I stopped for a moment along the path and paused

 Image above:
Walking down the 200m path to the memorial cross at Long Tan.


Journal of Sam Doering

... how brave, how very brave the Australian and Vietnamese soldiers were.

I felt that the most memorable place that we visited was probably the Nui Dat Base and the site of the Battle of Long Tan. For me it really made me realise the true extent of the fighting in Vietnam. I found it quite strange almost to see how little remained of the Nui Dat base. When we neared the Nui Dat Hill, I was amazed at the scale of the area. Being in the same area as the Australian soldiers were during the Vietnam War, made me feel closer to them and really brought the history alive. It is one thing to read about Nui Dat from a book, but quite another to be experiencing it firsthand. I found it quite remarkable how the Luscombe Airfield was still being used. The in depth stories that Miss Thao told us also added to my understanding of the area.

Before going to Long Tan, our group visited the house of Jason Fenech who was an Australian Vietnam Veteran who had returned to Vietnam because he couldn't handle Australian society. His efforts to recover and preserve the local history from the Nui Dat Base, Long Tan and surrounding areas was quite admirable. I was dumbfounded when he revealed that there was only one honour roll of Australian fatalities from the Vietnam War in all of Vietnam - and it was hanging up on his wall. This made me realise how little we remember the heroic men who fought in Vietnam 50 years ago.

Later on that same day, we visited the battle site of the Battle of Long Tan. Walking down the 200m path to the memorial cross allowed me to visualise the battle as it would have been fought in 1966. I stopped for a moment along the path and paused. I imagined the guns going off, the torrential rain and the screams among the rubber trees and I thought how brave, how very brave the Australian and Vietnamese soldiers were. Holding a memorial service at the cross allowed me to reflect on the sacrifice of all involved. It was a moment that I will remember always. Upon reflection, the trip has opened my eyes not only to Asian culture, but also to the forgotten history of the Vietnam War and it has made me realise that we need to always remember the men who fell in Vietnam.

Lest we forget.