HOLDFASTFEBRUARY 2012 - NUMBER 20 WWW.TUNNELRATS.COM.AU OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE VIETNAM TUNNEL RATS ASSOCIATION INC

MINE LIFTING HERO It was Viet Cong soldier Duong Van Manh who first discovered how to lift M-16 mines fitted with anti-lift devices from the 11km long barrier minefield laid by 1 Field in 1967. Our own mines were then used against us, causing hundreds of Australian casualties. Today FreeSECRET map of Nui in Long Phuoc Village he is Dat inside, but recognised by this statue as a don’t show it local hero. Full story inside: to anybody, it’s classified secret 2 Nostalgia Pages

A few drinks before flying off to Vietnam Pages of great pics from the Three Sappers fresh out of Corp Training and excited about the adventure past to amaze and amuse. Pho- of being posted to Vietnam. It’s 27th of May 1969 and Greg Gough, 2Tp to contribitions welcome. Send (left) and Gary Degering, 1Tp (right) are heading off that night, while Mick your favourite Vietnam pics (with Van Poeteren, 2Tp (middle) will depart some six weeks later. After Corp descriptions, names and approx Training and Jungle Training at Canungra, Sappers were posted to Hold- dates) to Jim Marett 43 Heying- ing Wing at SME and simply waited for their Vietnam posting. It became a ton Place Toorak Vic 3142 or by tradition to go to the airport and see your mates off with a few beers in the email to: posh International Departure Lounge. It was so flash in there you had to [email protected] wear a tie, hence Mick’s Army tie with his civvie gear.

Ready to Roll Tunnel Rat “Dick” Bentley (1Tp 1966-67) is all kitted out as he de- parts on an operation at- “It was safer to do it in two stages Sir” tached to the Infantry as the “No.1” Cutting down big trees with explosives was often done by Tunnel Rats to of a two-man Splinter Team. Ex- create a clear landing zone for helicopter evacuation. The job above has tensive tunnel systems were found obviously proved “difficult” as they are having another go at it, placing new in Phuoc Tuy Province during this explosives where the previous ones had failed to do the job. The Sapper period, so Dick would have been a is checking the set-up before lighting the fuse (again). busy boy out there. 3 NOSTALGIA PAGES

9RAR lads hit two mines while on US trucks While travelling on Route 15 near Bien Hoa air base in late 1968, these two US trucks both hit anti-vehicle mines simultaneously. On board were Infantry from 9RAR. Australian APCs were accompanying the convoy and the Mini Team on board the lead APC was tasked to clear safe lanes to the wounded. The Mini Team was from 3 and they also cleared a landing zone so that helicopters could take away the casualties.

This is hallowed ground The 1 Field Squadron boozer was the social hub of the unit, but by tradi- tion each Troop had their own sitting area, and without anybody telling you “the rules” you stuck to your patch. While out on four to six week There was some long operations with the “Grunts” or “Tankies”, there were several things you really looked forward to when getting back to Nui Dat, a shower, weird stuff out there clean greens, and a session at the boozer with your Troop mates. This strange device was found near trails leading into the Rung Sat Se- Sweet snack cret Zone (a known enemy staging The US “C Rations” were a bit of a area). It turned out to be the aerial novelty for the Aussies. They tend- from a movement sensor. These ed to be sweeter than our palate were dropped into areas where en- was used to, but there was certainly emy foot traffic was suspected. The plenty of variety. A good quick snack right readings would bring a world during a “smoko break” on patrol of hurt in the form of artillery, heli- was jam on cracker biscuits. Plenty copter gunships or even “Puff the of sugar to keep you going and no Magic Dragon” . cooking required! NOSTALGIA PAGES 4

Bum Pack This piece of US equipment wasn’t on official issue to Australian , but somehow every Tunnel Rat in Vietnam managed to scrounge one from somewhere. We used it to car- “They’re getting closer” ry our blocks of C4 explosives plus Det Cord, lengths of safety fuse, This quintet of Tunnel Rats (the driver too) are on board HMAPC George, pliers and other bits and pieces. 1 Field Squadron’s very own APC. It’s 1971 and they’d been called out Officially it was known as our De- to look at a freshly started tunnel found very close to Nui Dat base camp. molitions Bag, but we called it our John Severyn of 1 Troop (on the left) supplied the photo, and John thinks Bum Pack because that’s where it the other guys are from 3 Troop. Does anyone know the names of the 3 was usually positioned on our patrol Troop lads? gear.

Chemical warfare There’s been a lot of fuss about the A classic Sapper possible ill-effects of Sapper Ron Davies was a Tunnel Rat with 3 Troop 1Fd Sqn, and he looks on troops, but what about this stuff? every bit the classic Sapper - a strong smile, a few “tatts”, and a nose bent a Every night while out on patrol we’d little from perhaps an altercation or two defending the honour of The Corp. rub this insect repellent religiously Seen here in his tent back at Nui Dat base camp, Ron arrived in country on onto our hands and faces. Your lips December 19th 1968, the day after his 24th birthday. Five months later on would immediately go numb, and if 28th May 1969 he was killed in action, from gunshot wounds he received it got on your Army issue watch it during an ambush while attached in a two-man Splinter Team to B Com- would cloud the clear plastic face pany 9RAR. Rest in Peace Sapper. permanently! 5 NOSTALGIA PAGES

“That girl I took home last night was a Viet Cong!” Paul Rigby was a famous newspaper cartoonist of the era, and he often chose Vietnam as his subject matter. Here he portrays with incredible accuracy and insight, a typical scene in a Vung Tau girlie bar - not that any of us went to such places of course, but we heard about them from the Construction Squadron guys!

“Sarge they’re doing it again” A good Troop Sergeant doing his job well would quickly recognise that these two lads need a few days rest and recreation in Vung Tau. They’re only kidding of course, but these 3 Tp Sappers, John Olsen and Art Richardon certainly wouldn’t say no to a few days break, combing the bars and beaches of Vungers. The Green Machine in action Three Amigos on a mission This is a simple Did we ever really look this young? Three 2 Troop stick of two colour Tunnel Rats (69/70) are on R&R leave together in face paint but the Bangkok. Having a “Singha” beer before hitting the Army of course town (left to right) Jimmy Shugg, Marty McGrath and has to give it a Greg Gough contemplate where to go. There’s plenty much longer name of options on offer - ancient temples, crocodile shows, because that is snake shows, souvenir shopping, traditional Thai how it’s done in dancing, Thai cooking lessons - Oh, and the bars are the Army. pretty good too, and maybe a massage..... NOSTALGIA PAGES 6

Culverts provided ideal mine locations A Viet Cong explosive device found in a drainage culvert beneath a road. The device consisted of a block of TNT with an electrically fired detona- tor which could be command detonated via the red electrical wire. Photo provided by John Kemp , OC 1 Field Squadron 67-68 Essential item If you didn’t have one of these out bush, you went pretty hungry. It’s the nifty little can opener which came with US ration packs (“C Ra- tions”). The Australian version was considered superior however, as it was larger, making it easier to han- dle and harder to lose, plus it incor- porated a spoon.

“You better blow them up Sapper” Geoff Handley, a Tunnel Rat with 2 Troop 1 Field Squadron 68/69 is seen Muscle Man here tasked with blowing up a collection of old enemy rounds. The Laying PSP sheeting in the intense rounds were found in a cache while Geoff was attached to 5RAR . Though heat is hard work, but it does won- these rounds were decayed and probably not useable as mortar rounds, it ders for your muscles. Here Sap- was important to destroy them because the enemy still used them against per Eddie Peckett, a Tunnel Rat us by converting them to anti-tank mines, burying them on likely routes, with 3Tp 68/69 shows off the re- wired up to a pressure switch. sults of his enforced hard labour. 7 NOSTALGIA PAGES The most famous photo ever from the - bar none Forget the photo of the Vietnamese Colonel shooting the Viet Cong in the head during Tet 1968, and for- get the photo of the the chopper lift- ing evacuees from a rooftop during the - this is in fact the most famous photo from Vietnam. It’s an all-revealling photo of singer/ actress Ann Margret in concert at the Bob Hope Show in Danang in 1968. Evidently a US Air Force sur- veilance technician took the photo with an infra-red filter. Ann was wearing red nickers, and voila, all was exposed. If you didn’t have this photo up in your tent, either the bro- mide dose in the tea was overdone or your sexuality was of a seriously questionable nature. Ann was a real patriot and gave many concerts for troops in Vietnam. Those concerts are fondly remembered by the thou- sands of men who saw them. This photo is signed “To all Supply offi- cers everywhere - Love Ann”. The photo was presented to “Holdfast” by a former Tunnel Rat who had kept it under lock and key for de- CENSORED cades. He felt it was time for it to suface again. Well done Sapper. Chinook still waiting at Saigon airport This old Chinook helicopter is still sitting on the tarmac in the back blocks of the modern Saigon air- port. As you taxi around the airport when taking off or landing you can often see a range of old, obviously Vietnam War era aircraft in the dis- tance. An adventurous Sapper on a recent holiday to Vietnam took a wander into off limits areas and took this photo. Well done! Also lin- ing the runway are old revetments, some with half-pipe concrete cov- ers, which obviously once housed jets and helicopter gunships. Take a look next time you visit. NOSTALGIA PAGES 8

Wired for sound Amazing comeback Electronic goods were dirt cheap Gently does it! at the military outlets in Vietnam. It for Sapper Denley Sapper Gary Pohlner, a Tunnel Rat became the in thing to set your tent Sapper Frank Denley was one of with 3Tp 1FD Sqn 67/68 is disarm- up with the very latest reel-to-reel the great characters of 2Tp during ing an M-16 mine found near the deck plus speakers. Here Sapper the 69/70 era. Embracing the Age perimeter of the barrier minefield. Barry Chambers, a Tunnel Rat with of Aquarious, Frank was our Troop About half of the mines in this field 3Tp 1FD Sqn 68/69 listens in to his Hippie, adorning himself with beads, were fitted with anti-lift devices. brand new Akai gear. bangles and bells. He was a good Tunnel Rat out bush on operations, but a bit of a menace in base camp or on leave. If anyone was going to lose their wallet, watch or camera while on leave in Vungers, it was Frank. In fact his record perfor- mance was losing all three at once, along with a few teeth. Pushing the envelope too far one night at Nui Dat, Frank blew up the Squadron OC’s dunny, getting 28 days in the slammer for his trouble. Despite ru- mours of Frank’s demise, he’s alive and well. In fact he’s well enough to have recently rung and abused us for taking him off the mailing list be- cause we thought he’d gone to that great Sapper paradise in the sky. Welcome back Frank.

Double whammy Above: A US Forces APC operating in Phuoc Tuy Prov- ince in 1969 hit an anti-tank mine and a Mini Team from nearby Aussie APCs helped by clearing safelanes and finding the triggering device. Searching the surround- ing area, the Sappers also found an explosives charge (right) set up on a railway line 100m away from the mine incident. Photos supplied by Sapper Brian Forbes 2 Troop 68/69. 9 NOSTALGIA PAGES

“Is that you Sapper Pengelly?”

After being out on operations with Explosives calculator the Infantry, being safe and sound For Aussie Sappers out in the field, the tried and true method of calculat- back in base camp was great, but ing how much explosive we needed to blow things up was simple: “Take a not without its hazards. Troop staff calculated guess - and then add a bit more for good measure.” The Ameri- worked on the basis that an idle cans actually had a device (above) which calculated how much explosive Sapper was a dangerous Sapper, they needed. Operating like a tape measure, it took into acount whether so they were constantly inventing you were blowing up timber, steel beams, rods or chain. The calculator meaningless tasks to keep us busy. above was calibated for TNT, but they also had one for using with the C4 Raking leaves, painting rocks and plastic explosives we were used to working with. hoeing down long grass were clas- sics. To avoid this nonsense, good Sappers learnt how to “disappear” while in base camp. Here Sapper Graeme Pengelly, a Tunnel Rat with 2Tp in 1970 attempts to avoid recognition by shielding his face from view from the Troop hut as he makes a dash for the boozer.

Tagged and bagged By the foot-scraper in the back- A bridge to the community ground, it loooks like some smart In April 1969, Sapper Brian Forbes, a Tunnel Rat with 2 Troop 68/69 is Sapper has managed to get this helped by local kids as he works on repairing a Bailey bridge on Route 23 captured enemy rifle, webbing and in Phuoc Tuy Province. The bridge made it easier for villagers from Xuyen helmet back to base at Nui Dat. Moc to transport their goods to markets in Dat Do and Ba Ria. The Viet It will either end up on the wall of Cong would often set mines or booby traps on bridges because they were his Troop’s recreation hut, or in his a “choke point” across which troops were likely to cross. trunk for illegally shipping home. 10 Mine-lifting legend Duong Van Manh In the village of Long ly that over 30 Viet Cong were Phuoc near our old Nui Dat base killed trying to lift the mines. camp there’s a prominent and Duong Van Manh entered well-maintained statue of a man the minefield one night to see who is obviously held in high re- if he could figure out what was gard. The statue is very much in happening and why so many of that “Heroic” style so common his comrades were being killed decades ago in Russia and Chi- in what should be an easy task. na – and still prevalent in North Manh quickly found a mine by Korea today. feeling gently for the three prongs Though many Australian protruding from the ground. He Veterans visit this area these dug the earth from around it and days, few know who the man is rather foolishly attempted to lift it and few bother to ask. His con- from the ground. He said he ac- nection to the Australian Tunnel tually heard a click (the pressure Rats is direct and painful, he is switch on top of the ), the Viet Cong soldier who figured but nothing happened. As luck out how to lift the M-16 mines fit- would have it, the grenade must ted with anti-lift devices from the have been faulty. This stroke of 11km long barrier minefield. The statue of Duong Van Manh luck enabled Manh to return to His name is Duong Van in the village of Long Phuoc the village with the whole device Manh, but he is known locally as – the M-16 mine, the pressure “Hero Manh”. M-16 was in fact an easy mine switch and the M26 grenade. The minefield was laid at to neutralize and lift. Logic told Manh had solved the the direction of the Task Force them that all they had to do was mystery of why some of the Commander at the time, and stick the safety pin in the right mines were blowing up as the comprised some 21,000 mines, hole and they could remove it and about half of them were fitted and carry it back to their village BELOW: Incredibly, by 1969 with the anti-lifting device, which safely. This was happening in the Viet Cong had established an underground room within was an M-26 grenade fitted with some cases, but in others, the the minefield where they stored a pressure release switch. The mine blew up in their faces. No lifted mines. Here Sapper mine sat on the switch so that if accurate figures are available, Frank Denley, a Tunnel Rat with the mine was lifted the grenade but it is commonly stated local- 2Tp emerges from the cache would explode, which would set the mine off as well for good measure. The local Viet Cong forc- es quickly realized the minefield was not only a barrier to their normal supply and communica- tions routes, but had the poten- tial to be an arms depot for them. Thousands of lethal weapons they could use against the Aus- tralian troops were just sitting there for the taking. Even before the minefield was completed, the Viet Cong were lifting the mines, but they were suffering a lot of casualties in doing so. This was confound- ing them because they knew the 11 MINE LIFTING LEGEND

VC attempted to lift them. He then devised a technique for pin- ning both the mine and the pres- sure switch, making it possible to safely cart away the mine and the grenade, to be used to great effect against Australian troops. Manh then spent months going around the villages of Phuoc Tuy Province, training lo- cal Viet Cong in the art of safely ABOVE LEFT: An M-16 anti-personnel mine fitted with the anti- removing the mines from the lifting device comprising an M-26 grenade with a pressure switch Australian barrier minefield. replacing the normal ring-pull and handle triggering device. In the following few years ABOVE: A of the minefield near Dat Do hundreds of Australians were killed or wounded by mines lift- dous task, but one which created Long Hai Hills. ed directly from the minefield. a rock solid bond between the These enemy minefields The Tunnel Rats from the Field Tunnel Rats and the Infantry. filled with stolen Australian mines Troops of 1 Field Squadron, at- Duong Van Manh con- were so effective at causing Aus- tached to Infantry in tinued his crusade on mine re- tralian casualties in the Long Hai two-man Splinter Teams were covery, even organizing cash Hills area that commanders, and invariably at the centre of the rewards for Viet Cong who lifted eventually Australian politicians horror of those incidents. Their mines from the minefield. baulked at entering the zone. task was to clear safe lanes to The extensive number Duong Van Manh had their wounded comrades so they of the mines taken from the created a complete reversal, ef- could be evacuated to hospitals. Australian minefield and used fectively being responsible for Many of the Tuunel Rats became against Australian troops actu- giving the Viet Cong the ability casualties themselves in these ally changed the course of the to move our minefield and turn it incidents, either from the initial war in our area of operations. against us. mine explosion or from a second The lifted mines allowed the Viet The decision to create mine explosion, usually caused Cong to form formidable mine- the minefield and to leave it un- by one of the wounded triggering field barriers around their own protected is seen by many as a a further mine. It was an horren- base camps, particularly in the monumental military blunder. BLINDED BY SIX MYTHS 12

"Why were you in the Vietnam War Grandpa - did you win?"

Media reporting on the the chance to set the record Vietnam War during and imme- straight. diately after the conflict was so The following story can polluted by left wing propaganda help you with that script. Written it was near impossible for those in 2005 on the 30th anniversary who served there to form and air of the fall of Saigon by Greg their own opinions on their re- Sheridan, the Foreign Editor of turn. The Australian newspaper, the The damning barrage article is a masterpiece of logic from the anti-war elements was and clear thinking. relentless, and any attempt by “Blinded by six myths” Veterans to speak to the contrary brings clarity and reason out of was usually met with ridicule, the fog of war and propaganda. sometimes even from friends It gives you the ammunition to and family whose opinions had answer those questions on why been cleverly shaped by the left- we were there, what we did, ist lobby. The last patrol, B Co. 4RAR who betrayed who and what we This was a bitter pill to move into Nui Dat on the10th were met with on our return. swallow for all returning service- of November 1971 In publishing the piece in men. For the Tunnel Rats who’d “Holdfast” we acknowledge the had 35 of their mates killed in and fumed. We bit our tongues Australian newspaper and thank action and over 200 wounded, and got on with life. the author Mr. Greg Sheridan. it was a bewildering and grossly A direct result of this is disappointing injustice. that even today, many of us We knew a sacred line find it hard to answer those in- Note: The photos and photo had been crossed by protesters evitable questions about Viet- captions illustrating this story belittling the value of the ultimate nam from friends and family. We in Holdfast were added by the sacrifice made by our 35 com- don’t have a ready script, which editor of Holdfast and were not rades - but with no voice of our is a pity because now, with a far a part of the original story pub- own at the time, we just sat there more receptive society, we have lished in The Australian. 13 BLINDED BY SIX MYTHS Blinded by six myths them, 1 per cent of our popula- die in vain? Were they puppets tion. No one guessed, in 1965, of the Americans? that they would be the outcome The truth is that Vietnam of our involvement in the Viet- was a morally just war. The nam War. chances of success were high. Yet we seldom listen to And there was a strategically their stories or anything they compelling case for us to be in- have to tell us about the war. volved. Our cultural elites have disap- The narrative runs like peared the South Vietnamese this. During World War II the from history. One of the most Japanese took control of Viet- evocative sights in the Sydney nam, which before that was a Anzac Day march last week was French colony. At war’s end Ho the big delegation at the end. All Chi Minh, the Vietnamese com- Asian men, marching behind the munist leader, declared indepen- haunting flag of , dence. Greg Sheridan the three red stripes across the The French decided to First published April 30, 2005 field of yellow. re-establish colonial rule in Viet- The television commen- nam and the communists led The Australians were the tator seemed flustered by their the resistance to them. After the best performing allied troops in presence and kept referring to French were defeated in 1954 Vietnam, though they got, then them as South Koreans. the communists took control of and now, precious little recogni- Yet these Vietnamese had the north and independent na- tion for it. been our allies, our brothers-in- tionalists, led by Ngo Dinh Diem, The Australians were less arms. Now they’re our citizens. governed the south. brutal than the South Koreans, Thirty years ago today, Saigon, It is boilerplate orthodoxy, less profligate with casualties, the capital of South Vietnam, fell taught at times on every campus and more disciplined, than the to the communists. in the US and , that Ho Americans. Though their number It did not fall to the Viet was popular throughout Vietnam. was small, the Diggers did their Cong, the guerillas of popular Yet when he came to power in job well. But the war’s growing legend, but to a completely con- unpopularity in the 1970s meant ventional military invasion by the We must never forget that our that they were never honoured army of . as they should have been, at allies and brothers in arms, Fifty thousand Australian the South Vietnamese lost so least not until the mid-’80s. soldiers served, and 500 died, many killed and wounded in Still, of late our Vietnam trying to prevent this. Did they their fight against communism. veterans have risen very high. Tim Fischer was deputy prime minister, Peter Cosgrove is Chief of the Defence Force, soon to retire, and Michael Jeffrey is Governor-General. All of them served in Vietnam. The Vietnam War, though it ended 30 years ago, never re- ally goes away. It pervades our discussion of Iraq, it is the meta- phor on everyone’s lips, in the US it damaged John Kerry in his run for the presidency last year. In Australia the most vis- ible manifestation of the Vietnam War is our sparkling and brilliant population of Vietnamese Aus- tralians. More than 200,000 of BLINDED BY SIX MYTHS 14 the north, a million people fled south, with only 100,000 going the other way. It’s a funny thing about communist revolutions, they are always more popular in the West than with their own people. After consolidating a typi- cally barbaric communist regime in the north, Ho turned his atten- tion to the south and throughout the ‘60s ran an escalating mili- tary campaign against it, with the purpose of subjecting the whole of Vietnam to communist rule. The Americans began to help the south in the early ‘60s and towards the end of that de- cade briefly had 500,000 military personnel in Vietnam. Australia In 1954 Vietnamese were given the choice of living in the commu- sent a contingent in 1965, which nist north or the democratic south. Over a million headed south. peaked at 8000, and which Few headed north. Here LST-516 embarks refugees from North stayed until 1971. Vietnam to South Vietnam during Operation Passage to Freedom. The Americans too had withdrawn most of their troops by problematic. than a communist. William Du- late 1971. South Vietnam fought Yet over the past 10 years iker has written the definitive bi- hard for its independent exis- a significant revision of senti- ography on Ho and although it tence. But the scandal of Water- ment has occurred in the US, is a fawning and hagiographical gate crippled first the Nixon and and to some extent in Australia. work, Ho’s life as recorded in it then the Ford administrations A whole slew of revisionist books is one of abundant and lifelong in Washington, which radically such as A Necessary War by Mi- devotion to communist ideology. reduced aid to South Vietnam. chael Lind, A Better War by Lew- Ho was a founding member of The north, munificently backed is Sorley and Unheralded Victory the French Communist Party. He by China and the , by Mark Woodruff have re-ex- worked full-time for the Comintern ultimately invaded in 1975. amined the case for the Vietnam (the Soviet agency for promot- The primary tragedy was War and found it compelling. ing communism in other coun- endured by the South Vietnam- Not that popular opinion, tries) for decades. He worked at ese, hundreds of thousands of in either Australia or the US, had the direction of the Soviets and whom were enslaved in a vast ever turned decisively against always in their interests. When gulag of re-education camps af- the war. Elite opinion certainly he ruled North Vietnam, he es- ter the communists took power. had, but in the only true tests, tablished a completely orthodox Later in the ‘70s the Vietnamese national elections, the anti-war communist system. It is actually communists enacted one of the candidates always lost in the US condescending to Ho not to take greatest acts of ethnic cleansing and Australia. his own word about his beliefs, in the 20th century by persecut- Gough Whitlam’s victory to think that somehow or other ing their ethnic Chinese minority in 1972 had nothing to do with when he proclaimed his commu- into flight. Thus we got the boat Vietnam because Australia had nism he really didn’t know what people. already withdrawn all but a hand- he was talking about. The Americans, and by ful of itstroops. Myth two is that South association the Australians, The revisionists attack what we Vietnam could never have won. were humiliated by the defeat of might call the six myths of Viet- The Americans under general their allies in Vietnam, their soci- nam. , ap- eties radicalised, and the use of Myth one is that Ho Chi pointed to Vietnam in 1964 and American power became more Minh was a nationalist rather relieved in 1968, ran the war 15 BLINDED BY SIX MYTHS most incompetently. They over- Paris peace agreement of mechanised the South Vietnam- 1973, the South Vietnamese ese army and tried to make it a government was to continue replica of the US Army, though in office and the US kept huge never properly equipped. They air power in Thailand and in the thought they could do all the South China Sea. When the fighting themselves. Instead of motorised divisions of the North running an intelligent counter- Vietnamese army rolled south- insurgency operation, they ran wards in 1975, they could have a mass war of attrition and ma- easily been destroyed by US air noeuvre, which was ineffective power, but by then Watergate against a guerilla enemy. had rendered Washington im- Westmoreland was re- potent. placed by the much more effec- It is true that it would tive Creighton Abrams. It is from have been difficult for South the Westmoreland period that all Vietnam to have defended in- the legendary tales of US incom- Trained in Russia and China, definitely its long, narrow neck, petence and overkill have grown. Ho Chi Minh went on to estab- which bordered Cambodia and Abrams, under Richard Nixon’s lish communist cells through- the North Vietnamese supply out Asia. He was a classic instruction, implemented the pol- trail. But it would not have been hard line communist rather icy of Vietnamisation. US troops impossible. than a Vietnamese nationalist. withdrew rapidly and the South Another option would Vietnamese took their place. have been for the South Viet- And they fought well and bravely. wiped out as a military force namese to withdraw into a Neil Davis, the famed Australian and virtually all the serious fight- more defensible area, aban- cameraman, always preferred to ing after that was carried out by doning some of the centre. go on patrol with South Vietnam- members of the North Vietnam- Such garrison states in Asia ese troops because he thought ese army. have prospered, like South Ko- they were better soldiers. Under the terms of the rea and Taiwan. There can be In any event, when the Vietcong launched the Tet offen- To the surprise of southern communists, it was the sive in 1968, breaching the truce North Vietnamese NVA who marched in victory through they had negotiated, they were the streets of Saigon, not the VC. BLINDED BY SIX MYTHS 16 little doubt that had South Viet- which tens of thousands of North nam survived as an independent Vietnamese designated as “land- state, it would today be rich and lords” were slaughtered, directly democratic, as are South Korea from Mao Zedong’s China. or Taiwan, instead of still being After conquering the an impoverished and alienated south the communists estab- redoubt of Stalinism, though cer- lished a huge gulag of re-educa- tainly somewhat softened in the tion camps, in which hundreds of south compared with the north. thousands of South Vietnamese Myth three is that the com- The flag of South Vietnam, still suffered, and suppressed any munists enjoyed majority support an emotional rallying point for trace of political or religious plu- in the south. The communists former refugees ralism. Even today the children certainly never did anything fool- of minor civil servants in the old ish like subjecting themselves to namese dreamed of and worked South Vietnamese regime suffer elections after they took power. towards a normal society and a systematic discrimination in Viet- In contrast, millions of people in free life without communism. We nam. the south took part in elections are lucky to have these people under the nationalists. Millions in Australia and we should stop later fled their homeland as refu- defaming them. gees from the communists. If this Myth four is that the Viet- is popularity, I’d hate to see what namese communists were not unpopularity looked like. Stalinists. As late as 1979, de- The general slanders to cades after Stalin’s death and which the South Vietnamese are discrediting, official Vietnamese always subject in popular pre- Radio was broadcasting paeans sentation of the Vietnam War to Stalin’s “defence of the purity are as cruel and unjust as they of Marxism-Leninism”. Ho was a are untrue. In Hollywood films lifelong Stalinist and imported his Myth five is that the Australian or the South Vietnamese men are land collectivisation policies, in US Left actually cared two hoots always presented as cowards, corrupt or pimps, and the wom- Hundreds of thousands of former South Vietnamese soldiers en are almost always prostitutes. and public servants were sent to re-education camps by the The truth is millions of South Viet- new communist regime. Many never returned. 17 BLINDED BY SIX MYTHS for the human rights of Vietnam- The greatest tragedy of the time came, like the US, we ese. As soon as the Americans Vietnam is that the US ran out took huge numbers of Vietnam- were banished, the Left lost all on its South Vietnamese allies ese refugees. interest in Vietnam’s human when they needed it most. As They are the truest glory rights, which are appalling even a small power, Australia could of the Vietnam War. But our sol- today. not possibly have changed that diers who served in Vietnam also As the Australian scholar course of events. Later, when deserve nothing but thanks. of Indochina Stephen Morris wrote last year: “As the evidence of Indochinese communist be- haviour began to reach the West, there were three possible responses open to those who had supported the communist victories. The first was to admit the brutal and murderous nature of the new revolutionary regimes and the error of past political sup- port for them ... The second pos- sible response was to admit what was going on but try to justify it, usually with some bizarre form of moral relativism ... The third pos- sible response was to deny the evidence of repression, either to- tally or in part, and thereby retain one’s pride and prejudice.” Morris omits a final op- tion, which was the option of the Australian Left: simply to ignore everything and never bother with Vietnam again. Myth six is that an early communist victory would have had no adverse strategic conse- quences. The communists had won power in China in 1949. They controlled and had invaded South Korea. Indonesia had one of the largest communist parties in the world. Large com- munist insurgencies challenged Thailand and the . A swift consolidation of communist rule in Indochina in the ‘50s or ‘60s would have presented the region with a fatal momentum of communist success. The con- sequences for Australia would have been catastrophic. Even the tragedy of Vietnam bought Southeast Asia time to develop TOP: Where were the protesters when the South Vietnamese societies that were resilient and were being carted off to gulags? ABOVE: Australian Infantry sol- sturdy. diers in Vietnam carry their wounded mate to an evacuation point 18 Big bang on “Warburton” Mountain

Bob O’Connor served as a Tun- One of the RAAF choppers nel Rat with 2 Troop, 1 Field tasked with dropping off crates of explosives for blowing the Squadron in 67/68. He was at cave in the “Warburtons” Coral for over a month with a contingent of 2 small entrance it opened up into Troop mates, and was there for a cavern and somebody decided the legendary Battle. to blow it up. Bob recently joined our This demolition ended up association and is an avid fan being a huge production directed of our newsletter. A photo (right) by an Infantry officer who fan- which ran on the first page of the cied himself as an expert powder “Nostalgia” section in issue 19 monkey. Well I don’t know about caught his eye, and he makes the former but in my opinion he the following comment: certainly qualified as the latter. “It is difficult to judge the He was giving us orders scale of the ‘landscape’ because and throwing his weight around of the lack of background and and loading up the cave with not knowing the year renders my TNT that was being choppered suggestion pure guesswork but in and carried up the mountain here it is anyway. Was this the big bang on by the grunts and set up by us The unusual, cylindrical “Warburton Mountain?” Sappers, under this officer’s di- shape of the ‘cloud’ of smoke rection of course. and debris looks like the effect of the photographer was ready, What started out as some- the blast is still in progress and waiting with thumb on the shut- what of a joke to us few Sappers rising. ter release button. soon became serious when we This suggests that it took Here’s my guess were told to just put the boxes place in a hole or cave, the latter and I’ll be brief. Around April May of TNT in the pile which ended being my preferred guess as this ‘68 I was on an operation some- up rather large and measured throws the force out gun-barrel where in the Nui Thi Vai Moun- roughly 16’ x10’ in the old money fashion. As this blast is still in tains, when we came across a and stacked to the ceiling, which progress it also suggests that cave. Although it had a relatively at that point was about 7’ high. 19 BIG BANG

We were told that there was more than 12,500 lbs in the set-up, and at about 1300 hours we were told to move out of the cave. We moved alright! Settling about 300 metres around the other side of the mountain, put- ting a ridge or spur between us and the cave. We passed lots of grunts on the way and advised them to put more distance between them and the cave but got scorn- ful comments back like: ‘who’s scared of a bit of C4 mate, we use it to heat up our ‘brew’ (cup of tea or coffee). We didn’t have time to argue with them, and just made our way around the mountain, This was a serious in- ABOVE: Bob O’Connor (right), got behind trees and waited. cident, but amazingly, back at with two other Tunnel rats At the allotted time this Nui Dat we heard nothing more from 2 Troop, Bernie Lady- God almighty ‘crack’ sounded. about it. man (left) and Bob Knowles (middle). They’re looking The whole mountain shook. The force of this bang pretty happy because they’re Huge trees snapped as they went straight up into the sky, ex- finally heading back to Nui ‘whip-lashed, and a massive red actly like the photo in ‘Holdfast’, Dat after spending four weeks flame shot straight up into the and I know there was a photog- during May/June 1968 at Fire sky, followed by what seemed to rapher on the scene, so maybe Support Base Coral (below), be half the mountain. this is the big bang staged by the scene of one of the larg- First there were the that incompetant officer.” est battles involving Australian branches, then the leaves, then troops in Vietnam the big branches, then the small stones, then the big stones, then the rocks, then the boulders. When it finally stopped we made our way back to where the grunts were, only to find dozens of hurt and bleeding grunts with serious wounds, ruined equip- ment including many SLR’s with bent barrels and smashed stocks. I saw two completely smashed M60s that boulders had fallen on. I don’t know how many grunts were hurt and med- evacted out by choppers but there must have been a lot. I saw about 20 blokes that were bleeding from head wounds and/ or nursing broken arms or injured legs. The ultimate memento of your Vietnam tour

NOSTALGIA PAGES 121611 ARMY COMBAMINE INCIDENTT BADGE SHAM ELESS FUND RAISING EFFORT ALL PROFITS GO TO THE VIETNAM TUNNEL RATS ASSOCIATION Superbly made full size, three dimensional absolutely realistic replicas. All mounted together in a deep shadowbox frame

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Frame contains 9mm pistol, Army issue torch, Armalite , 9mm rounds, RAE Corp badge, your favourite Vietnam photo, Tunnel Rats logo, and engraved plaque with your service number, name, Troop and Vietnam service dates

Delivery now included - total cost is $280 TROOP IN VIETNAM: DATE SERVED IN VIETNAM: NAME: SERVICE NUMBER: ADDRESS: POST CODE: TELEPHONE: MOBILE: EMAIL: You can pay by credit card (your statement will read “Ultimate Design. Graphics”), or by cheque or Postal Order. Cost is $250 + $30 delivery = $280 Make cheques and postal orders payable to Vietnam Tunnel Rats Association Tick which card you wish to use: O Visa O Master Card Card Number: Name on card: Expiry Date: Post to: Vietnam Tunnel Rats Assoc 43 Heyington Place Toorak Victoria 3142 Or email order details or scan of order form to [email protected] Include a print of your favourite Vietnam photo or email it to [email protected] 22

SYDNEY HERE WE COME Tunnel Rats Reunion November 8-11 2012

It’s time for our next grand are still negotiating with several served with 3 Field Troop or 1, gathering. We’ve had trips back Sydney venues for the welcome 2 or 3 Troop of 1 Field Squadron to Vietnam and various unit vis- drinks and the main dinner. are welcome, as of course are its, but our last full blown national We’ve established costings but all former SSM’s and OC’s of 1 reunion was in Hobart, way back are after the best deal on what’s Field Squadron. in April 2009. It’s time to gather included in the cost. The venue The main activities of the the clan. It’s time to let the Rats will be in Sydney CDB. So if you reunion will be spread over four loose on Sydney. want to stay at or near the func- days, with the welcome drinks We’re planning a huge tion venue, hold off booking your on Thursday afternoon, the Army get-together in Sydney, includ- accommodation till we announce base visits (shopping tour for the ing an official visit to SME and the function venue. ladies) on Friday, the main din- an official visit to the Special Op- All Tunnel Rats who ner on Saturday and the service erations Sappers at the Incident and lunch on Sunday. During the Response . A march and service at the Hyde day Saturday you’re free tour the Plus 9RAR are holding Park Memorial on the Sunday delights of Sydney - but keep their reunion in Sydney at the yourself in good order for the big same time, and on the Sunday dinner that night. they’ve invited us to join them for Key events of the reunion: a memorial service in Hyde Park Thursday 8th November: followed by lunch and a tour at Welcome drinks and snacks late the historic Victoria Barracks. afternoon as we gather on the The big 2012 event is tak- first day. A chance to see mates ing place over the period 8-11 you haven’t seen for ages. November, so mark the dates in Friday 9th November: your diary, and if you make your For the Ladies, a shopping tour booking now it will help us work of Sydney, visiting fabulous fac- out the numbers we need to ca- tory outlets. For the guys, in the ter for. morning, an official visit to SME, You might want to hold including a tour of the base and off booking your accommodation a service and wreath laying cer- till our next issue of Holdfast (it emony at the Vietnam Memorial will be out early - honest) as we at SME to honour our fallen com- 23 TUNNEL RAT’S REUNION rades from 3 Field Troop and 1 Field Squadron. Includes a light lunch. Followed in the early af- ternoon by an official visit to the Incident Response Regiment at Holdsworthy, including briefings on how the Sappers operate to- day in , and a sneak look at their incredible gear. Plus we’ll hold a wreath laying cer- emony at the Regiment’s Me- morial, allowing us to honour our Sapper comrades who have fallen in Afghanistan. Ending the day with drinks in the Regiment’s boozer and a BBQ. Saturday 10th Novem- ber: Our official Reunion Dinner. ABOVE: Super Sappers - We’ll visit those bad boys at Incident A big sit-down dinner in a posh Response Regiment. Helmets and flack jackets optional. venue in Sydney with great guest BELOW: At the Vietnam Memorial at the School of Military Engi- speakers. We’re still negotiat- neering we’ll lay a wreath for our fallen comrades ing with several venues on what they’ll provide for the set price per head. The Next of Kin of our fallen comrades will be invited to join us at the dinner. Sunday 11th November: We join up with our 9RAR com- rades for a Remembrance Day Service followed by an official visit to historic Victoria Barracks. There will be a march and service at the Anzac War Memorial and Pool of Reflection in Sydney’s Hyde Park at which we’ll lay a wreath on behalf of the Tunnel Rats. We will march behind our Tunnel Rats banner, and suits We are also inviting some opportunity to specify where you (or jacket) and tie plus medals key serving members of the want to sit in terms of your Troop will be the dress of the day. On Army from SME and the Incident and your year of service (we’ll do completion of the formal service, Response Regiment to our main the best we can to meet your re- buses will take us to Victoria Bar- dinner. Their attendance will de- quest). racks for lunch and a tour over pend on their availability and op- A registration form is in- the facilities. Lunch will be pro- erational commitments, but shine cluded with this issue of Holdfast. vided and the bar will be open. your shoes, get your hair cut and The cost covers the snacks at Buses will run from the Barracks clean your fingernails lads – they the welcome function (drinks at back to Hyde Park throughout might be recruiting. bar prices), the return bus trans- the afternoon. Dinner table arrangements port for the visits to SME and the We’ll anoint a “designated At the main dinner we’ll Incident Response Regiment, Boozer” in the Sydney CDB – a have allocated tables and seat- plus for the shopping tour for place where you’ll be guaranteed ing. We realise that you want to the girls. It also covers the main to meet a mate for a beer or two sit with your Troop mates, so on dinner including drinks, and the at any time of the day or night. the booking form you’ll have the visit to Victoria Barracks includ- TUNNEL RAT’S REUNION 24 ing lunch. Total cost is $250 per person. To secure your spot, book using the booking form with this issue of the newsletter. Do it now!

ABOVE: You’ll see the mine- buster HMAPC Flint at SME ABOVE: Lunch with 9RAR at the historic Victoria barracks in Why are we getting together? Sydney, including a tour of the facility Some of the greatest achievements of our Associa- Over the years since we did an extraordinary job in Viet- tion have been in bringing mates came home, many small close nam. We saw and experienced together, and in reinforcing our groups from specific Troops and things that few men are privi- pride in what we did in Vietnam. years of service have been get- leged to experience. We have We did everything the In- ting together. Those small re- much to be proud of, and many fantry did in Vietnam, plus we car- unions are great fun and trea- hilarious events to recall. And we ried out our hazardous specialist sured experiences, and they have 35 Comrades who paid the tasks of mine clearing, booby will continue. There’s no greater supreme sacrifice to honour. trap delousing, demolitions and bonding experience than get- Our Association and the tunnel and bunker searching. ting together with the mates you newsletter have brought us to As Tunnel Rats, when served closely with. this point where we’re all in touch we came home, we dispersed But now it’s time to all get again and it’s time to celebrate – all over Australia, and in those together again, and we’ll contin- Sapper style, so book now using days it was hard to find your ue to do this every few years. We the form opposite. mates. Which state did they live in now? Sometimes you could BELOW: It’s time to get together and enjoy some of that only remember their nickname! incredible comradeship we’re privileged to enjoy And looking for interstate phone numbers meant a trip to the Post Office to read interstate directo- ries. This separation combined with a lack of access to records meant we didn’t really know the full story of what happened to us in Vietnam. None of us realised we had the highest casualty rate of any unit in Vietnam. Averaged over the duration of the war that rate for us was 33%. One in three of us was being killed our wounded. Some years that ca- sualty rate was as high as 40%. TUNNEL RATS REUNION SYDNEY 8-11 NOVEMBER 2012

Registration form You can cut out or photocopy the form and mail it to us, or scan the form and email it to us. FIRST NAME: FAMILY NAME: PREFERRED NAME OR NICKNAME: (If you leave this blank your First Name will be on your reunion card) VIETNAM UNIT/S SERVED WITH – PLEASE TICK AND FILL IN DATE DETAILS BELOW O3 FIELD TROOP – FROM TILL O1 TROOP 1 FLD SQN – FROM TILL O2 TROOP 1 FLD SQN – FROM TILL O3 TROOP 1 FLD SQN – FROM TILL

O OC OR SSM 1 Fld Sqn – FROM TILL At the sit-down dinner we want to sit at the following table (please tick troop and year): O3 Field Troop O1 Troop 1 Fld Sqn O 2 Troop 1 Fld Sqn O 3 Troop 1 Fld Sqn O 65/66 O 66/67 O 67/68 O 68/69 O 69/70 O 70/71 O 71/72 ADDRESS: POSTCODE: PHONE NUMBER: MOBILE NUMBER: EMAIL ADDRESS: ACCOMPANYING FAMILY OR FRIENDS: 1. FIRST NAME: FAMILY NAME: 2. FIRST NAME: FAMILY NAME: 3. FIRST NAME: FAMILY NAME: 4. FIRST NAME: FAMILY NAME: TOTAL PEOPLE ATTENDING: AT $250/PERSON = TOTAL AMOUNT DUE: $ You can pay by credit card (statement will read “Ultimate Design Graphics”), or cheque or Postal Order. Please make cheques and postal orders payable to Vietnam Tunnel Rats Association Tick which card you wish to use: O Visa O Master Card CARD NUMBER: NAME ON CARD EXPIRY DATE: POST TO: VIETNAM TUNNEL RATS ASSOC 43 HEYINGTON PLACE TOORAK VIC 3142 OR EMAIL TO: [email protected] 26 Our Squadron’s Guide to Mines and Booby Traps With mine casualties mounting to horrendous levels in Vietnam, this booklet was published by 1 Field Squadron to help newly arrived Infantry and Ar- moured troops counter the enemy’s mine warfare

Section 1 where one mine is found, there The Enemy - Introduction are usually more nearby. This is 1. Mines and booby traps of critical importance to Austra- are a traditional facet of war and lian Troops, and to the tactics we are perhaps the most feared of employ when a mine incident oc- weapons. In Vietnam the Viet curs. Cong and NVA are well aware of 7. The enemy is adept this and use these weapons as at using mines as a terrorist_ a part of their armory The weapon. Experience gained in important factor is that they have recent operations in Phuoc Tuy produced a completely new and Province has shown that the en- unconventional set of tactics for emy will place mines inside actu- mine warfare. Australian troops ally occupied local villages. This must be prepared for and able to has occurred in Dat Do, Phuoc counter these guerrilla tactics. Loi and Lo Gom in each of which Australian casualties were suf- The Enemy’s Doctrine fered, although the villagers 2. As far as the Enemy units. It is important to note that were still present. The enemy’s is concerned the conventional although the enemy does not training pamphlet stresses the principle of fenced and marked believe in fenced minefields need for villagers to know the minefields is not valid. He will he will almost always mark his location of the mines the enemy very seldom use a fence to in- mines in some way. sets. Australian troops cannot dicate an area he has mined or 6. The enemy is well count on the villagers to inform booby trapped. trained in the laying and con- us of their presence. Even inside 3. This does not mean cealment of mines and booby villages the enemy will not lay that he is unaware of the value of traps, and uses the basic doc- mines indiscriminately. mining. On the contrary his use trine: “Each group must be com- 8. The enemy prepares of Anti Personnel and Anti-Ve- prised of two or more mines” and maintains mine maps in or- hicle mine is extremely profes- (Extract from captured mine Bunched tufts of grass indicate sional and calculated to create training pamphlet). Therefore casualties, build fear and slow a mine at the centre of the tufts down our operational movement without exposing himself to con- tact with friendly troops. 4. The enemy will use mines and booby traps to pro- tect his campsites base areas and caches intelligently and fre- quently. In addition he will place these in and around areas in which Australian troops are likely to move and to work. 5. Practical experience has shown that most mines laid by the Enemy in Phuoc Tuy Province, have been laid by Vil- lage Guerrillas and District Com- panies rather than by main force 27 MINES AND BOOBY TRAPS der to avoid accidental casual- terials and any type of available designed around trip wires. ties to himself. These mine maps explosive and he will produce d. Use of Chicom RPG’s are high priority documents if weapons which will be able to as anti vehicular mines. captured and must immediately kill effectively. Examples of the e. Use of recovered small be passed to responsible author- expedients commonly encoun- arms ammunition to produce foot ity. Good information on enemy tered in Phuoc Tuy Province breaker mines. mines can also be gained from are: f. Use of blind Allied ar- Hoi Chanh (returnees) and Chieu a. Use of unexploded US tillery rounds as anti vehicular Hoi (surrendered enemy), as well Cluster Bomblets as anti per- mines. as the local population and Sops sonnel and anti vehicle mines. g. Turning around of Clay- and Civil Affairs teams. This in- b. Use of slabs of melted more mines in darkness around formation should be treated with down TNT in conjunction with defensive perimeters to cause caution and confirmation should torch batteries and bamboo self inflicted casualties to allied be sought wherever possible. detonation switches to form an troops. 9. The enemy will rarely effective Anti Armour Mine. 12. All of these expedient engage Australian troops in- c. Use of allied mines and booby traps are well volved in a mine incident. His to form the basis of booby traps conceived and require properly doctrine does not appear to in- clude the use of mines to initiate On each Operation the Tunnel Rats carried maps specially a fire fight or ambush. marked with all the previous mine incidents in the area. “M8” 10. Although not an en- meant there was a mine incident in that location in 1968 emy tactic attention must be drawn to the fact that local ARVN RF and PF posts are almost al- ways surrounded by mines and booby traps. Unfortunately, the language barrier makes these posts a definite mine and booby- trap hazard to Australian troops. The areas surrounding these posts must be considered sus- pect, Do not disturb barbed wire or move off obvious tracks in the close vicinity of any of these posts. Before operating near, or entering any Vietnamese instal- lation, it is essential for Australian elements to carry out a detailed recce and establish firm liaison with the local Vietnamese com- mander. This will be a positive step in reducing the risks which exist in close proximity to any Vietnamese defensive post, 11. Finally in dealing with enemy mine doctrine it is essen- tial to remember that the enemy is ingenious and versatile in the use of almost any captured or re- covered Allied mines or explosive devices. He is also completely capable of local manufacture of expedient mines and booby traps. All he needs is basic ma- MINES AND BOOBY TRAPS 28 trained Sapper or Assault Pio- cleared trails, new road works, neer teams to neutralise or de- fords, (It is far more common in stroy them. Inexpert troops must Phuoc Tuy Province to encoun- not attempt to neutralise mines ter nuisance set electrical and and booby traps, pressure mines than to encoun- ter command detonated mines). Typical Enemy Siting Areas b. Around diversions 13. It is evident from (blown culverts and road practical experience and cap- blocks). tured documents that the ene- c. In commonly used APC my makes a study of Australian and Tank routes, i.e. high ground troop habits before siting mines in wet and inundated country- or booby traps. side, and at bends in tracks. 14. He will carefully site Stick in a tree fork indicates d. Puddles in roads mines where they will cause a mine or booby trap 10 to e. Patchwork repairs on, maximum casualties to the un- 20 away in the direction the roads. wary. Typical sites for Anti-Per- stick is pointing Note: Where the enemy sonnel mines are; sets anti vehicular mines he may a. Along and on either heavily populated areas where commonly also set anti person- side of known and defined paths Australian troops will obviously nel mines nearby to cause ca- such as tracks, roads, streams be frequently present. sualties to evacuating personnel etc. Typical sites for Anti Ve- and repair/recovery crews. This b. Near and around shade hicular Mines are; trees where troops are likely to a. Narrow tracks and de- An enemy claymore mine gather to rest. files i.e. wheel rut tracks, land concealed in grass and scrub c. Around and in road blocks. d. In or on the edge of craters after an air strike or road denial task. e. Under stones sticks etc, lying on paths or tracks. f. In likely or known am- bush and harbour sites. g. Behind likely fire posi tions that allied troops may use in a cordon. h. In and around fire posi- tions that he has used very re- cently to harass allied troops. i. Around the fringes of clearings, particularly likely LZ’s where friendly troops will nor- mally disperse as helicopter in- sertion drill. j. In and around Engineer worksites. k. On approaches to his own base camps and caches. (It is important to note that a mine found in an unusual or un- populated area will usually have something worthwhile nearby. l. Almost anywhere near 29 MINES AND BOOBY TRAPS tactic is of prime importance in our counter measure drills and training.

Markers 15. As has already been written, the enemy although he does not use a set pattern of mining, will almost always mark his mines in some way. 16. To do this he uses a variety of mine markers 17. It must be realised that the enemy has no set doc- trines on markings, and usually ensures that the local markings are passed to transient units by word of mouth. with all of the basic doctrine mine warfare are no longer suf- 18. All Australian troops which has been used and not- ficient for the Vietnam conflict. must learn to recognise these ed by experience in Phuoc Tuy This section will outline the cur- markers and always be on the Province. Remember however rent doctrine in use to counter alert for the unusual or unnatu- that we are opposed to a versa- the enemy mine threat. ral. A pair of sharp eyes are per- tile and trained enemy and that haps the best defence against new tactics are to be expected Training the enemy’s mine tactics. and must be guarded against. 2. The most important The keynote to this is for all Aus- counter measure is a constant Other Important Factors tralian Troops to develop a high and high degree of anti mine 19. The enemy will some- degree of mine caution and with- training, both refresher and re- times attempt to draw our troops in the framework of out tactics hearsal. Constant revision is into mined areas by offering the retain the highest degree of flex- essential for without this, initial chance of physical contact. He ibility in dealing with enemy min- mine warfare training will be val- will engage Australian troops by ing and booby trapping. ueless. fire from a specific direction and Section 2 3. Reference to this book- withdraw so that follow up Aus- Counter Measures let will keep the mind active on tralian elements move into mined Introduction this subject, and gives all Aus- areas, All Australian troops must 1. As has been made tralian troops a ready insight into be careful not to be decoyed into clear in the previous Section, the the problems faced. Refresher mine incidents. When working conventional aspects of counter training and rehearsals on a in mine suspect areas, tactical commanders must bear this in mind when making their appre- ciations. 20. Whether on foot or mounted it is paramount to avoid using the same track or path on more than one occasion. Devel- oping the habit of using the same route time after time is inviting enemy mine action. This applies particularly to Armoured move- ment on Fire Trails, and to foot patrolling, especially clearing pa- trols. 21. This section has dealt MINES AND BOOBY TRAPS 30 100% basis must be carried out prior to operations in likely or known mine prevalent areas. Ev- ery soldier of all ranks involved on operations risks the danger of mines and so all ranks of all Corps so involved must undergo this refresher training. 4. In-theatre training for individual replacements (arms) and infantry units is carried out by the Sappers of 1 Field Squad- ron. This service and advice is available to ALL units; So con- sult the SAPPERS. This is part of their game. Use them. 5. Prior to operations in suspect areas, units should re- quest additional training includ- ing practical training prior to the operation commencing. 1 Field Squadron is available to provide refresher training.

Physical Protection The Tunnel Rats blew up any unexploded bombs found so the 6. If a mine incident oc- enemy couldn’t convert them into booby traps or anti-tank mines curs there are a number of ways in which casualties can be mini- unnatural looking positions. neers clear it, especially harbour mized or negated; (iv). Look out for marker and ambush areas. a. Dispersion - The natu- indicators. (xii). Avoid establishing ral tendency to all troops is to (v). Be alert for disturbed regular patterns such as same bunch up. This is wrong; troops foliage damaged foliage, foreign harbour or ambush sites must be drilled to keep the maxi- looking grass, weathered cam- (xiii). Avoid picking up mum possible dispersion that is ouflage. souvenirs. allowed by the tactical situation. (vi). Look out for plastic (xiv). Avoid movement b. Wear flak jackets and wrapper material protruding from close to or on tracks. steel helmets when in a mine ground. (xv). Avoid foot movement prevalent area. A little discomfort (vii). Any electric lead in mined areas when mounted from these is far preferable to wires. movement in APC’s is available. serious wounds due to failure to (viii). Look for irregular Ride inside these armoured ve- use protection. tread patterns on roads. hicles, not on top of them. c. Sandbag the floors (ix). Try to avoid stepping (xvi). Avoid areas obvi- of vehicles to absorb blast and in puddles (water is probably ously avoided by locals. Also be shrapnel from anti vehicle mines. the easiest and most ideal mine on the lookout for unusual be- Also where possible arm the ve- camouflage). havior on the part of locals such hicles with steel belly plating for (x). Request expert ad- as early departure from working the same reason. vice if you have any doubt. Sap- areas when allied soldiers are d. Be alert look for the un- pers are far more expert at the present. Agitation at your mov- natural; subject than the average soldier. ing close to their location. Sud- (i). Loose dirt, new filled For Infantry Battalions, Pioneers den disappearence of people areas. can provide immediate advice from villages or roads. All these (ii). Loose or taut wires, on mine warfare. are indications that the villagers rope, string, vines etc. (xi). If an area is suspect are aware something is about to (iii). Sticks and stones in always have the Sappers or Pio- happen. 31 MINES AND BOOBY TRAPS

Action on Suspicion 7. Should something arouse suspicion the Command- er of the element should immedi- ately be informed, he will recce the area in with Sapper or Pioneer Commander. In mine prevalent areas Sappers and/or Pioneers will always be readily available in the form of a Mini or Splinter team. A brief description of these teams is; a. Splinter Team: A team of two Sappers or Pioneers who are never separated. One is known as a No 1 and is the more experienced of the pair, the ABOVE: Flack jackets really did save lives, but we hated other is his No 2. These men are wearing them in the heat, and generally got slack about equipped to travel with Infantry wearing them at all. BELOW: Some of seven soldiers of on foot, and have an amount of Charlie Company, 5RAR, injured with shrapnel from a explosives, detonating cord det- booby trap during Operation Canberra in 1966. Five more onators and fuse, they also carry soldiers of the company were injured in another booby trap other ancillary gear for Engineer explosion after these men were evacuated by helicopter. tasks i.e., Tunnel search torch and pistol, grappling hooks long and short safety pins and most importantly they carry in their heads a very, large knowledge of all likely mines and booby traps, b. Mini Team: The same team of two Sappers (Pioneers are not normally used in this role though they may be in an emergency) who are addition- ally equipped with a flak jacket, and helmet each, and a mine detector. This, type of team is designed to move mounted with Armoured elements or in a de- liberate breach of a known mine area. Either of these two types of team may carry extra equipment depending on the threat expect- ed. 8. If for some reason showing all previous mine inci- c. Combat Engineer these teams are not present dents and suspect mine areas. Team: For larger operations in- when a suspect area is found, Each Sapper team will have at volving mines, or when there is the Commander on the spot will least one copy of these maps. a heavy mine danger, a Combat decide what to do. Unless he is Copies may be taken from these Engineer Team may be avail- convinced that the suspicion is maps on request to OC 1.Fd able, or moving with the Infantry unfounded, he should always Sqn at any time. Commanders elements. This team is basically seek immediate Sapper advice at lower levels who do not pos- 3 Splinter or Mini Teams com- and support. sess these maps must consult manded by a Corporal or Lance 9. 1 Field Squadron have their engineer advisors in regard Corporal. A total of 7 men. up to date mine incident maps to contents of these maps. MINES AND BOOBY TRAPS 32

Amendment to Mine Warfare Booklet revised 3 Sept 69 Action on a Mine Incident

10. When a mine incident occurs, a mine incident being anything that confirms the pres- ence of mines, the following ac- tions should take place; a. Nobody in the area moves unless directed. Move- ment in the area can only be made in marked safe lanes and areas. b. The senior Engineer or Assault Pioneer in the area directs all clearance activities through the Commander who re- tains overall control. c. The two man Mini or Splinter team clears and marks a safe lane to any casualties us- ing a Mine Detector if available or by prodding with a bayonet. Assuming a detector is available the process is as follows; (i). One member moves The aftermath: On 10 March 1970 the General Officer Com- forward sweeping the detector to manding Eastern Command, Major General M. F. Brogan clear a path of 4 feet width. He is talks to two soldiers wounded in Vietnam as they watched wearing a head phone set, car- the march of 7RAR through Sydney. Lance Corporal Noel ries a pistol and is blind to any Godbold (left), served eleven months in South Vietnam with outside occurrences. 7RAR, and Private Ian Crisp was wounded in a mine explo- (ii). The other member sion after serving nine months with the 2RAR. follows at a distance of about 2 yards. He carries both weapons the cause of the reading. When markers with its blade wash. and is responsible for clearly there is a strong positive reading f. If the clearance devel- marking the safe lane with mine the No 1 will then take action to ops into a lengthy operation the marking tape or cord. (If neither investigate, mark or dispose of No 1 and No 2 will switch posi- are available, he can mark with the mine. The No 2 will withdraw tions as required to combat fa- tree branches, rifle slings weap- to a safe distance. The decision tigue, but again within the limita- ons or scratch the ground surface of how best to dispose of the tion of experience. but the marking must be obvious mine i.e. pull or blow is made by g. The non casualties in and not able to be obliterated by the No l. The decision on when the area will not move but will rain). to do so is the commanders. wait until the clearance party has (iii). The infantry protec- d. Once all clearances cleared a safe lane to them. It is tion element must provide pro- have been effected, First Aid will stressed that no movement will tection for the team while main- be applied prior to Dust Off. occur even to assist casualties taining a safe distance of at least e. If a known safe area is crying for aid until clearance is 10 yards, They must not lose not readily available an area for complete, as any movement may sight of the team. litter extraction will be prepared create more casualties. A trag- (iv). Where there is a weak by the Engineer Team, and will edy can easily be transformed confused signal on the detector similarly be clearly marked by into a disaster by foolish move- the two members will continue well secured tapes to avoid the ment - albeit well meaning. to work as a team to investigate Dust Off helicopter moving the h. The Commander will 33 MINES AND BOOBY TRAPS then make an assessment in conjunction with his Engineer advisor at to the next action. Often a deliberate breach clear- ance may be required to either continue his aim or evacuate the areas. 11. The following points are emphasized; a. Extremely firm control by the Commander is essential. b. No movement unless directed. c. Minimum No of people engaged in clearance opera- tions d. Everyone must be aware of methods of marking ABOVE: APCs were highly safe lanes. vulnerable to anti-tank mines e. No one steps outside a and were regularly and skill- cleared area. fully targeted by the VC. This f. All involved must remain vehicle hit a mine in the Long calm, despite casualties needing Hai hills in February 1970. urgent attention, priority must be given to clearing safe lanes first LEFT: Home made but highly to avoid further casualties. dangerous, these crude VC mines were filled with ex- Application to plosives melted down from Anti Vehicle Mines unexploded bombs 12. With minor variations the same procedure as above will also apply to a mine incident BELOW: Casualties from a involving a B vehicle or APC or mine incident on 25 February Tank. 1970 in the Long Hai Hills

Summary 13. To summarise, all sol- diers should know and under- stand these key words:

Know the enemy’s mine habits. Know where he lays mines. Know the markings used. Where there is one mine there are more. Look for the unnatural. Check the mine incident map. Revise, refresh and rehearse action on a mine incident. Avoid regular habits. Knowledge overcomes fear. Seek out sappers. 34 “Starlight” at the sharp end In 1966-67 Dr Tony White, We in headquar- AM, RFD served in South Viet- ters were only two or three kilo- nam as the regimental medical metres away. There happened to officer (RMO) with 5th Battal- be an army aviation reconnais- ion, Royal Australian Regiment sance helicopter parked with us (5RAR). at that time and I was soon on In 2011 he published his my way to the site of the explo- book, titled “Starlight”, covering sions. his experiences with the Tiger Circling to find a spot to Battalion on their first tour. As land, we were astonished by the many of us will remember, “Star- sight of an APC lying on its side. light” was the radio callsign for Soldiers and equipment lay scat- the medics. tered over an area the size of a Below Tony describes tennis court. his role in what was one of the After landing, I found that most horrendous mine incidents one of the stretcher-bearers had involving Australian Troops in been killed. All the others, and Vietnam. Though concentrating the company medical assistant, on the medical aspects, strong and positive mention is made of after half an hour. BELOW: Just a few days prior the involvement of the Sappers, Shortly after 1400 hours, to the Operation Renmark mine some of whom were there at- there was the sound of a large incident, Capt Tony White (far tached to 5RAR and the APCs, explosion from their line of travel right) is seen here attending while others were flown in to as- and the sight of a black mush- the aftermath of a booby trap at sist. Sapper Noel McDuffie of 2 room rising above the tree line. An Nhut which detonated near Troop was wounded in the in- Four minutes later there was a the headquarters group of C cident but remained in country, second smaller explosion and a Company 5RAR, wounding five completing his 12 month tour on cloud of dust. After a delay, there and killing three officers; Major 27th September 1967. was a radio call notifying head- Donald Bourne, the Company quarters of casualties, but with Commander, Capt Robert Mil- ligan, 2IC and the NZ artillery Operation Renmark no details. FO Capt Peter Williams A B52 strike had been ar- ranged for early on the morning of 18 February to coincide with the start of 5RAR’s next stage, Operation Renmark, searching the foothills of the Long Hai hills. Because of Operation Bribie, the start was delayed and the element of a surprise strike was lost. Nevertheless, the search got under way and the first two days were relatively uneventful. On the third day, the com- panies moved south to position themselves for the next phase of the operation. At 1330 hours on 21 February, 5RAR’s B Com- pany, mounted on armoured per- sonnel carriers (APCs), set forth towards the Long Hai hills. Bat- talion headquarters was to follow 35 STARLIGHT

Corporal Ron Nichols, were Casualty list from the mine wounded. Most of the troops, incident 21/02/1967 even those not physically in- Name Rank Unit CAT jured, were stunned. Anthoney R.L Pte 5RAR WIA# The first group of casu- Benson K.R. SSgt 5RAR WIA# alties I encountered was the B Bockisch L. Pte 5RAR WIA# Company headquarters group. Bouse J.A. Cpl 5RAR WIA The company commander, Ma- Bryant N.R. Pte 5RAR WIA# jor Bruce McQualter, had a Carruthers J. T/Lt 5RAR WIA head wound. He was conscious, Clark D.M. Pte 5RAR KIA struggling to get up on his feet, Clark F.R. Pte 5RAR WIA# but unable to respond to ques- Cogswell Pte 5RAR WIA# tions or commands. Stretched ABOVE: The OC, B Company, out next to him, also with a head Duffy T.J. Pte 5RAR WIA# Major Bruce McQualter was wound and unconscious was the Dwyer M.N. Pte 5RAR WIA# killed in the incident. He is seen Ferguson R.S. Pte 5RAR WIA# 4 commander, Lieuten- here (left) in September 1966 Gee B.A. Pte 5RAR WIA# ant Jack Carruthers. with the Chief of General Staff, The Platoon Sergeant, Lieutenant General Tom Daly George D.L. Pte 5RAR WIA# Tassie Wass, was the most ur- (right) and Private Stanley Eng- Green G.B. LCpl 5RAR KIA gent casualty with both elbows lish (inside the tent) while on Hillier D.E. Pte 5RAR WIA shattered and wounds to the Operation Toledo Lloyd R.E. Pte 5RAR WIA back. After dressing his wounds McAlister J.P. LCpl 5RAR WIA and giving morphine, I moved on McDuffie N.R. Spr 1FdSqn WIA separated by some distance towards the upended APC. Near McKenzie R.N. Cpl 5RAR WIA# from the lower half of his body. the rear of the APC there was a McQualter M.B. T/Maj 5RAR DOW To huge relief, four sap- pyramid of what at first glance Mitchinson LCpl A3CAV KIA appeared to be discarded equip- pers with mine detectors were Nichols R.F. Cpl 5RAR WIA ment and uniforms. It was a dark choppered in within half an hour Nyhuis J.G. Pte 5RAR WIA grey colour. On closer inspec- of the explosions. They got to tion, it proved to be a pile of dead work, laying white tape to indi- Poole M.D. Pte 5RAR KIA and wounded soldiers blown out cate clear pathways. Sandow R.W. Pte 5RAR KIA of the back of the vehicle. It was Soon dust-off helicopters Tape D.B. Pte 5RAR WIA# not until 30 years later that I dis- started to arrive. It was a busy Turner R.W. Pte 5RAR WIA# covered the cause of the black- time, trying to get casualties Wass K.J. Sgt 5RAR WIA# ened skin and uniforms. As pro- away in order of need. The last Webster J.C. Pte 5RAR KIA tection against mines, two layers casualties were evacuated with- Wilsen R.P. Tpr A3CAV KIA of sandbags had been laid on in about 90 minutes of the explo- the floor of the APCs. The sand sions. Mercifully this proceeded mander, was also killed. Ma- used was very fine and black; without enemy interference. It jor Bruce McQualter died of his the boys had literally been sand- was 4 Platoon B Company which head wounds in hospital after blasted by the explosion. bore the brunt of the casualties. twelve days. Many of the wounded Their platoon commander, Lieu- The engineers did a good were suffering from the effects tenant Jack Carruthers died of forensic job of working out what of the explosive blast and were head wounds in hospital three had caused this disaster. The peppered with shrapnel. They days later. Three others were lead APC was hit by what is now required little treatment apart killed and 13 wounded. described as an improvised ex- from dressings. On the other One of the wounded was plosive device. This was a bur- hand, there were some horrific Private Ted Lloyd. He was back ied, recycled, 8-inch US naval sights, including an arm with the in the platoon after three weeks, shell. It was rigged up with a attached hand grasping a rifle. but was killed in a second mine detonator and battery. Pressure This arm was protruding from un- incident three weeks later. In from the passing vehicle closed der the APC, which had crushed that same incident, Lieutenant the wire circuit, detonating the the soldier to death. There was Kerry Rinkin, who had replaced explosion. The force was con- also the torso of another soldier Jack Carruthers as platoon com- siderable, throwing the 11-tonne STARLIGHT 36

as a doctor in the for five years. This includ- ed a year in Vietnam where he was mentioned-in-despatches. Subsequently, he prac- tised privately as a dermatologist in Sydney for 32 years before re- tiring in 2010. During this time, he was a visiting medical officer at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and a clinical senior lecturer at the University of Sydney. He also served as an Army Reservist in the Royal APC three metres off to one side ABOVE: Sappers clear safe Australian Army Medical Corps, and leaving a 2 metre by 1 metre lanes to and around an APC attaining the rank of colonel crater. mine incident In 1970 and being awarded the Reserve As Major McQualter and Force Decoration. the medics went forward to as- My role as RMO was In 2009, he was appoint- sist the wounded, one of them simple first aid, albeit in a very ed a member in the General Di- stepped on an M16 mine. This trying situation. Our shell dress- vision of the Order of Australia “jumping jack”, with its half kilo- ings were made in England and for contributions to remote area gram of TNT and a killing range date-stamped April 1915. Half-a- dermatological practice and edu- of 25 metres, caused most of the century later they were still per- cation. casualties. Two more M16 mines fectly serviceable. Triage was Last year (2011) his book were detected by the sappers in the other important function. This “Starlight: An Australian Army the immediate area as they car- is the process of ranking casual- Doctor in Vietnam” was pub- ried out their search. ties in order for evacuation to en- lished by Brisbane based Copy- At that time, there were no sure that the severely wounded Right Publishing. clear instructions as to how to re- but salvageable soldiers were spond when it becomes evident evacuated ahead of the mortally that a party is stalled in a mine- wounded or those with non-life field. Logic declares that there threatening wounds. should be no movement until sappers have cleared paths. One soldier, a corporal section commander, swears to this day that he said he would shoot me if I walked any further after stepping out of the heli- copter that had dropped me off. I have no recollection of this, but fortunately he did not follow Conclusion through with his threat. Mine incidents continued to After this incident, when plague the Australian forces personnel found themselves in throughout the Vietnam War and a minefield, it became standard at times accounted for over half procedure for all personnel to the casualties. To compound freeze until the area had been the grief, most of the mines had cleared by sappers. This must The Author been lifted skilfully by the enemy have presented some agonising Australian born but from allied minefields and re- dilemmas, preventing soldiers brought up in Kenya, Dr White laid to the enemy’s advantage. from going to the aid of wounded graduated in medicine from the The controversy over the use of comrades. University of Sydney and served mines continues to this day. 37

Mick Bergin put Jethro in touch the 3/22nt Infantry Regiment. He From the desk with his Ian Ferguson who is a has written a book of his exploits of the (not so) well published author. And Blue (see cover), which you can find Grand Poo Bah Baker connected Jethro with on the Amazon website. “Shorty” Sarah Baker who is also an au- has joined our association as thor and editor in the publishing our first Yank member. Welcome industry. Both of these contacts aboard mate. gave Jethro really valuable ad- vice and we’re happy to an- You’re late again Sapper! nounce that his book is in the We’re desperately late hands of a publisher. Watch this with this issue of Holdfast, in fact space. we missed a whole issue in 2011. We hope this bumper issue and Early warning the free map of Nui Dat help ease We’re planning another trip back the pain. In terms of providing to Vietnam, probably just after value, we’re still doing very well when you consider our first issue We have our big national ANZAC day next year. There’ll was just 8 pages at a time when reunion coming up in November be many highlights, including our membership cost $38, and this year in Sydney. It’s a great honouring our fallen mates in a we now do 40 page issues when chance for us all to get together, ceremony at “The Rock”. our membership is $50. This including our wives, to recall the year we’re resolved to keeping extraordinary times we had in the to our publishing schedule. And “Funny Farm”, have a bit of fun, speaking of membership, our re- and of course remember and newal notice is in this issue and honour our fallen comrades. We’ll we’re providing the opportunity be visiting SME to lay a wreath at for anyone who feels aggrieved the Vietnam memorial there, and because we missed an issue, to we’ll be making an official visit to cut $10 off the annual fee. The the Incident Response Regiment rumour that we’ll publish a list of at Holdsworthy, to meet with an the members who take this op- incredible bunch of Sappers and tion is totally untrue! see how they operate today in Afghanistan. We will also be get- Sapper Jim Marett ting together with 9RAR, who’ve 2 Troop 1 Field Squadron invited us to join them at their Vietnam 1969 - 1970 memorial service and lunch at Victoria Barracks during their reunion on the same weekend. Full details and booking form are in this issue. Global Tunnel Rats Our website gets a lot Holdfast Magazine Power of the press of traffic, particularly the area Written and edited by Jim Tunnel Rat legend Jethro where we have all the issues of Marett and published quar- Thompson was looking for a pub- Holdfast available to read. The terly by the Vietnam Tunnel lisher for the book he has written internet of course is global, so Rats Association about his horrendous wound- we’re being read well beyond 43 Heyington Place ing and inspiring recovery, and our own borders. Last month we Toorak Vic 3142 last issue we asked anyone with were contacted by a US Tunnel Tel: 03-9824 4967 book published contacts to come Rat, Stephen “Shorty” Menendez Mobile: 0403 041 962 forward. Two blokes did just that who served in Vietnam in 1969- [email protected] and were a great help to Jethro. 1970 with the 25th Inf. Div. of www.tunnelrats.com.au 38 Latest list of Tunnel Rats Here’s our updated list of former Tunnel Rats from 3 Field Troop and 1 Field Squadron RAE, Vietnam 1965-71. This is not a complete list, it is simply a list of all the men we have been able to find and make contact with. If you can help with names and numbers, please contact our “Master of The list”, Graeme Gartside 08 8725 6900 by mail to Graeme Gartside, 9 Park Street Mt Gambier SA 5290 or by email: [email protected] 3 Field Troop (1965-66) Clive Pearsall 03 9459 4470 Ian Biddolph 02 4472 9434 Terry Perkins 0413343168 Alan Christie 07 5494 6628 Alan Rantall 03 9434 2031 Brian Cleary 07 5500 6363 Peter Sheehan 03 9390 2834 Allan S Coleman 07 4661 1924 Jim Trower 0418842744 Bill Corby 07 5502 1193 1 Troop (1968-69) John “Tex” Cotter 07 4723 1244 Phil Baxter MM 02 4625 6213 Des Evans 07 4128 2390 Adrian Black 0417756729 Wilfred Eyles 02 4390 0150 Mike Bruggemann 0409441992 Ray Forster 07 3409 1907 Peter Carrodus 02 9759 6383 Geoff Green 03 6272 8167 Albert Eyssens 03 5944 3127 Barry Harford 08 8088 4371 Ken Ford 02 6645 2738 John Severyn 0407008610 David Matulik 07 4055 1915 Sandy MacGregor 02 9457 7133 Max Goiser 02 9792 1765 Garry Sutcliffe 07 4684 3229 Tony Parmenter 0417856877 Frank Mallard 08 9377 4560 Peter Hollis 02 6581 5401 Donald Stringer 07 4151 2659 Brian Rankin 07 4775 5095 Keith Mills 07 4770 7267 George Hulse 07 3399 7659 Paul Taylor (NZ) (64)42990915 Hans Rehorn 03 5623 5572 Warren Murray 03 5728 3341 Robert Laird 03 6356 1748 Terry Ward 02 6566 6163 Andrew Rogers 08 8087 5671 Bernie Pollard 08 9248 3178 Brian Lamb 02 6059 6947 Jim Weston 02 4987 7179 Mick Rowbotham 03 9439 7566 Ross Thorburn 0408413204 Kent Luttrell 0408387641 John Wright 03 6398 6211 Geoff Russell 02 6342 1292 Bill Unmeopa 08 9300 5561 Kerry McCormick 03 6344 5291 2 Troop (1966-1967) Robert Russell 03 5975 5329 Snow Wilson Jnr 02 6649 3998 Richard Reilly 02 6262 7374 Richard Beck 07 3208 5808 Brian Sheehan 03 9336 3137 OC’s 1 Field Squadron Tom Smith 07 5594 4659 David Buring 02 6254 6689 John Willis 03 9363 7878 John Kemp 02 6288 3428 Colin Spies 07 4743 4676 Ron Cain 02 6586 1412 “Snow” Wilson 08 9752 2935 Rex Rowe 0419 251 420 Garry Von Stanke 08 8725 5648 Graeme Carey 02 6056 0997 2 Troop (1968-1969) 1 Troop (1966-67) Cliff Truelove 02 6495 7844 Terry Gribbin 03 9722 9717 Janis Atrens +371 2944 6521 Nick Burgerhof 07 3271 1592 Ken Wheatley 07 4774 0045 Bill Harrigan 08 9447 1127 (This is Janis’s mobile in Latvia) Ray Burton 08 8268 4575 Bob Wooley 03 6264 1485 Peter Hegarty 07 4169 0372 Bob Austin 02 6644 9237 “Stiffy” Carroll 02 4981 8209 David Wright 03 9435 4131 Graeme Leach 07 4777 8627 Ross Bachmann 07 5495 1443 Ken McCann 03 5985 3276 Joe Cazey 07 3710 8102Allan S 1 Troop (1969-70) Don Beale 02 6971 2424 Coleman 07 4661 1924 Kevin Atkinson 08 9041 1571 Rod McClennan 07 3267 6907 Richard Branch 0409496294 Grahame Cook 02 4390 5159 Larry Batze 07 4033 2025 Noel McDuffie 0427051678 Harold Bromley 03 9726 8625 Mick George 02 6882 8574 Allan S Coleman 07 4661 1924 Bob McKinnon 07 3267 0310 Peter Brunton 03 5156 5531 Alan Hammond 0423491091 Paul Cook 02 4946 5321 Peter Matthews 03 6250 3686 Jim Castles 02 9639 2941 Cul Hart 02 4392 0912 Garry Degering 03 9796 0136 Mick Shannon 08 8552 1746 Harry Claassen 07 3273 6701 Neil Innes MM 02 9875 2962 John Felton 07 4661 8679 Stan Shepherd 0412 232 197 Peter Clayton 0418 823 266 Ken Jolley 02 6624 4066 Grahame Fletcher 0408822489 Bob Sweeney 08 9248 4432 Rod Crane 08 9530 3083 Barry Kelly 07 4661 2898 Brian Forbes 0412047937 2 Troop (1967-1968) John Douglas 0433747401 Axel Kraft 08 9572 9597 P. “Guts” Geisel 07 4092 1735 M. Ballantyne 08 8298 2515 Robert Earl 02 4990 3601 Peter McTiernan 02 6557 5211 Terry Gleeson 03 5623 2886 John Beningfield 07 4778 4473 John Gilmore 08 9795 6847 David Martin 02 6379 6097 Trevor Kelly 08 9538 1184 Peter Bennett 0418915550 Stan Golubenko 03 9361 2721 Gavin Menzies 02 6584 7257 Des McKenzie 07 5448 3400 Dennis Burge 08 8281 2270 Paul Grills 07 4162 5235 John Olsen 0414433341 Doug Myers 0421904562 Kenneth Butler 0414897889 Geoff Handley 03 5593 1791 Ron Rockliffe 02 9789 4302 Les Slater 08 9361 0603 Harry Cooling 07 4778 2013 Ross Hansen 07 3202 7540 Trevor Shelley 0419784954 Max Slater 0412 772 849 Garry Cosgrove 02 4845 5153 Wayne Hynson 03 5245 6898 Kevin Smith 03 9787 1506 Vic Smith 02 4339 2131 Peter Fontanini 0438 881 940 Ray Jurkiewicz 07 3886 9054 John Thompson 0732168906 Dave Sturmer 02 8407 9812 Roland Gloss 02 6367 5324 Brian Lamb 02 6059 6947 John Goldfinch 02 6674 0855 Ross Tulloh 0418223345 1 Troop (1970-71) Phil Lamb 08 8564 2001 1 Troop (1967-68) Mick Augustus 07 3205 7401 Paul Grills 07 4162 5235 Wayne Lambley 07 3851 1837 Billy Adams 03 5974 2916 Dan Brindley 02 6643 1693 Ron Johnston 07 3351 1609 Darryl Lavis 08 8263 9548 Henry Baggaley 07 5433 0482 Ian Cambell 03 9870 0313 Eddie Josephs 0417882491 Peter Laws 02 4942 8131 Reg Bament 02 6948 2524 Phil Duffy 0406020382 Lew Jordan 03 6397 3261 Bud Lewis 07 3881 1230 Bruce Bevan 02 9580 3327 Bruce Fraser 07 5499 0508 Ray Kenny 07 3881 3648 Rick Martin 02 6928 4253 Neville Bartels 07 4055 9871 Garth Griffiths 0435902386 John Kiley 02 4228 4068 Bill Morris 08 9384 2686 Bob Coleman 03 5332 0957 Peter Krause 02 6723 2835 David Kitley 02 4735 4991 Don Nicholls 02 9579 4126 Ross Comben 08 9535 2273 R Loxton 0419944755 Robert Knowles 08 9535 6416 Colin Norris 02 4627 1180 Jack Green 07 3278 8719 Barry Meldrum 03 5427 1162 Bernard Ladyman 08 9795 7900 Rod Palmer 0417672643 Ray Kenny 07 3881 3648 Roger Newman 07 5450 6054 Warren McBurnie 02 6687 7030 Ted Podlich 07 3862 9002 Peter Koch 04 3822 3100 Dennis Pegg 03 6224 9090 Stephen McHenry 08 9344 6939 Daryl Porteous 07 4973 7663 Mike McCallum 02 6288 5113 John Pritchard 02 9626 3376 Eric McKerrow (Silent number) Mick Weston 07 5444 3307 John Neal 02 9982 6694 Dave McNair 08 9725 2821 Ray White 03 9740 7141 39 THE LIST

2 Troop (1969-1970) Chris Koolen 03 5237 1147 Ian Lauder 08 9419 5375 Steve Armbrust 07 5545 1073 “Arab” Avotins 07 4129 8012 Kevin Lappin 07 3273 8614 John Murphy 08 9493 3771 Errol Armitage 0427 855 482 Bruce Bofinger 02 4861 5715 Gary McClintock 07 4788 0123 John Nulty 02 6931 1884 Geoff Ansell 0448 013 712 Frank Brady 02 6555 5200 Peter McCole 03 5155 9368 Ted O’Malley 07 4054 3472 Mike Barnett 02 9869 7132 David Brook 03 9546 2868 Bob McGlinn 07 5426 1597 Barry Parnell 07 4947 1976 John Beningfield 07 4778 4473 Jim Burrough 03 9885 8285 Ian McLean 02 6286 3928 Bob Pritchard 07 4779 0608 Darryll Binns 0417170171 Ron Coman 07 3355 7279 Jeff Maddock 03 5442 2875 Greg Roberts 03 5941 2269 Mal Botfield 02 9872 2594 Kevin Connor 0408 748 172 Leon Madeley 07 5497 1038 Don Shields 08 8297 8619 Ian Campbell 03 9870 0313 Garry Cosgrove 02 4845 5153 Butch Marsden 08 9921 6183 Ray Vanderheiden 02 4776 1373 Bob Clare 03 5439 5532 Arthur Davies 07 3408 1556 Bill Marshall 07 5545 0389 Wal Warby 0418240394 Graeme Clarke 07 4128 4660 Roy Elbourne 02 4868 1493 Rod O’Regan 02 6550 6068 Ray White 03 9740 7141 Ted Clarke 03 5682 2584 Brian Forbes 0412047937 Graeme Pengelly 0407 138 124 Three Troop (1969-70) Allan J Coleman 02 9838 4848 Grumpy Foster 07 4041 2321 Des Polden 03 6223 3830 Tony Bower-Miles 0412 317 306 Steve Collett 08 9371 0075 Graeme Gartside 08 8725 6900 Keith Ramsay 02 6585 6503 Chris Brooks 08 9271 2811 John Davey 07 3378 4316 Doug George 03 9889 2116 Mick Rasmussen 0428 790 645 Jim Burrough 03 9885 8285 Chris Ellis 08 9398 1718 Greg Gough 0417 911 173 Ron Reid 0427 461 297 Terry Cartlidge 03 5367 1472 Kevin Hodge 08 8322 2619 Brad Hannaford 08 8389 2217 Gary Sangster 0409 522 099 Bruce Crawford 02 6628 0846 Kenny Laughton 08 8297 4010 John Hopman 02 9398 5258 John Scanlan 0488 132 903 Richard Day 08 8088 4129 Garry Lourigan 02 4844 5545 Chris Koulouris 02 4952 6341 Peter Schreiber 02 6569 3390 Phil Devine 0418 830 169 R. McKenzie-Clark Bill Lamb 0418 424 208 Garry Shoemark 02 6546 6778 Bob Done 02 4944 9321 08 9729 1162 Mick Loughlin 07 4060 3039 Alex Skowronski 0407954570 Ray Fulton 03 6288 1176 Robert McLeay 03 5386 1122 Mick Lee 07 5543 5001 John Smith 0400032502 Graham Fromm 08 8532 2561 Carlo Mikkelsen Marty McGrath 02 6059 1204 Roy Sojan 08 9926 1235 Doug George 03 9889 2116 (New Zealand) 0064 9 4797857 Jim Marett 03 9824 4967 John Stonehouse 08 9653 1895 Graham Harvey 07 5445 2636 Ben Passarelli 02 9610 3949 Bob Ottery 03 5199 2516 Peter Swanson 0401392617 Trevor Hughes 07 5532 3497 Robert Reed 07 3351 4440 Bevan Percival 07 5537 1577 John Tick 04 3898 7262 Darrel Jensen 07 4938 7203 Paul Scott 02 6656 0730 Pedro Piromanski 08 9306 8169 Harry Eustace 07 5521 0856 Rod Kirby 07 4973 7726 Les Shelley 07 3264 4041 Ian Pitt 03 5349 2018 Steve Walton 07 3261 9446 Peter Knight 02 6247 6272 John Steen 0419772375 Jack Power 07 4955 3761 Terry Wake 07 4786 2625 Gerry Lyall 07 3343 4725 Gordon Temby 08 9757 2016 Colin Redacliff 02 9673 0597 Dave Young 02 4283 3439 Phil McCann 03 5442 3459 David Wilson 07 3855 1370 Brian Scott 07 3204 5691 3 Troop (1966-67) Chris MacGregor 02 4472 3250 Three Troop (1971-72) Peter Scott (219) 02 4341 3782 Wilfred Eyles 02 4390 0150 Norm Martin 02 4953 1331 Ron Byron 02 6653 4791 “Roo Dog” Scott 07 5535 6290 3 Troop (1967-68) Jock Meldrum MID Brenton J Smith 08 8536 2923 Les Shelley 07 3264 4041 Ken Arnold 02 6974 1181 0405 677 448 Jimmy Shugg 08 9776 1471 Chuck Bonzas 08 9330 3490 Gary Miller MM 07 5495 5647 Bob Smith 07 5456 1194 Bruce Breddin 0418766759 “Jacko” Miller 03 6267 4411 Mick Van Poeteren 03 9435 0383 Norm Cairns 03 6267 4629 Chris Muller 07 4653 0457 Gerry Wallbridge 03 9803 4223 Kerry Caughey 03 5971 4188 Danny Mulvany 08 9356 6890 Dennis Wilson 08 8659 1189 David Clark 08 8388 7728 Vin Neale 03 9786 1549 Stephen Wilson 07 5538 2179 Bob Coleman 03 5332 0975 Peter Phillips 0429362935 2 Troop (1970-1971) Jim Dowson 03 5662 3291 G. Rentmeester 03 9735 5236 Bruce Arrow 02 6288 3872 Barry Gilbert 03 5023 6657 Paul Scott 02 6656 0730 Mick Bergin 03 5974 2175 Brian Hopkins 0401829744 Gordon Temby 08 9757 2016 Graham Besford 03 9439 2661 John Hoskin 08 8270 3002 Peter Thorp MID 02 6288 0008 Mal Botfield 02 9872 2594 Jack Lawson 0429 798 673 “Curly” Tuttleby 08 8952 6598 John Brady 02 6888 1192 Peter MacDonald 08 9448 5418 Hank Veenhuizen 0407 487 167 US Tunnel Rats Keith Burley 07 5543 0990 Barrie Morgan 0437861945 “Wonzer” White 02 9833 0580 Stephen “Shorty” Menendez Peter Cairns 03 6267 4646 Viv Morgan 02 9331 3252 Three Troop (1970-71) USA: 1-423-948 1575 Brian Christian 07 4778 6602 Michael O’Hearn 02 4932 7509 “Sam” Collins 08 8262 6107 Gary Pohlner 0427172900 Ron Cook 03 8787 7377 Tom Simons 03 6344 6058 Jock Coutts 08 9279 1946 Kevin Shugg 0411144500 Bill Craig 08 9530 1008 Frank Sweeney 07 3882 6025 Denis Crawford 03 9497 3256 Brian Thomson 0428551368 John Crocker 07 3206 7995 Vic Underwood 0429 907 989 John Cross 02 4757 2273 Murray Walker 08 9332 6410 Robin Date 03 9783 3202 Glenn Weise 0427 741 170 Gino De Bari 08 9437 5641 Mick Woodhams 08 9459 0130 Tom Dodds 040672260 Bob Yewen 07 5532 4560 Des Evans 07 4128 2390 Ken Young 02 9602 5204 Bruce Fenwick 02 4977 3530 3 Troop (1968-69) Ray Fulton 03 6288 1176 Geoff Box 08 9731 2757 Ziggy Gniot 0418 885 830 Barry Chambers 08 8927 8237 Bob Hamblyn 08 8672 3930 Neil Garrett 03 5798 1522 Cec Harris 02 6629 3373 Brian Glyde 02 4455 7404 Paddy Healy 02 4930 7541 Peter Gray 02 4285 8877 Kevin Hodge 08 8322 2619 John Hollis 02 6662 6660 Paul Jones 02 6231 5963 “Sam” Houston 07 5495 5480 Jim Kelton 02 6948 3927 Phil Lamb 08 8564 2001

NOSTALGIA PAGES 121611 ARMY COMBAMINE INCIDENTT BADGE SHAM ELESS FUND RAISING EFFORT ALL PROFITS GO TO THE VIETNAM TUNNEL RATS ASSOCIATION

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