After I returned from Vietnam in 1971, I had a desire to tell any young platoon commander who would listen what my experiences were. My lengthy hospitalisation and the subsequent withdrawal of all Australian military forces from the war zone virtually extinguished my fervour to tell what had happened.
So, why am I telling my story now? The main influence was my involvement with training cadets at the Royal Military College (RMC), Duntroon. I saw a need to remind the young officers who were about to embark on a career in the army what a platoon commander’s life on operations is like. The army is fast losing its experience in jungle fighting and, with the renewed emphasis on low level operations within the Australian Defence Force, my story may well find a purpose.
Another prime reason I wanted to write this book was to record the experience of being drafted; the training I underwent at Scheyville—an institution which is now unique in Australia’s modern military history—and the unforgettable experience of leading a rifle platoon on operations in a war zone.
I will always be indebted to my wife who kept every letter I wrote to her; from our courtship in 1969 through to my last letter from Vietnam in 1971. Without this collection of letters I would have been unable to recall as much as I was able to. The letters were also a constant reminder to me of my naivety, my youth and my exuberance at the time. It is quite a sobering experience to go back in time; read your own writing and discover that memories can be distorted out of all proportion to fact.
I have many people to thank for pushing and prompting me to put my story down on paper. Peter Charlton was an instigator in getting me to consider the theme of the book. Brett Lodge at RMC taught me how to use a word processor and allowed me to call for help on countless occasions when the mysteries of the computer had me stymied. He was a critic, a counsellor and a constant source of support. Sandra Burchill from the English department at RMC (now the Defence Academy) was the first unfortunate who attempted to turn the manuscript into a book and Gaye Riley cast a close eye over the final draft. Many of my former fellow officers from the 4th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment were kind enough to lend me photographs and notes. I must formally thank Kevin Byrne, Dan McDaniel, Graham Spinkston and Jeremy Taylor for their assistance and advice. Bob Sayce and Bob Elworthy were also helpful in lending me some personal snapshots. Special mention has to be made of Cpl Dunn, the curator of the 2nd/4th Battalion museum and Pte Doran, unit photographer, for their assistance in sifting through the Battalion archives and preparing the many photographs I had to choose from. Peter Wallace a rugby colleague, generously assisted with support from his business, the Computer Shop, and saved me from bankruptcy. Thanks must go to Lisa Macintosh who assisted in the preparation of the maps. Finally, to my former commanding officer, Major General Jim Hughes, my sincere thanks for his advice and for kindly writing the foreword to this book.
The facts that I have put down are as I recorded them at the time and are not intended to form a military history. There may be minor inaccuracies owing to a lack of fact at the time of origin, however I have tried to write the story without the prejudice of hindsight.
G. J. McKay