NgocAnhLe: Every year, Australia takes the day of 18 August, anniversary of the victory Long Tan (Long Tan Day) of Australian military forces in 1966, for the remembrance of Australia veterans of the war in Vietnam (Vietnam Veterans Day).
It is certain that the involvement in the fight against community of Australian forces in southern Vietnam before 1975 is a longest time in the history of the military forces of Australia, was started in August 1962 and ending in December 1972.
This is a meaningful war involvement.
In the 1990s with the program "Welcome Home" of the United States aims to honour the American veterans fought in Vietnam, the Australia soldiers also was honoured at their country too. Most significant was the animated parade on 3 October 1997 in Sydney, with the presence of over 25,000 Australia veterans in the Vietnam War. In the first place of the parade were the families and relatives of 500 soldiers were sacrificed. Encouraging for this event, hundreds of thousands of people went down to the streets and warmly welcomed the parade. Followed by a similar parade happened in the Australian capital Canberra, Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, and after in other state capitals.
Especially this year, 18 August 2012, anniversary of 50 years (1962-2012) of the Australian armed forces fighting in Vietnam, the Vietnamese community in Australia has organized many special activities to express their immense gratitude to Australia soldiers who contributed sweat and bones and even their blood in a battles to protect the South Vietnam.
Through the release of the images below, we invite readers to review the progression of the day on 18 August 2012 at Anzac Square Brisbane, the capital of state Queensland: "50th Anniversary of Australia's involvement in the defence of Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam, 18 August 2012"
Preparation:
Blog author (on the right) with the Vietnamese parade team
Blog author (on the right) with Australian and Vietnamese Veterans
Blog author (in the middle) with Australian Veterans
Parade:
Ceremonies:
Brisbane 20 August 2012
NgocAnhLe
http://tiengnoividan.blogspot.com
NB: Vietnamese version: Please refer to the following link:
***
There was the time, you were there for us
There was the time, you fought for us
For our freedom, for our lives
Always the time, we'll adore you
Always the time, we'll remember you
Our Heroes … Our Friends
Long Tan, Nui Dat, Phuoc Tuy, Ba Ria
Saigon, Binh Ba, Hoa Long, Vung Tau …
You were there to defend our land
You were there against red demons
Your sacrifice was for good cause
Your sacrifice for us to live
For freedom, democracy … Vietnam always remembers
Now is the time we gather here
Now is the time to show our love
To all soldiers, Australia
Always the time, we'll adore you
Always the time, we’ll remember you
Our Heroes … Our Friends
Lest we forget.
***
Mr HAYES (Fowler): This year, 2012, marks the 50th anniversary of Australia's commitment in Vietnam. Clearly, Vietnam veterans deserve the same amount of pride and praise from our nation as those who served gallantly at Gallipoli, Tobruk and Kokoda. Out of the 50,000 Australians who served in Vietnam, 521 lost their lives in service to this country and more than 3,000 were wounded. Everyone who served in Vietnam deserves the proper recognition and full respect of this nation. Despite the tremendous bravery and sacrifice they offered, it is to this nation's lasting shame that the soldiers were not given proper acknowledgement or recognition until many years after the war.
Even with the controversy and strong political disagreement, as well as disagreement in the social arena, about our involvement in Vietnam, our veterans deserve to be properly honoured for their service. Sadly, they had to deal with the post-war trauma in silence. Unfortunately, our nation failed them for many years after they returned. Even though it has been 50 years since our involvement in Vietnam and 46 years since the Battle of Long Tan, it has been only 25 years since we started to give proper recognition to the gallant efforts of our veterans. It was not until 3 October 1987 that thousands of Vietnam veterans and their families converged on Australia's largest city to march in a much belated welcome home parade. Approximately 25,000 veterans who served in Vietnam took part in the march, together with the next of kin of those whose tragically did not return. Several hundred thousand people lined the streets. That was fitting, but for those who had served this country it was certainly a long, long time to wait. It was only last year, more than 45 years after the Battle of Long Tan, that 6RAR company veterans were honoured with the Unit Citation for Gallantry by the Governor-General—again, somewhat belatedly but certainly very fitting for those who served in that battle.
Since that war, Australia has welcomed a large number of Vietnamese refugees to our shores who, today, make a tremendous contribution to the fabric of our multicultural society. As the representative of an electorate where more than 20 per cent of people are of Vietnamese origin, I am aware of the level of gratitude that the Vietnamese community still feels towards Australia and the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War.
Long Tan represents our first major engagement in Vietnam, and it was one of the most difficult and certainly one of the most courageous battles in this nation's history. I was recently very much touched by the emotional words written to commemorate the Battle of Long Tan by a very good friend of mine, Bao Khan, a Vietnamese refugee herself and a very strong advocate for human rights and freedom in Vietnam. She expressed the gratitude of the Vietnamese people towards Australian soldiers and Australia in the form of a lovely poem, which I would like to take a little time to read:
There was the time, you were there for us
There was the time, you fought for us
For our freedom, for our lives
Always the time, we'll adore you
Always the time, we'll remember you
Our Heroes … Our Friends
Long Tan, Nui Dat, Phuoc Tuy, Ba Ria
Saigon, Binh Ba, Hoa Long, Vung Tau …
You were there to defend our land
You were there against red demons
Your sacrifice was for good cause
Your sacrifice for us to live
For freedom, democracy … Vietnam always remembers
Now is the time we gather here
Now is the time to show our love
To all soldiers, Australia
Always the time, we'll adore you
Always the time, we’ll remember you
Our Heroes … Our Friends
Lest we forget.
Mr HAYES (Fowler)
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