3rd Cavalry Regiment Plaque Dedication

My Dad is in Canberra this weekend because the War Memorial was laying a plaque for the unit that he was in, in Vietnam. We had the privilege of tagging along with him.

At the first service at the Vietnam War Memorial a flag was raised for every man of 3 Cav killed in the line of duty.

Dad was the only man there remaining in uniform. A fact that I (and he too!) is very proud of. The other return servicemen all approach him to have a chat.

I think it is very important that the boys learn all about their military heritage. They had a great lesson today with two services to get through. They stood fairly still through the last post and the minutes silence. Our only hiccup was when an ambulance went past and Benny had to point it out.

The boys got introduced to an APC (Armoured Personal Carrier) Dad's method of transport through Vietnam. Matthew was very impressed, although disappointed that they had to take the guns off it!

The plaque will now sit in the pathway at the war memorial.

Of course no visit to the war memorial is complete without a visit to see Uncle Teddy. There is a new exhibit open at he war memorial entitled 1945 - today. Which had an awesome Vietnam War display. It has a full size Iroquois helicopter complete with sounds, wind and lights. Dad spent a long time in there. There is even a quote up on the wall from one of his mates.

My visit to this new exhibition really opened my eyes to certain aspects of the war that I knew about but I have gained a deeper understanding of. For example the way the media was used during the war. Media should report the news not a political agenda. The media has alot to answer for the mental health of many return servicemen. One quote on the wall is along the lines of "I don't have many friends come around anymore. If you weren't there, you cant understand". I really feel the media really did a hatchet job on every soldier fighting in the Australian defence forces.

The Vietnam War Memorial on ANZAC Parade.

This wall on the memorial has saying used by the soldiers and quotes of the time. The one the brings me to tears every time is about the Welcome home march for Vietnam Return Servicemen that was held in 1987. Many, many years after the war had finished. I remember this march. It was something that I shouldn't have seen because it should have been held immediately upon their return. It breaks my heart that men and women who were doing what their government had asked them to do, got no respect when they returned. But in a way, it was a good thing because I got to see something that I otherwise wouldn't have. I remember it being a day of joy and pride at watching my Dad and Grandad march. I remember waving Aussie and Vietnamese flags. I remember Grandad swapping sides of the road so we would see him march past. I felt the same feeling I felt when I was ten today, watching my Dad salute when the last post was played. I am very proud of all of his achievements as a soldier. I hope some of his bravery and courage has been passed down to his grandsons. I will be doing my best to ensure they value his service to this country.

The iconic image of the Iroquois helicopter used in the Vietnam war.