 20 February 2005

10
Interview with Ben Morris, Hoi An, SRV, 12 October 2005

11
Interview with Fred Pfitzner, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

12
Interview with Peter Rogers, Yaroomba, Qld, 12 December 2005

13
The Australian Veterans Vietnam Reconstruction Group also supports an orphanage in Ba Ria (Phuoc Le) township and has been doing so for many years. For more information on their activities see their website at
http://avvrg.au104.org/
.

14
Interview with John Taske, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

15
Interview with Tony, Doffy and Rupert White, Ho Chi Minh City, SRV, 9 October 2005

16
Interview with Rupert White, Vung Tau, SRV, 8 October 2005

17
Interview with Roger and Tina Wainwright, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

18
Ibid

Chapter 5 Outside the wire: Phuoc Tuy

1
Interview with Bill Kromwyk, Mt Gravatt, Qld, 27 February 2006

2
The Regional Forces (formerly the Civil Guard) and the Popular Forces (formerly the Self Defence Corps) were South Vietnamese militia. The Popular Forces were trained and equipped to a lesser level than the Regional Forces
.

3
Letter, Garry Heskett, 19 June 2006

4
Interview with Bill Kromwyk, 27 February 2006

5
Operation Hardihood was conducted from 24 May to 12 June 1966, and involved units from the American 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) based at Bien Hoa, 5 RAR and elements of the future Australian Task Force.

6
Interview with Peter Isaacs, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

7
Ibid

8
Interview with Paul Greenhalgh, Canberra, ACT, 20 February 2005

9
Interview with Bill Kromwyk, 27 February 2006

10
Interview with Ben Morris, Hoi An, SRV, 12 October 2005

11
Ibid

12
Interview with Fred Pfitzner, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

13
Interview with Peter Rogers, Yaroomba, Qld, 12 December 2005

14
Interview with Ron Shambrook, Hoi An, SRV, 12 October 2005

15
Interview with John Taske, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

16
Interview with Roger Wainwright, Canberra, ACT, 15 February 2005

17
Ibid

18
Ibid

19
Interview with Ron Shambrook, 12 October 2005

20
Interview with Paul Greenhalgh, 20 February 2005

21
Interview with Paul and Wendy Greenhalgh, Hoi An, SRV, 12 October 2005

22
Interview with Fred Pfitzner, Royalla, NSW, 2 September 2005

23
Interview with Roger and Tina Wainwright, Hoi An, SRV, 11 October 2005

24
Interview with John Taske, 11 October 2005

25
Interview with Paul Greenhalgh, 20 February 2005

26
Letter, Derrill De Heer, 17 May 2006

27
Interview with Peter Isaacs, 11 October 2005

28
Interview with Bill Kromwyk, 27 February 2006

29
Interview with Fred Pfitzner, 11 October 2005

30
Ibid

31
Interview with Roger and Tina Wainwright, 11 October 2005

32
Interview with Tony, Doffy and Rupert White, Ho Chi Minh City, SRV, 9 October 2005

33
Robert O'Neill,
Vietnam Task: The 5th Battalion, the Royal Australian
Regiment, 1966–67
, Cassell Australia, Melbourne, 1968, pp. 221–6, 228

34
Interview with the White family, 9 October 2005

35
Interview with Roger Wainwright, 15 February 2005

36
Letter, Peter Isaacs, 18 November 2005

37
Interview with Roger Wainwright, 15 February 2005

38
Interview with Peter Rogers, 12 December 2005. For a full account of the battle at Binh Ba, see Gary McKay and Graeme Nicholas,
Jungle Tracks—Australian Armour in Viet Nam
, Allen &Unwin, Sydney, 2001.

39
The aviators were Captain Barry Donald and Second Lieutenant Alan Jellie, flying a Pilatus Porter at night and shot down on 3 December 1969.