Australians In Vietnam War: Australians Tours Of Duty In South Vietnam: Why Not The Local People In

Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War began with a small commitment of 30 military advisors in 1962 and increased over the following decade to a peak of 7,672 Australian personnel following the Menzies Government's April 1965 decision to upgrade its military commitment to South Vietnam's security.

This is a collection of anecdotes and yarns typical of those exchanged when veterans are having a beer with friends and remember people, places, and events of that time and place, with a few jokes and funny things that happened. There are no political, diplomatic, or military analyses here, and only one name is mentioned because it is relevant to the yarn. The time frame covers 1965 to 1971 but does not include items from the RAAF or RAN, nor the Australian advisory team contribution 1962-71. Yarns from those outfits can be best supplied by those veterans. All the things included here were said to happen, and are believed to be true, though two could well be 'urban myths'. Many were personally experienced by the author during his three tours of duty in South Vietnam, or he was close by and heard of it soon after.