Jack Carruthers joined the Army in early the 1960's. He was allocated to RAEME where he became a Recovery Mech. with 1 Armored Regt.. Raising to the rank of corporal on a couple of occasions, he was eventually selected to attend OCS at Portsea in 1963. On graduating back to RAEME he became disenchanted when he was posted to the RAEME Training Center at Bandiana. He applied for a Corps transfer to the Infantry Corps but was seconded to that Corps in 1966. He was subsequently posted to 5RAR for duty in Vietnam. The rest is history!!!
'Jack' Carruthers and his wife Margaret in Sydney in June 1964
Vietnam Task
The 5th Battalion
The Royal Australian Regiment, 1966167
Robert J. O'Neill
The cordon moved forward over the last few yards to the outer houses in the gray light of the dawn. Colonel Warr had arranged for an aircraft equipped with loudspeakers to fly over Duc My at dawn to instruct the villagers to remain in their houses until our troops came through to guide them to a central assembly area.
Quickly it became apparent that the cordon had succeeded in surprising several Viet Cong. Armed with rifles, some men dashed out of the houses and tried to break through the cordon by means of sheer speed. Some dived into trenches and attempted to shoot our men down. Some rapid actions overpowered them without loss to the battalion. Lieutenant Carruthers, commander of Four Platoon, B Company, personally captured two Viet Cong at the point of his Owen gun. His knowledge of Vietnamese convinced the two enemy that their best course of action would be to lay down their arms. During the afternoon some Viet Cong tried to escape by hiding in the midst of a herd of cattle being driven out of the village. Others hid in the back of ox-carts, which were then pursued by armored personnel carriers in one of the strangest races imaginable. Eventually the situation calmed down and the search was completed.
TEXT OF CITATION
TO BE MENTIONED - IN - DESPATCHES
LIEUTENANT JOHN CARRUTHERS
On the morning of 20 July 1966 Fifth Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment was establishing a battalion size cordon around the village of DUC MY in the Province of Phuoc Tuy South Vietnam. B Company was moving the final two hundred metres to complete the cordon on the East side of the village by linking up with other rifle companies on its flank. B Company was being led into position by Second Lieutenant Carruthers who had previously conducted a night reconnaissance of the area. At 0554 hours Second Lieutenant Carruthers sighted two Viet Cong moving on a track into the center of the village. Second Lieutenant Carruthers did not open fire at that tine as he knew that the cordon was not completely in position and any noise would alert the Viet Cong and give them an opportunity to escape. A few minutes later three Viet Cong, one of whom was armed, moved towards Second Lieutenant Carruthers who in the semi
darkness personally and silently captured them and disarmed the one with the weapon. A few minutes later as the cordon was closed three armed Viet Cong were seen by Second Lieutenant
Carruthers platoon, two were wounded and captured and the other killed. The actions and courage of Second Lieutenant Carruthers enabled the cordon of the village to be closed successfully before the Viet Cong were aware of its presence. His leadership and courage were of a very high order and an inspiration to his platoon.
Jack Carruthers, center, training at OCS, Portsea, Victoria in 1963.
Both Bruce McQualter and Max Carroll were his instructors at this time.
Once the Sixth Battalion had gone out from Nui Dat, we had to remain in the base in order to secure it so the operation into the Long Hai hills, Operation Renmark, was postponed. It was possible to bring the Sixth Battalion back to Nui Dat on the afternoon of February I8th, and we received notification that Operation Renmark would commence at 4 p.m. The B52 strike had taken place as planned and it was important to follow it up as soon as possible. Furthermore our time in the hills was limited by the need to be in position for the cordon of Phuoc Hai on February 24th·
B, C and D Companies set off into the hills while A Company protected the headquarters and the fire base of 103 Field Battery. At 11:45 on the morning of February I9th B Company sighted two Viet Cong at short range, half-way up the eastern face of the northern hill. The company deployed as the Viet Cong hurled a grenade at the forward members of Four Platoon and opened fire with small arms. Four Platoon under Lieutenant Carruthers returned the fire and swept forward. The Viet Cong withdrew, probably to the south. Four Platoon heard two more Viet Cong shouting to their left and another engaged the platoon with fire from the right so probably the platoon had contacted a squad of enemy. Carruthers found that the Viet Cong had been using a small camp on the hillside containing three two-man weapon pits protected by overhead cover, a kitchen and a meeting place. Several documents were found in the camp. After a thorough search the camp was blown up.
Jack Carruthers looked cheerily defiant of the world, his huge, bushy red mustache none the worse for the dust which covered him and his platoon as they rode on the outside of the leading APC's. He made a few lighthearted remarks to me about the steepness of the hill which B Company would shortly be clambering up in the broiling afternoon heat as I went by his halted vehicle at the new headquarters site. After depositing my kit I had a chance for a few words with Bruce McQualter. I had just received in the mail a photograph of him which had been taken during our leave in Hong Kong in December. It was a bad time to give it to him as few things stayed clean on forward operations. He was about to give it back to me when he quipped that I would be sure to lose it amongst all my papers and maps. He ran off exuberantly and climbed into his company headquarters vehicle. At 1:41 p.m. he called up on the radio to announce that his company was on its way with the APC's to the southern sector.
At 2.07 p.m. we were alarmed by a loud explosion from the direction in which B Company had gone. The commander of the APC's announced over the command net that his leading vehicle had been blown onto its side by a mine. The convoy had been working its way through the jungle, parallel to a track running to the south-east, taking care to keep off the track because of the danger of mines. After crossing a creek the leading vehicle came to a long clearing running across its path and linking with the track whose direction the convoy was following. The growth on the far side of the clearing was extremely dense and so the first APC swung right to move along the clearing to the track, intending to cross the track at that point and move through the jungle on the far side. The vehicle traveled slowly and silently in low gear up to the junction with the track, slowing down to a halt before crossing the track, so that the commander could see if the track was clear.
Just as the forward part of the APC reached the intersection a tremendous explosion went off, blowing the twelve ton vehicle into the air and hurling it some ten feet away to land on its side. A circular hole two feet across was blown right through the forward part of the hull. The blast wave inside the vehicle blew the rear door off, which landed on one of the men who had been hurled from the top of the vehicle, killing him. Several of those inside the vehicle were blown out the back door by the blast, and it was very fortunate for them that the door had been blown off first. Most of these men escaped with bruises and shock. Another man who had been on the top of the APC, where it was often safer to ride when mines might be encountered, was thrown to the ground in the same place where the vehicle landed, crushing him.
The APC's immediately swung into counter ambush procedure with alternate vehicles slewing to left and right, giving all-round observation and fields of fire for the .50 caliber machine guns. Four Platoon had been riding on the leading vehicles and most of the leading section of the platoon had been either killed or injured by the blast. The cause of the detonation of the mine was never identified. The only evidence remaining was a crater at the junction of the track and the clearing six feet across and four feet deep, and a home made contact switch designed to be set off by pressure. Careful examination of the surrounding jungle revealed no trace of Viet Cong occupation and no hide of any type.
The force of the blast of the mine suggested that it was far larger than any conventional anti-tank mine. Probably it was an unexploded five-hundred-pound bomb such as the one discovered by D Company.
B Company had been traveling on the APC's in the order Four Platoon, Company Headquarters, Five Platoon, and Six Platoon. As soon as the APC's had gone into their counter ambush procedure Major McQualter dismounted from his vehicle and quickly sized up the situation. The most vital need was to get medical attention to those injured by the explosion. Up to this point, three of B Company and two APC crew men had been killed and nine others had been injured. Major McQualter summoned the company medic, Corporal Nichols, and the stretcher bearers from Five and Six Platoons.
Most of the members of Four Platoon had quickly dismounted and taken up fire positions on the ground alongside and in front of the vehicles which faced out towards either edge of the clearing. Lieutenant Carruthers and Sergeant Wass were standing at the rear of the second APC, commencing to organize assistance to the injured and estimation of the damage done. Major McQualter came forward with the two stretcher bearers from Five and Six Platoons, Corporal Nichols, Corporal Bouse, the company stretcher bearer NCO and his two radio operators, Private Tape and Private Anthony. He was followed by the acting C.S.M., Staff Sergeant Benson, who besides being Drum Major of the battalion, was also a highly trained medic.
Just as the group approached the rear of the second APC where Carruthers and Wass were standing a second explosion from the midst of the approaching group rent the air. Someone had trodden on the pressure switch of a deadly 'jumping Jack' mine. The mine had bounded four feet into the air before exploding with colossal force and hurling large chunks of shrapnel into those nearby. This second explosion occurred at 2:11 p.m. So much had happened in the space of four minutes. All of those in the vicinity of the mine were struck by the flying steel. The most seriously injured were Major McQualter and Lieutenant Carruthers. Sergeant Wass was
also extremely badly wounded. Staff Benson received extensive wounds and all of the medics, stretcher bearers and radio operators were both wounded and dazed by the blast.
The survivors of the blast had to then cope with the psychological problem of not knowing where to put their feet next for fear of setting off more deadly explosions. It was obvious that the company was in a Viet Cong mine ambush. The convoy was halted by a large anti-vehicle charge in an area seeded with anti-personnel mines which would be set off by the troops dismounting from their vehicles to avoid any anti-tank rockets which might be fired at the stationary targets.
Just at this moment, Captain Tony White arrived on the scene. As soon as Colonel Warr had heard the blast he summoned the Sioux helicopter which had been at Battalion Headquarters and sent Tony off to B Company. In the meantime, the commander of the APC's had called Battalion Headquarters to announce the first group of casualties and request a Dust Off aircraft. Peter Isaacs notified Task Force Headquarters and within minutes an Iroquois was overhead, awaiting the preparation of a landing zone at the point of the explosions. Tony had to cope with an atmosphere of deep shock and fear when he arrived. Some men had responded to the crisis extremely well. Corporals Nichols and Bouse, although wounded themselves began treating the other casualties which had grown to thirty-one in number. Other men had to be handled firmly to shake them out of a dazed condition so they could begin to get on top of the situation by commencing to search for mines and to clear a landing zone for the Iroquois Dust Off helicopters.
Another severe problem for Tony was to ascertain who was to be treated first out of the large group of casualties, several of whom were in danger of imminent death. Fortunately the 36th U.S. Evacuation Hospital at Vung Tau was only five minutes away by Iroquois and the worst cases were on operating tables within twenty-five minutes of being wounded. Major McQualter was still just conscious when Tony arrived and urged him to treat the Four Platoon casualties first. Shortly afterwards Bruce lost consciousness.
Major Carroll was ordered to move through to B Company with the greatest caution and to assume command of the group for the night. After a tense three-hour approach, during which several clusters of 'jumping jack' mines were discovered, A Company reached the remnant of B Company and Major Carroll organized a combined harbour for the night.
Operation Renmark continued in the minds of many for two of the casualties, Major McQualter and Lieutenant Carruthers, who were fighting for their lives in hospital. Despite severe head and body injuries, each man held onto life with great tenacity. Lieutenant Carruthers died on February24th and Major McQualter died at 5 a.m. on March 5th.
The Bulimba RAEME soccer team has become the first winner of the John Carruthers Memorial Trophy.The trophy was presented by the N. Comd. RAEME Officers Mess for inter-unit soccer competion in N.Comd.
It honours the memory of the late LT. John Carruthers, then serving with 5RAR in SVN, who died from wounds received in operation RENMARK last February.
Photo of Jack's wife and his daughter Janine, taken in 1967 to send to him
