long tan day

[QC]

Today marks a significant day for the Australian Army in Vietnam.

http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/vietnam/longtan.html

 

[pardus]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ4txHAK6g4"]YouTube - The Battle of Long Tan--Part 1[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXsTirmxHGw"]YouTube - The Battle of Long Tan Part 2[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5wb9ni77jI"]YouTube - The Battle of Long Tan Part 3[/ame]

 

[pardus]

bump

 

[digrar]

Been a while since I've seen that, cheers.
The South Viet Nam Government was all set to give the boys medals, Our government came in at the last minute and said no go, that's when the dolls, cigarette and cigar boxes were bought out. The whole medal thing was only resolved last year and even then they didn't really get it right.

 

[pardus]

I seen a cartoon about medals given in Vietnam based on facts IIRC, it had Aussies lining up and the Q guy chipping a tine piece of a medal for each guy and the Americans who had 3-4 boxes full of medals with a sign saying take a handful! lol

The stats given were (something like) every Yank got 3-4 medals and an Aussie averaged 0.003 medals per man. ;)

I remember back home seeing someone with one ribbon thinking :interesting, wonder what that is for, but useually working it out due to age etc... but seeing a guy with two ribbons, well that was special.
Looking at Americans, I'm just lost lol

 

[digrar]

If you get hurt, you get a scar and if you do your job well you continue to get paid. We recently lashed out and issued a 4 year service medal, or the I showed up every day and ate my lunch medal. At a cost of about $100 to get it mounted many would have preferred not to have got it at all.

 

[pardus]

Yeah that's pretty gay...

Welcome to the feel good society :doh:

 

[AWP]

At the risk of hijacking an ANZAC thread. The American awards system wasn't bad until WWII. Things started going downhill but it wasn't terrible. By Vietnam however it was a free-for-all. Near as I can tell, the only Americans involved with Long Tan were in the artillery or in the AF dropping bombs, hardly positions as exposed as those with D Coy.

Anymore, with the exception of the top two awards, if I can't place the medal into context then I don't put much stock in them.

Surviving a battle like Long Tan though, and to get a freaking DOLL out if it, is insulting.

 

[QC]

There where Americans there but they were on the other side of the perimeter and didn't fire a shot. Lex MacAulay (I think) wrote a definitive account based on interviews with the guys. Incidentally, to my knowledge no-one has written too much on Firebase Coral. Dig, do you know of any?

 

[digrar]

Lex wrote a book on Coral Balmoral too. The Battle of Coral by Lex McAulay published by Arrow Australia (same mob as the other book on long tan) ISBN0091690919

Lex has the Fire mission log book as an apendix in the Battle of Long Tan and the Yank 155mm battery fired 3 missions totaling 155 rounds, he also goes on to mention that 2639 of 105 fired as well and that according to those there, another 1000 rounds were fired over and above what was written in the log.

 

[pardus]

Lex wrote a book on Coral Balmoral too. The Battle of Coral by Lex McAulay published by Arrow Australia (same mob as the other book on long tan) ISBN0091690919
.

It's a bloody good read too.:2c:

 

[QC]

Lex wrote a book on Coral Balmoral too. The Battle of Coral by Lex McAulay published by Arrow Australia (same mob as the other book on long tan) ISBN0091690919

Lex has the Fire mission log book as an apendix in the Battle of Long Tan and the Yank 155mm battery fired 3 missions totaling 155 rounds, he also goes on to mention that 2639 of 105 fired as well and that according to those there, another 1000 rounds were fired over and above what was written in the log.

No time to write firing anti personnel rounds over open sites.

 

[QC]

:doh: As you can see, I've mixed the two. I must have CRAFT disease...(can't remember a f***in' thing)

 

[SpitfireV]

A few months ago I noticed an Air New Zealand pilot with a bunch of ribbons on his jacket. This being particularly unusual I went up and politely asked them what they were for (poor choice of words really). "Oh, bravery and service" he says. I asked him where he served and he points them out "oh, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaya and some other shitholes" (or words or that effect). Turns out he was an RNZAF pilot but I didn't get a chance to ask him what he flew.

This guy had seriously the biggest amount of ribbons I have ever seen- there must have been twelve or so, which is a lot for the NZDF I think. In comparison my Comptroller, who has done Timor and probably some other places with the Group has maybe five.

 

[pardus]

When I was in, one medal was eye catching, two was uncommon.

 

[digrar]

We always had a few blokes floating around with a couple, by the time I got out 4 or 5 wasn't uncommon, now it's closer to the norm.

Then there were blokes like Keith Payne VC...

 

[CBTech]

What the fuck's a medal do for ya anyway? I hate that shit.

I never put much stock in ribbons and medals. After standing at attention for about the third time when they were giving some asshole a Navy and Marine Corps Achievment Medal for doing his job I said fuck all, don't care.
What's funny is Good Conduct Medals. More like Didn't Get Caught Medal. When I see a Purple Heart or Silver Star I perk up.
As for the Long Tan boys, it is a shame because it is situations like that which are truelly deserving of medals.

 

[AWP]

What the fuck's a medal do for ya anyway? I hate that shit.

I can't speak for the other services, but in the Army they provide promotion points. I've seen SOF support soldiers, Active and Guard, passed over for a promotion because their unit didn't play the "Here's an ARCOM for doing your job" game.

Eh, we had a presidnet with a bogus Silver Star, so why expect Joe Snuffy to have any integrity?

 

[CBTech]

I know. Same with the Navy, some medals carry points for advancement. It's just the whole "game" that gets me. I don't think Mikey jumped on a grenade for the MoH.


Sorry for de-railing the Long Tan anniversary thread.

 

[pardus]

Eh, we had a presidnet with a bogus Silver Star, so why expect Joe Snuffy to have any integrity?

Who?