Albury RSL commemorates 50 years since the Vietnam War

This was the reality faced by many Vietnam veterans when Australia's involvement in the war ended on January 11, 1973.

Upon the 50^th anniversary of the withdrawal of Australian forces in Vietnam, we "honour the dead but fight like hell for the living".

On Friday, August 18, a commemorative service was held in the Memorial Garden at Anzac House in Albury, where veterans and community members honoured the hundreds who died during the conflict, including 14 men from the Albury-Wodonga area, along with thousands who were wounded.

Albury RSL president, Graham Docksey, landed in the jungles of Nui Dat as an infantry soldier on December 13, 1966.

"For a young 19-year-old it was an adventure; seeing all this equipment, all these soldiers and being part of the big picture," he said.

"But over the 12 months that all changed of course as you got closer to reality - ambushing, patrolling, being hot, wet, sweaty, tired and all that became part of daily life."

From the time of the arrival of the first members of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam in 1962, over 60,000 Australians, including ground troops, air force and navy personnel, served in Vietnam; 523 died as a result of the war and almost 2400 were wounded.

During Mr Docksey's time in Vietnam he served as an assault pioneer in the 6^th and then 7^th battalion, checking for land mines and booby traps.

"It's about expecting the unexpected and always being on edge, and even today the slightest sound out of my peripheral vision causes me to startle because you think you're back on patrol again," he said.

"We were always on alert, we were always in a hyper-state of vigilance - you are constantly listening and watching."

This hyper-state of vigilance is something Mr Docksey maintains to this day.

"Not all wounds are visible," he said. "There's a lot of psychological wounds and mental health issues that are just not able to be seen, but they are there."

When Jeannette Francis' husband, Noel Francis, returned home from Vietnam in 1966, "he was a different person".

"The day he came back I noticed something was wrong," Mrs Francis said. "I didn't get the big hug I expected, I got a hug, but it was withdrawn.

"It was years and years later when we realised what was wrong."

He would later be diagnosed with "PTSD and a deep depression", which created a volatile environment for Mrs Francis and her two young kids.

"We were married before he went over, and I've learned since that only three per cent of those marriages still exist today," she said. "Most of them broke up very soon after they got back because they were just different people.

"When he came back, I had to keep the children quiet all the time because he just couldn't take noise, and I just tried to protect them from his sad times."

On April 30, 1975, one month after the US withdrew their troops from Vietnam, the People's Army of Vietnam along with the Viet Cong took control of the capital, Saigon.

"I thought what a waste," Mr Docksey said.

"There were 523 lives lost along with countless thousands that have been affected by their exposure to PTSD or agent orange, many many thousands of broken marriages, families busted because their only son was killed - all for what?

"And 50 years on from the war, I don't think we've learned a single thing."

Mr Docksey said when he saw the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago, old emotions came to the forefront.

"All those who had helped the Australian and American forces were just left to their own means," he said.

"But it'll happen again and we will learn nothing from history, I don't know why, it's the politicians who send you away but they're not there to look after you when you return, and that's the tragedy."

Wodonga RSL president Jamie Wolf said the day was not only about honouring those who served in the war, but educating the next generation.

"A lot of the Vietnam vets are getting on in their years, and it's the same with WWI veterans as well," he said.

"So the importance of commemorating these veterans and educating our younger generation on the sacrifices they made is extremely important so that their memory can live on."

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