What is Long Tan?

 

Image above: Commemoration ceremony and dedication of memorial cross on the site of the Battle of Long Tan. The Battle of Long Tan took place in a rubber plantation near Long Tân, in Phước Tuy Province, South Vietnam,  The battle took place over the days 18 August – 19 August, 1966 (52 year ago this weekend). Vietnam Veterans Day https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/vietnam-veterans-day Vietnam Veterans Day is commemorated on 18 August every year. The day was originally known as Long Tan Day, chosen to commemorate the men of D Company, 6RAR who fought in the battle of Long Tan in 1966. On that day, 108 Australian and New Zealand soldiers fought a pitched battle against over 2,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops in a rubber plantation not far from the small village of Long Tan. The Australians prevailed, but only after fighting in torrential rain for four hours. They were nearly overrun, but were saved by a timely ammunition resupply, accurate artillery fire from the nearby Australian base, and the arrival of reinforcements by armoured personnel carrier. Eighteen Australians lost their lives and 24 were wounded, the largest number of casualties in one operation since the Australian task force had arrived a few months earlier. After the battle the bodies of 245 enemy soldiers were found, but there was evidence that many more bodies had been carried away.  This time in 2016, you may remember that the Battle of Long Tan was in the news for a range of reasons. It was the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan and many Australians who travelled to the memorial site could not enter. Many of those excluded were Australian soldiers who had fought in the battle and felt somewhat disturbed that they could not commemorate their mates that fell at that spot. As always, as a contestable issue there are two sides to the story - sides that we discussed when we were in Vietnam several weeks later. As you know this is again a part of our tour and it would be great if you had some detailed background on the battle and the commemoration activities. We will be conducting a Memorial Service at the site when we visit - led by Cheryl. In fact, this is the only official Memorial Service we participate in because there are no other memorials to Australian soldiers in Vietnam. We will however have informal moments of commemoration at nights when you present the soldier you have researched. I recommend that you listen and/or watch the links below that provide some excellent backgrounding to the Battle of Long Tan and the controversy from 2016. What do you think? Videos to watch about the Battle of Long Tan ... and other aspects of the Vietnam War for Australians https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uODWvj8aP-Q&t=13s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nsbMhY5r6w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1YEaJ6ZCJQ ... and many more at: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=long+tan To coincide with the month of the 53rd Anniversary of the battle, a new movie has just been released on the battle and is being shown at the movies (https://www.dangerclosemovie.com/tickets/). It is called ‘Danger Close’ and information on the movie is at https://www.dangerclosemovie.com/  Apparently it is a good representation of the battle and life for the soldier (told to me by one of the veterans you met at the briefing on 5 July) but as always with movies it uses a fair bit of imagination.  Some of it is also quite confronting, so it is up to you and your parents if you wish to see it. It is an amazing and moving (and disturbing) story that will make more sense when you are actually standing in remembrance at Long Tan.  Bob Kearney is writing a poem to read to you at the memorial  and you will have a rose with your soldiers name on it to lay at the cross when we are there.