coker

Memories of a Return Trip

LONG TAN and NUl DAT RE-VISITED

by Bob Coker

First of all this is not intended to be a literary masterpiece but simply a short account of where I went and what I saw and in some cases my thoughts.

Our tour group consisted of eleven veterans, one widow , and one veterans son. I must make it clear at this point that this tour was not associated with any official service organisation. It was simply a trip put together by a veteran who had traveled back to Vietnam earlier this year and put it all together with the help of Prima Travel

Twelve of us departed by Thai Air from Melbourne via Sydney for Bangkok, the other two via Perth. No advertising but Thai Air realised what we were all about and treated us very well, the last round of drinks being served after the seat belt lights went on during the approach to Bangkok. Enough said After three nights in Bangkok we departed for Ho Chi Min City [Saigon to us]. Because of the on-going actions in Cambodia the flight took us South over the Gulf of Thailand and then north to Tan Son Nhut. I don't believe that a word was said as we came in to land and taxi to the terminal. Gone was the familiar air base that we knew Apart from a few Russian Hind choppers parked behind revetments and about 30 concrete hard shelters for the fighters of years ago there was absolutely nothing. The plane parked about 700 metres from the terminal and buses were provided to save the walk in the heat. Remember the old terminal with the potted palms out front and the flags fluttering at the top, well that has been transformed into a grotty stark foreboding concrete structure Going through immigration and customs was something else. It was mental anguish. Here we were1 Australian Veterans all wondering how were we going to be treated No White Mice' anymore, they were all dressed In khaki big red stars on the caps and faces to match the concrete and NO GUNS in sight. The Customs went through the bag of one of the boys with a fine tooth comb and set me to one side for a damn long time because of a simple pocket knife.

Outside the terminal a feeling of relief was felt by all. The first hurdle had beer cleared and we were ready to go. Our tour guide [Victoria Nguyen Dzung] was waiting with a 20 seater bus, driver and assistant all ready to roll. First stop was the Prima office where some paper work had to be completed and then onto Highway towards Long Binh. We turned South onto route 15 before Long Binh and this threw me a bit because of the changes in the road system. Signs of defoliation were still evident in the area but small farms of paddies and vegetables were making a go of it

Our first stop was just South of Phu My where photo's were taken of the 'Warbies'[Nui Thi Vai's]. Where there used to be lush growth and tree's on the hills only bare rocks and shrubs are left and this is after 20 plus years since defoliants were used. Around about Phuoc Hoa the talk was a lot of "Remember when the dozzer got bogged " "Remember the patrol we did over there?", that's about where we . . . , and so on. It was good to hear the reminiscence of deeds done in days gone by.

Baria is now by-passed by a new section of road and the bridges on the way to Vung Tau are now scrap steel and broken concrete.

Entering Vung Tau the memories of yesteryear came flooding back to those who were at ALSG and the talk became more excited. "Hey that's the bar where..." and "That's where the so-and-so bar used to be. I got a good massage over there once.." and so on.

We were accommodated at the Palace Hotel just around from the Grand. Not a bad place either. Rooms were allocated and then it was RV at the down stairs bar. The staff set up a special table for us in the restaurant, good food was served and a long night of elbow bending began. It was Long Tan Eve.

Next morning there was a feeling of nervousness. In the air we were actually going back to the Dat. Back up route I5 to Baria, and yes the theatre is still there but minus all the holes. Out through Long Dien and then north to Long Tan. Going through the rubber was a pretty scary thing for me. I hadn't put foot on this patch of ground since 19 Aug 66 but had flown over it a good number of times on operations during 69 and 70 while doing my second tour this time with 161 Independent. Recce FIt. On arrlval at the cross, voices were muted to the degree of sheer silence. The eleven of us walked( around the cleared area of bare red earth, no quite sure of ourselves; should we approach the cross; touch it; stand back and take photo's, or stand in awe of the fact that we had finally made It to the holy of holies; of a wasted ten years and 5OO odd lives. How long we stood there I don't know. Minutes flew by like seconds then by mutual agreement we formed up in two lines facing inwards heads were bowed silence reigned and then the Ode was spoken in a broken quivering voice. Albie and myself then moved forward and laid a wreath. The silence was broken only by the trickle of tears running down grown men' faces and nobody was ashamed

The cross itself is concrete about 6 ft. high and 2'6" across in a cleared area of 20 yds by 20 yds and because of the thin overhead canopy of the rubber it would be hard to find if you didn't know exactly where to look. There were originally four concrete posts linked with chain guarding the cross the posts are still there but the chains have long gone. Someone or some organisation has placed more concrete posts around the whole clearing and had also been joined together by chain, but this has also disappeared Unfortunately the cross standing there today Is not the original cross. The original I believe is held at a museum in Bien Hoa which we didn't got a chance to see. also I believe that the plaque from the original cross is held by Tran Huy who is the Chairman of the Long Dat district.

The thing that struck me most of all was the way the rubber had been cleaned up of nearly all the undergrowth and the return of the thick overhead canopy. It reminded me of the rubber around Nui Dat before the Task Force moved in to occupy the Dat in May 66 End before the spraying began. As we were riot allowed to wander off too far I didn't get a chance to see some of the places that I wanted to see; such as where 6 RAR and I APC Sqn regrouped the following morning for the main sweep through the area of the battle of the previous night; where our KIA's and wounded were choppered out by Sioux helicopters from 161 Recce Fit.; where the mortar Carrier sank out of sight in the Sui Da Bang [the boys had overloaded the carrier with mortar bombs and there was no it would float End I was left on my own with my carrier with ~ 'crock' in tow in unknown territory. You are probably thinking how morbid I was at the time wanting to see these places, but memories do strange things to you.

Things that I did see was the vacant ·paces in the rubber caused by the Artillery barrage, the new growth on the damaged trees, the huge crater caused by the Engineers when they blew the captured ammunition and the cleared area around the cross which is cared for by an old Vietnamese . The only readable plaque that remains is one that states In Vietnamese:
SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
Department of Culture
It Is acknowledged in military historical records that D445 Regiment of the Provinces of Baria and Long Khanh confronted 6 Battalion of Australian Regiment at the village of Long Tan on 18.8.1966.
Erected 9.4.1989

The original plaque placed on the cross when it was erected on 18 Aug 69 by the members of D Coy 6 RAR on their second tour read;

IN MEMORY OF THOSE MEMBERS OF D COY AND 3 TP 1 APC SQN WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES NEAR THIS SPOT DURING THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN 18th AUGUST 1966. ERECTED BY 6 RAR/NZ ANZAC BN ON 18 AUG 69
After some time was spent pondering the Events of years gone by and the other blokes playing 20 questions with me, "Which way did the carrier's come in?" "Who was where?" etc. By this time a group of locals were gathering to look at the Uc-dai-Ioi's and the two "round-eye's" our guides said it was time to move. Next stop Nui Dat. We approached the Dat from the old bypass road. I've traveled over the Nullabor on better roads before it was sealed and I always thought that the 'Ginger beers' made roads to last. lt was a goat track. Anyway, the first thing I saw was a bald hill In front of me. I thought "My God, what have they done?' There Is not one tree or shrub left standing on SAS hill. It is all market gardens. We drove through where the old main gates once stood surrounded by 'wire' I turned to look at the old I APC Sqn/3 Cav. position and saw nothing but overgrown scrub. Turning north onto the original Route 2 and then east onto Luscombe. It was overgrown to the width of a narrow road with a few huts on the North side of SAS hill. As no-one knew how long we were going to spend here my head and neck were swiveling from side to side trying not to miss anything1 Down to the 'Bowl' and then right onto Canberra Ave. Here we stopped opposite TFMA piled out and looked in wonder. Soon everyone wax slapping one another on the back and welcoming each other back to the 'Dat'. While this was happening our driver and helper were getting out the tucker and the cold tinnies. First beer at the Dat since 6 Jul 70 and it wasn't a "Green or Blue" it was Heinekens. On the West side of the road I spied what looked like a rock standing out like the proverbial dunny and sure enough after kicking and bending bushes away It was the old 52 Supply Platoon rock. Blue and Yellow with two yellow kangaroo's and "52 SUP PL" stenciled in yellow on the blue. I thought this was too good to be true. fifty yards away I found another rock. Red on one side. a tan colour on the top and stenciled in white on the led "KANGA COUNTRY. STOP. ONE WAY". The white kangaroo is still visible but the rest of the paint job looks like it was only done last year.

After a picnic lunch we all split up and walked. off in different directions much to the discomfort of the guides. They thought that we were going to get done over by the locals.

The majority of the blokes headed South along Canberra Ave to have a look at the I Fd. Sqn, 106 Fd Wksp, I Armd Regt area's and so on. There being no one from the old 5 RAR lines area I headed North towards 161 Recce FIt

I stopped opposite the 'Bowl' and looked West along Luscombe towards the Nui Thi Vai's In the distance and tried to remember the busy days of March 1970 when there was an average of 376 aircraft movements each day1 seven days a week.[Over a 12 hr day that works out to be one aircraft movement every 30 seconds - 'Mascot' eat your heart out] The strip is so overgrown now I don't think a Cessna would have enough room to take off.

After finding the other two units' rocks I wondered if the Recce FIt rock was still around Sure enough, there it was on the corner of Canberra Ave and Webster5s Way. The paint job wasn't as good as the other two but the two tone blue was still distinguishable. Walking through the area was a real trip down memory lane. No bad thoughts, just the good ones and the funny ones, like when 'Stalk broke his arm in the Go-cart when he hit the revetments at about 40 MPH; the night the 5 RAR Sgts Mess darts team tell into the pissaphone' and a Cessna tyre tube was rigged as a life preserver for their future visits; Tommy "Titmouse" racing a Sioux down the strip in an "improved" model cart; Yes, they were good memories.

The underground CP had been dug out by persons unknown as had the ammo bunker and the dunnie.. Your guess is as good a. mine It is still clear where the HQ building once was the kitchen the Officers Mess and of course the Sgts Mess but not one tiny piece of concrete to be seen. At the Sgts Mess I found an old rusted can still clearly marked Carlton Draught and not ten feet away was the Mess rock. The lettering had faded but was still clear enough for photo. Not bad after 18 years

The hangar areas, the flight line hut where Errol Driver cleared his M16 by pulling the trigger and looking in amazement at the hole in the wall [it had to be a fixed wing bloke they were all crazy] and the top chopper pad were that overgrown. I would have needed chain saw to get through but what I could se was that it looked like all the concrete ha been broken up and carted away along with everything else. All trace of our occupation had been wiped off the face of the earth apart from the units rocks which I found. When I remember back to the enormous amount of sweat, time and money it took to build up the area it was strange that with all the effort required to remove our trace that rock painted with unit names nicknames and insignia were left in place. I would have liked to have sat down for a while and pondered over the engine changes over night; poor old 144 that had collected more holes in it's life time than a colander; fitting the wrong wings to a Porter [yes it did happen]; the sign in the old hangar that announced "We work 24 hrs a day seven days a week and on Sundays we pray for progress,' The" Mini-Gun" that was acquired' but 'Hambone" [the OC] wouldn't let me fit it to a Porter; the first US Kiowa to land and the famous (or infamous) Task force padre's Conference that was held in the Sgt's Mess [the KIWI C of E Padre was not amused with the location] with Padre Tom Shanahan from 5 RAR conducing the conference from behind the bar, and charged them all $1 a beer. The takings all went to one of the orphanages's In Baria . Needless to say there was no two cans per man per day perhaps that night. They drank the Mess dry.

All too soon we heard the bus approaching, horn blasting, trying to hurry us along. Pausing the Eastern end of Luscombe again I asked the driver to stop so I could take one last photo. As I stood there, the memories came flooding back once more. The first USAF 'Herc' to land at Luscombe; the first RAAF "Herc' that landed and nearly ran out of runway on the Eastern end; the first Porter; the "Bird-dog' that stayed overnight and got covered In "Red-Roo's"; Terry Ellis [on-ya-Trellis] coming back in from his last mission with red 'smokiess wired to the skids and the occasional USAF FIOO that would give us a fly -by when they were operating In the area. All these thoughts flashed through my mind In the few seconds that It took to take that last photo.

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