50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War

Friday, August 18 is the annual Vietnam Veterans’ Day commemoration, held each year on the date of the battle of Long Tan, South Vietnam.

This year the day also marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

A Narrabri commemorative service will be held at the RSL War Memorial starting at 11am.

A national commemorative service will take place in Canberra recognising the 50th anniversary of the end of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

The service will take place at the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial on Anzac Parade in Canberra, and will be broadcast nationally by the ABC.

The Vietnam War was Australia’s longest military engagement of the 20th century.

The arrival of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam in South Vietnam during July and August 1962 marked the start of Australia’s involvement in the war.

By the time the war had come to an end, almost 60,000 Australians served during a decade of conflict between 1962 and 1972. Tragically, 523 of them died and 3000 were wounded.

The Battle of Long Tan was a significant moment in Australia’s war in Vietnam.

On August 18, 1966, in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan, Australian soldiers fought one of their fiercest battles.

The men of Delta Company, 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, faced a force of some 2000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops.

The battle was fought in wet and muddy conditions during a heavy tropical downpour.

By the end of the day, 17 Australians had been killed in action and 25 were wounded, one of whom died a few days later.

This was the largest number of casualties in a single operation since the Australian Task Force had established its base at nearby Nui Dat the previous April.

On this day, we commemorate all the battles fought by Australians in Vietnam, from large-scale operations to platoon and section-level encounters. We remember the sailors of the Royal Australian Navy who supported land operations, and members of the Royal Australian Air Force who served in combat and transport roles.