The veterans who gathered at an RSL on August 18, to mark Vietnam Veterans Day had different experiences of the war, but none received a hero's welcome when they returned from serving.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
One of the few positive anecdotes shared at the Narooma RSL, on the NSW south coast, came from Gary Caldow, who served in the Navy during the war.
Mr Caldow had just been shipped back to Sydney and was in a pub with mates queuing to use the payphone to call home.
A man who knew the pub's manager invited them all into the manager's office to use the phone to make free calls to their families.
While that was a lovely gesture from a complete stranger, Mr Caldow's relatives "didn't seem to think it was a proper war".
IN OTHER NEWS
More common was the experience of Lyn Orford, who was pelted with rubbish while marching in an Anzac Day parade in Melbourne.
He served on HMAS Sydney taking troops and supplies between Australia and Vietnam.
Mr Orford said they brought the returning soldiers in at night to avoid the hostile receptions.
George Hutchison was called up just as the war ended so didn't go to Vietnam.
"I think the big problem with the Vietnam War was that people were conscripted and the public didn't like that.
"Because of conscription, the reception was dreadful and I think a lot of people regret that."
Public perceptions changing
Trevor Bennett said they were called the "whinging veterans" because they complained about the way they were treated and that they had not been given a welcome.
"People now feel differently about what veterans go through," he said.
Paul Naylor also thought opinions had changed.
"Most of the WWII veterans are gone and the ones from Korea are in their 90s so we have become the senior ones left.
There are a lot of things that people don't know and maybe they should. There are a lot of stories untold.
- Paul Naylor, who served with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment
"Maybe people are starting to understand what an actual war is.
"I think with all the publicity around Ben Roberts-Smith when he explains what happened and the other guys talking about it, people have got a better idea of what goes on in a war zone."
Mr Orford's wife Judy said "because of these guys [who served in Vietnam] the public have been supportive of people serving overseas ever since to ensure they never end up like the Vietnam servicemen did.
"The peacekeepers in Timor-Leste, Iraq and Afghanistan see things we can't imagine."
