50 years since Australia’s withdrawal from Vietnam War commemorated in Canberra
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00:00 It was indeed an incredibly touching tribute to the 60,000 Australians who served in Vietnam.
00:07 As you mentioned, 523 sadly did not return home.
00:11 3,000 wounded and many of those, as we know, have carried those wounds, including psychological
00:17 wounds with them to this present day.
00:20 The service began by the Vietnam veterans.
00:23 With the Vietnam veterans being told to stand up, they received a round of applause.
00:28 And then we heard various moving tributes to not just the service these men and women
00:33 gave to Australia and Vietnam, but also talking about the huge troubles they got, the trouble
00:40 they faced when they got back.
00:41 They were ostracised, ridiculed, mocked, jeered, spat on even.
00:47 The war by the time 1973 rolled around was very unpopular.
00:51 There were anti-war marches and lots of anti-war protesters took their anger out on these veterans.
00:57 And that has certainly stuck with many of them to this present day.
01:00 We heard a range of really moving speeches.
01:02 We had Judy Ann Honk, whose dad Duncan McNair died in the war.
01:07 She spoke of how many returning Vietnam veterans struggled for validation from Australia.
01:13 David Manolis, who was a very young Navy seaman on HMAS Sydney, the boat, the aircraft carrier
01:19 that ferried troops to and from Vietnam, spoke movingly about his wartime experiences.
01:24 And we also heard from Robert Redmond.
01:27 He was a pilot with the RAAF in Vietnam.
01:30 He saw service there with the Air Force.
01:33 And he, I guess, really summed up what this day means for so many Vietnam veterans.
01:39 Today, we acknowledge the long shadow the war cast over individuals and their families.
01:51 We reflect not only on the sacrifices made by service men and women, but also on the
01:56 anxiety and fear of those who waited for them to return.
02:02 We honour all who served in Vietnam, military personnel and civilians who carried out their
02:11 work and their duty in demanding and difficult circumstances.
02:16 And especially we honour those 523 Australians who lost their lives, lest we forget.
02:29 Robert Redmond there, and looking around Miriam at the crowd here, I saw so many Vietnam veterans
02:34 visibly moved by speeches like that and everything else that this service represented.
02:40 So it has just wrapped up here in Canberra.
02:42 Behind me we have family members laying wreaths at the Vietnam War Memorial.
02:46 And this is incredibly important as well because, let's not forget, Vietnam veterans, the youngest
02:52 Vietnam veterans, are well into their 70s now.
02:54 There are many in their 80s and 90s.
02:57 So what we saw today could possibly be the last chance for a national recognition for
03:03 those who served in what was an incredibly divisive conflict.
03:07 [BLANK_AUDIO]