1

B

By David Follows and Laura Owen

Glorification or Commemoration? Stories of Vietnam and its Veterans

2

For many Australians and Americans, the

Vietnam War (1962–1973) was a messy

war that the nation would like to forget.

However, that is not the case, and simply

not possible, for many individuals who

served or had friends or loved ones

deployed to the conflict. The glorification

of war has been a strong theme throughout

history, although the horrors of the wars of

the twentieth century have brought about a

change to the perception and public opinion

of war and commemoration.

The Vietnam Wariii

The Vietnam War was the longest war in

which Australia was part of in the twentieth

century. Australia participated in the war

between 1962 and 1973, with some 60,000

troops involved. Throughout these years,

over 500 Australian soldiers lost their lives

and over 3500 were wounded.iii Social and

political dissent in Sydney and other major

cities mirrored that of San Francisco and

United States cities.

Joseph Camilleri and L. G.

Churchward argue the US

alliance had trapped

Australia in a “relationship

of unquestioning

compliance depriving

Australia of its autonomy.”iv

Technological advancements and the

widespread nature of television meant that

for the first time, the Australian public were

able to see the true horrors of war.

How the Anzac Legend Affected

the Return of Vietnam Veterans

“In no unreal sense it was on

the 25th April 1915, that the

consciousness of Australian

nationhood was born”v

War played a huge part in the Australian

national identity throughout the twentieth

century, which to some extent still

continues today. The celebration of Anzac

Day on 25th April reflects the time, money

and respect Australia invests in its military

history. The commemoration of the failure

at Gallipoli shows that it is not military

success that is celebrated, but the qualities

of soldiers that have been taken on as

‘Australian’ values, such as strength,

courage and bravery. In the 1960s, the

memory of the two destructive World Wars

was fresh in the minds of the Australian

public, thus, making them less supportive

of the government’s decision to join

America in war.

3

Australia’s culture of glorifying and heavily

commemorating war and its soldiers,

reinforced by the Anzac legend, provides an

interesting backdrop to the initially

forgotten Vietnam veterans. Upon their

return, soldiers were not treated like the

soldiers returning from previous wars.

It is in this context of Australia’s

celebration of twentieth century war that

the war in Vietnam is interesting. Both the

First and Second World Wars had been

glorified throughout Australia, in terms of

the bravery of soldiers and loyalty to King

and Empire. British command played an

important role in Australia’s participation

in the Boar War and the First and Second

World Wars; many argue that Australia

would not have been involved if it was not

for this loyalty to Britain. With Australia

joining in 1962, Vietnam reflected

Australia’s recognition of the United States

as a major world power that it needed to ally

with. However, the Australian public did

not see this as a worthy justification of

sending troops to Vietnam.

Attitudes towards the war in Vietnam were

generally negative throughout both

Australia and the United States. The

introduction of conscription in Australia in

1965 led to an increase in anti-war protests;

and although this was not the first time

conscription had been used in Australia, the

lottery like nature caused dissatisfaction.vi

At this point, conscription was restricted to

the army and twenty year old males;

however, this still did not meet the demands

of anti-war protestors as Australia was still

involved with the war.vii

Contemporary Glorification

Television allowed the Australian people to

see the reality of war, which wasn’t

necessarily what the Australian or

American governments wanted to be seen.

To counteract this, many contemporary

photographs somewhat glorified both the

war itself and the soldiers that fought for

Australia. This was strategically done by

the government, as both the Australian and

other governments had done in previous

wars in order to boost support for the war;

this was especially necessary in the midst of

anti-war protests during the 1960s.

Here, photographs seem to be light hearted

and have a sense that although soldiers were

at war, they were enjoying their time in

Vietnam. These photos send the message to

families at home that soldiers are safe with

the aim of encouraging more men to sign up

to the armed forces. Many photos show

soldiers relaxing and taking a break from

combat, this again suggests that the

government used photographs sent home to

families as a form of propaganda in order to

rally support. For example, many of the

photos from the Vietnam War show

soldiers smoking cigarettes, making food

4

and reading mail, all everyday tasks that

would reassure the families of soldiers.viii

Although these photographs are all on the

backdrop of war, many of the photographs

were intended to distract from the reality of

the war. This explains why so few

photographs show the men engaging in

combat. In addition to this, a vast amount of

photographs show soldiers befriending,

teaching and having fun with small

Vietnamese children. As well as being

propaganda, these photos fuel the Anzac

myth as they portray the soldiers as having

the ideal ‘Australian’ quality of

compassion.

These photographs show that there was

some degree of contemporary glorification

of the Vietnam War in the sense that they

were portraying the war to be light hearted

and relaxing; far from the truth regarding

the motives and reality of the Vietnam War.

These photographs, often posed and staged,

were directly in opposition to television

footage that appeared to show the real war.

During the Vietnam War, the Australian

public were able to see the realities of war

for the first time, instead of relying on

newspapers which were largely used as

propaganda, telling the public what they

wanted to hear.

Glorification after the War

Despite a sense of contemporary

glorification from those trying to promote

the war, there was still an overwhelming

sense of anti-war feeling throughout

Australia as its involvement in the war

progressed. It is this disapproval of the

Vietnam War that became contentious in

the decades that followed the end of the

war. The treatment of the returning veterans

has especially sparked controversy both in

Australia and the United States. In Sydney,

returning servicemen were degraded and it

was reported that many were spat on;

however, there has been some historical

debate about the accuracy of this, with

sociologist Jerry Lembcke ultimately

discrediting the idea.ix Despite some

inaccuracy on this occasion, it is known that

Vietnam veterans were not treated with the

respect and honour of previous war

veterans. In June 1966, the First Battalion

of the Royal Australian Regiment returned

to Sydney after serving for a year in

Vietnam. It was when they were marching

past the Sydney Town Hall that a woman

escaped the crowds that had

enthusiastically turned up to welcome the

Battalion home and smeared red paint on

the uniform of the commander, Alex V.

Preece.x This public display of anger

seemed to be somewhat unusual in terms of

how it was performed and that the woman

was alone in her protest. However, the

‘woman with the red paint’ as she became

known, was by far not the only person to act

like this towards returning veterans.

Many Vietnam veterans recall the injustices

they faced upon returning to Australia. Bob

5

Millard tells of the shame he felt when he

returned: “For so long I just never told

anyone I was a veteran. I didn’t want to talk

about it, I felt no-one else wanted to talk

about it. When I joined the Vietnam

Veterans Association I took a step towards

saying that ‘I am a Vietnam veteran and I

respect the fact that I am’.... The blokes

from the Second World War probably went

through the same thing, but when it was

over they came back to a fanfare. They had

all done something, they had won a war and

freed the world. All we had done was stuff

up a country and kill a lot of people. You

have to live with that. It was a dirty war.”xi

The fact that even the veterans themselves

feel ashamed and dirty reflects the extent of

the anti-war feeling in Australia.

Another soldier Mark Rose describes the

ways in which even his own family showed

their disapproval. “I copped a lot of flak

when I came back. Family friends or people

I knew wouldn’t talk to me. I had an uncle

who didn’t think we should have been in

Vietnam, who openly wished me dead, all

because I’d been a soldier in Vietnam and I

had volunteered to go there.”xii Here, the

attitudes of Australian people towards both

the nature of the war and its veterans can be

seen. The extremity of hatred towards the

soldiers reflects how the Vietnam War was

not glorified at all by the Australian people;

the majority of whom were vastly against

the war by the mid-1960s.

Throughout the following decades

Australia placed a great amount of

emphasis on the Anzac legend, culminating

in increasingly elaborate celebrations of

First and Second World War veterans and

children learning of Australian soldiers’

bravery and courage at war from a young

age. The ‘militarisation’ of Australian

history in recent years has put Vietnam in

the spotlight in terms of the debate

surrounding how the war should be

remembered. The realisation and

acceptance of the mistreatment of veterans

by the Australian public as part of a wider

militarisation of Australia’s twentieth

century history explains how the

commemoration of the Vietnam War has

become increasingly popular in recent

decades. The fact that the collection of

stories of Vietnam, Ashes of Vietnam,

Australian Voices was published in 1987

shows how in just over ten years, attitudes

towards Vietnam changed from contempt to

commemoration. In no way does the

collection glorify the war and the difference

between glorification and commemoration

must be clear.

Furthermore, the Canberra Times reported

in April 1987 that Vietnam veterans were

finally ‘home’. The report is in the context

of the 1987 Anzac Day celebrations in

Sydney, where Vietnam veterans were

permitted to walk ahead of World War II

veterans for the first time. This suggests

that veterans were only truly welcomed and

accepted back into Australian society in the

late 1980s. This eventual acceptance of the

servicemen that returned over ten years

prior to the publication of this article. The

fact that the veterans were placed ahead of

World War II veterans suggests that the

commemoration of the Vietnam War only

began to move into the mainstream

throughout the late 1980s.xiii

6

Public Oppositionxiv

“The most unpopular war

in Australian history?”xv

Initially, Australia’s participation in the war

was not widely opposed. But as

commitment grew, conscripts began to

make up a large percentage of those being

deployed, injured and even killed. Public

opinion shifted and increasingly believed

the war was being lost. Opposition

continued to grow until, in the early 1970s,

more than 200,000 people marched in the

streets of Australia’s major cities in

protest.xvi

It was a feeling of marching

along with people all of like

mind, a sense that finally

opinion was starting to

flow our way…xvii

The Vietnam War brought songs of loss to

the forefront of the public arena as protest

songs and reflected on the gruesome reality

of war, their sense of loss and at war's

futility. John Schumann’s song ‘I was only

Nineteen’ highlights some of the struggles

that soldiers could expect to face in

Vietnam and the long term effects of the

war soldiers brought back home.

I was only Nineteen - John Schumann

And the Anzac legends didn't mention mud

and blood and tears,

and stories that my father told me never

seemed quite real

I caught some pieces in my back that I

didn't even feel…

God help me, I was only nineteen.

And can you tell me, doctor, why I still

can't get to sleep?

And night time's just a jungle dark and a

barking M16?

And what's this rash that comes and goes,

can you tell me what it means?

God help me, I was only nineteen.xviii

7

Honours and Awards from the

Vietnam War

Major Peter John Badcoe.xix

Major Peter John Badcoe was awarded the

Victoria Cross posthumously after his

gallant actions and "outstanding

leadership". His three acts of heroism,

rescuing a United States Medical Adviser

under heavy fire, leading his company and

turning what seemed to be certain defeat

into victory and attempting to lead his

company against a larger foe ultimately led

to his death in April 1967.xxxxi

It cannot be said that his actions were

glorified. Instead, Major Badcoe received

the appropriate recognition of his gallant

actions and the commemoration deserved

of a soldier killed in action, protecting

fellow soldiers, in service to his country.

Warrant Officer Class 2 Keith Payne.xxii

As a military veteran from the Korean War,

Warrant Officer Class II Keith Payne was

posted to the Australian Army Training

Team in Vietnam on 24 February 1969.

In May 1969 he was commanding the 212th

Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force

Battalion when it was attacked by a strong

North Vietnamese force. Isolated and

surrounded on three sides, wounded in the

hands, arms and under heavy fire, he

covered the withdrawal of his troops. He

then spent three hours searching the scene

of the fight for isolated and wounded

soldiers. He found forty wounded men,

rescuing some himself and organising the

retrieval of the others. His actions earned

him the Victoria Cross.xxiii

8

Payne received his Victoria Cross from the

Queen aboard the Royal Yacht, Britannia,

in Brisbane. He was also made a Freeman

of city and went on to receive many other

awards and honours. He received the

Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver

Star from the United States and the

Republic of Vietnam awarded Payne the

Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star. Payne

later retired from the army in 1975, yet still

took an active role in the veteran

community counselling sufferers of post-

traumatic stress disorder.xxiv His actions

demonstrate a selflessness, prominent

particularly during Vietnam, of

brotherhood looking after others even at

risk to personal safety.

It leads us to question individuals’ actions;

should he be remembered as a hero of war

or an ordinary person put under

extraordinary circumstances?

Public Opinion and Reactions to

returning Vietnam Veterans

But public opinion and public protest

played a relatively small role in policy

decisions about Vietnam. Australia’s

withdrawal from the war was already

underway in the early 1970s when

widespread protests began.

The historiography of

Australia’s participation

in the wars of the 20th

century shows that “the

State has often had trouble

in dealing with the

aftermath of war”. xxv

When Australian involvement in the

Vietnam War ended in 1973, its veterans

did not receive the respect given to those

in previous wars. Their experience had

been dreadful, and now seemed futile. It

was a messy Australian implication in a

huge American failure.

Only in 1987 were they invited to march

on Anzac Day in the “welcome home

march” 15 years after the end of the

Vietnam War for Australia. xxvi This march

drew thousands of well-wishers into the

city streets, demonstrating an end to the

stigma of the war and recognition of

forgotten soldiers. xxvii

9

Anzac Day – Glorification or

Remembrance?

Vietnam was no exception. Nonetheless,

Australia has a strong sense of commitment

when it comes to commemorating the

sacrifices of her soldiers.

The celebration of Anzac Day in Australia

has changed throughout the course of

history. What was a celebration focused on

the foundation of the Australian nation and

identity has transformed throughout the

twentieth century. Australia’s involvement

in the Vietnam War affected people’s

perception of Anzac Day. During the

Vietnam War, anti - war lobbyists

organised peace rallies and criticised

Anzac Day, calling it militaristic and a

glorification of war. However, for most,

Anzac Day has always remained a day to

express remembrance and commemorate

the men and women who gave their lives

for their nation, not glorify conflict.

The words ‘Lest we forget’ have engrained

themselves into the heart of Australian

culture reiterating the importance of

remembering the individuals that served in

the armed forces and those who laid down

their lives for their country.

Media Coverage – Heightened

glorification or an accurate

portrayal of war?xxviii

Watched by people around the world, the

Vietnam War became a shocking

visualisation of destruction and death

courtesy of television and mass media.

Men like Mayo Hunter, (pictured below)

an official news cameraman for television

station ATN Channel 7, Sydney, filmed

points of interest and reported on the war.

The efforts of Hunter and other war

correspondents allowed the Vietnam War

to be brought into Australian living rooms

as many families ate their evening meal

and watched news footage of the war.xxix

This provided a shocking insight into the

daily lives of the men and women involved

in the conflict. However, the role of

Australian broadcasters had a lesser

influence on the war as generally the

media was dominated by American

broadcasts. “Vietnam proved to be the first

war on television in living rooms every

night, but American television not

Australian television. The role of the

Australian media was zilch, absolutely.

Nobody gave a bugger about it.”xxx

10

Media was a very powerful tool in the

Vietnam War as the government attempted

to use it as a positive propaganda tool,

showing Australian soldiers handing out

treats to Vietnamese children. Images like

this reflected the ways in which the

government attempted to portray the war in

a positive light in order to gain support for

its policies. The use of children is

particularly significant as anti-war

campaigners often used imagery of children

in order to gain support.xxxi

Soldiers smoking whilst looking at their

maps.

Here, the war was portrayed in a light

hearted way to the Australian public in

order to change attitudes towards the

conflict. The soldiers here are depicted as

looking happy and content with the war,

once again showing the message the

photographer wanted to portray. The casual

and relaxed feel, brought about by the

smoking, suggests that the photographer

was trying to show that war was not always

intense. xxxii

Overall, media coverage worked both

positively and negatively as it gave

Australians an insight into the brutality of

war inciting public opposition. However,

media portrayal attempted to normalise the

Vietnam War by depicting soldiers doing

everyday activities and looking happy.

11

Conclusionxxxiii

Overall, it is evident that the Vietnam War

challenged the established perception of

war not only in Australia but throughout

the world. Contemporary sources such as

photographs have tried to glorify the war

on the grounds of propaganda in order to

rally much needed support for an

unpopular war.

Public opinion soon became an important

factor in the Vietnam War as mass media

facilitated not only the coverage of the

war, but also the public outcry and reaction

against it. The fact that the Vietnam War

was so widely covered in the media gave

everyday citizens an insight into the lives

of the individual.

However, the majority of attitudes towards

war throughout the late twentieth century

iTitle Page: Michael Coleridge, Iroquois

helicopters land to take members of 7RAR

back to Nui Dat after completion of

Operation Ulmarra, (Vietnam: Phuoc Tuy

Province 26 August 1967), [picture],

Australian War Memorial,

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/EKN/

67/0130/VN/, accessed 8 October.

ii Remembrance poppy, [picture], The

Returned Service League of Australia,

http://www.rslwahq.org.au/commemoratio

n/ANZAC-Day/anzac-spirit.aspx, accessed

3 October iii ‘Deaths as a Result of Service with

Australian Units’ at

https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/wa

r_casualties/ [accessed Thursday 27th

August 2015]

iii C. E. W. Bean, ‘The Story of Anzac

from 4th May 1915 to the Evacuation of

the Gallipoli Peninsula’, in Official

History of Australia in the War of 1914-

1918, Vol. 2 (St. Lucia: University of

have focused on emphasising

remembrance and the vast amount of

respect deserved by soldiers.

The Anzac myth has played a crucial role

in this shift in attitudes with the Vietnam

War being recognised as a war that

affected many Australians and thus, should

still be commemorated in the same ways

as previous wars.

The stories of individuals demonstrate that

there was no glorification of the heroes of

war. Instead, the actions of ordinary men

and women exemplified stories of hope in

a time of conflict and war.

For this reason, attitudes towards war

changed and the glorification of war

became focused on the commemoration of

individuals and those who laid down their

lives.

Queensland Press in association with the

Australian War Memorial, 1981)

iv David McLean, Australia in the Cold

War: A Historiographical Review, The

International History Review, Volume 23,

Number 2, (June, 2001), pp. 299-321.

v C. E. W. Bean, ‘The Story of Anzac from

4th May 1915 to the Evacuation of the

Gallipoli Peninsula’, in Official History of

Australia in the War of 1914-1918, Vol. 2

(St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press

in association with the Australian War

Memorial, 1981), pp.124-126

vi S. Ville & P. Siminski, ‘A Fair and

Equitable Method of Recruitment?

Conscription by Ballot into the Australian

Army During the Vietnam War’,

Australian Economic History Review, Vol.

51, No. 3 (November 2011), pp. 277-296

vii Image: Australian troops walk toward

helicopters for airlift at Vien Hoa air base,

August 1965,

12

http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/182637096,

accessed 20 September 2015. viiiSoldiers relaxing and reading their mail

(Vietnam1966), [Picture],‘Australian

Soldiers Reading Their Mail’ at

http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/179820825,

accessed 20 September 2015

ix C. Dixon, ‘Redeeming the Warrior:

Myth-making and Australia’s Vietnam

Veterans’, Australian Journal of Politics

and History, Vol. 60, No. 2 (June, 2014),

pp. 214-228.

x Ibid, p. 214

xi Bob Millard in S. Rintoul, Ashes of

Vietnam, Australian Voices (Richmond,

1987), p. 210

xii Mark Rose in S. Rintoul, Ashes of

Vietnam, Australian Voices (Richmond,

1987), p. 211

xiii Image: Vietnam Veterans lead the

march in this year’s Anzac Day parade,

The Canberra Chronicle, 29th April 1987

xiv Pictures: (Top Left) An anti-war vigil

outside Parliament House in Canberra,

May 1968. From 'Australia and the

Vietnam War' by Department of Veterans'

Affairs, 2013, http://vietnam-

war.commemoration.gov.au/public-

opinion/index.php, accessed 21 September.

(Top Right) A protest at Parliament House

in Canberra, 1970, From http://vietnam-

war.commemoration.gov.au/conscription/

moratoriums-and-opposition.php, accessed

28 September

(Bottom Left) George Molnar, 1910-1998.

"And causing litter in the street." [picture

1966], National Library of Australia,

http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an24898954,

accessed 28 September

(Bottom Right) George Molnar, 1910-

1998. "With honour" [picture,

1973]National Library of

Australia,http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-

vn3048347, accessed 28 September.

xivIroquois helicopters land to take

members of 7RAR back to Nui Dat after

completion of Operation Ulmarra, August

1967, Australian War Memorial,

https://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/vietnam/,

accessed 8 October. xv Glen Barclay, 'The Light that Failed':

Australia and the Vietnam War, History

Today, Volume38, Issue 2, (1 February,

1988), p. 18.

xvi Australia and the Vietnam War,

Australian War Memorial,http://vietnam-

war.commemoration.gov.au/vietnam-war/,

accessed 20 September 2015

xviiAlan Gould, Vietnam protestor, quoted

in Michael Caulfield, The Vietnam Years,

(Hachette, Australia, 2007), p. 379. xviiiJohn Schumann, I was only Nineteen,

A prominent folk protest song released in

1983.

xix Australian War Memorial, Major Peter

John Badcoe, Black and White,[picture],

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/11685

7/, accessed 29 September.

xx Robert Macklin, Bravest: How Some of

Australia's Greatest War Heroes Won

Their Medals., (Crows Nest, New South

Wales, Allen & Unwin, 2008), p. 232.

xxiMike Colman, Payne VC., (Sydney,

Australian Broadcasting Corporation,

2009), p.125.

xxii Honours and Awards: The Victoria

Cross – Keith Payne, Black and White

Portrait, [picture], Australian War

Memorial,

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/FAI/6

9/0569/NC/, accessed 3 September.

13

xxiii Lionel Wigmore, They dared mightily,

(Canberra, Australian War Memorial,

1986), pp. 173-174

xxivWarrant Officer Class 2 Keith Payne

service record,Australian War Memorial,

https://www.awm.gov.au/people/P106767

75/, accessed 5 September.

xxv James Bourke,

https://www.awm.gov.au/conference/2013/

vietnam/abstracts_speakers/, accessed 31

August.

xxvi Australia and the Vietnam War, Anzac

day 1987 “welcome home march”,

http://vietnam-

war.commemoration.gov.au/commemorati

on/, accessed 1 September.

xxvii The Vietnam Veterans “Welcome

Home” March through Sydney on 4

October 1987.

xxviii Accompanying the troops on HMAS

Sydney in May 1965 was a small group of

television and radio journalists and

cameramen. Mayo Hunter, from ATN7 in

Sydney, was with the group. Australian

War Memorial,http://vietnam-

war.commemoration.gov.au/vietnam-war/,

accessed 28 September.

xxix Accompanying the troops on HMAS

Sydney in May 1965 was a small group of

television and radio journalists and

cameramen. Mayo Hunter, from ATN7 in

Sydney, was with the group. [picture],

Australian War Memorial,http://vietnam-

war.commemoration.gov.au/vietnam-war/,

accessed 28 September.

xxx Alan Ramsey, journalist, quoted in

Michael Caulfield, The Vietnam Years,

Hachette Australia, 2007, p 371. (Drawing

on interview no 2568 in the Australians at

War Film Archive)

xxxi‘Soldiers of the Fifth Battalion, Royal

Australian Regiment handing out treats to

Vietnamese children during operation

Hayman’, (Vietnam, 1966),[picture], at

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-153300655/view

accessed 20th September 2015.

xxxii‘A major smokes his pipe while

looking at maps on the desk with another

soldier’, (Vietnam. 1967), [picture], at

http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/179894934

[accessed 20th September 2015]

xxxiiiMichaelColeridge, Phuoc Hai, (South

Vietnam. 26 August 1967), Troops of 1st

Australian Task Force (1ATF) wait for a

huge US Chinook helicopter to leave the

ground before returning to base after

Operation Ulmarra, [background

picture], https://www.awm.gov.au/collecti

on/EKT/67/0046/VN/, accessed 5 October.