The Courier has recently published information about the campaign by Richard Barry OAM, of Narrabri, a National Service veteran of the Vietnam War, for medal recognition for a cohort of Australia’s National Service soldiers who served in the war. The below was written by Bert Hoebee in support of the campaign.
By BERT HOEBEE
As the sun rises on each Anzac, National Servicemen’s, Vietnam Veterans’ and Remembrance Day, many of the 19,000 NS men who served in Vietnam will be looking forward to a day of camaraderie, respectful honouring of comrades lost, tall tales and true and the odd drink or two with old mates.
They will proudly wear their full array of medals during the activities around the country to reflect and to honour and recognise every individual who served in Vietnam. That is only right and proper.
Not necessarily so for some 2500 National Service conscripts, who, if they choose to or are still able to attend, may face opprobrium and offensive questioning by others, including friends and family, and worst of all, even ostracism as ‘short timers’ from some of their former comrades-in-arms, in clubs and pubs; simply because they do not wear the Republic of Vietnam’s Campaign Medal (RVCM).
That is definitely not right or proper. Not to express support and understanding of the predicament of these men, and engage the ministers on their behalf, would seem to be needlessly vindictive. Must it really continue in this way?
Despite having served just as bravely as their comrades, they have not been equally respected, honoured and recognised.
They have long been denied the campaign medal which was made available to all allied military personnel who served meritoriously in support of the Republic of Vietnam.
Eligibility is determined by Australian authorities who are doggedly applying the 181-day eligibility criterion.
They seem to go to extraordinary lengths to find ways to deny these men, instead of working with empathy to find a way to award them the medal.
The denial of the RVCM came about due to an unforgivable government blunder many years ago.
Even now, there is a lack of bureaucratic and political will to recognise the unfairness and inequity that these men seek to have righted.
The campaign seeks a determination that those NS-men who served fewer than 181 days in South Vietnam (SVN), and who were returned home for discharge at the end of their prescribed service in the ARA(S) having served at least 60 days in SVN, be awarded the RVCM.
This period was chosen to mirror the Republic of Vietnam’s approved 60 day ‘end-of-war’ rule and applying it to each NS man who necessarily reached their own ‘end-of-war’ at the end of their compulsory service.
Meanwhile and paradoxically, in March 2022, also after a long period of similar denial, all members of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) in which all battalions contained NS men, gained retrospective eligibility for the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Unit Citation (RVCGWPUC).
That is rather incongruous since both awards have similar intent: either for recognition of individual ‘meritorious service’ (RVCM), or for ‘noteworthy achievements along with noble sacrifices’ for 1 ATF units and their members (RVCGWPUC).
We all know that from day one in Vietnam, the NS men also faced all the horrors of war.
They did their duty to the maximum according to law and had no obligation at all to put off their return back to work, study and family and risk their repatriation entitlements. Those who were killed or wounded did, of course, receive the RVCM.
These NS men have been joined by Senator Paul Scarr (LNP, Queensland), who has undertaken not to let the campaign rest while ever he is in the Parliament.
You may have heard of his impassioned speech on it in the Senate recently.
Following powerful submissions by the campaign’s proponent, Mr Richard Barry, OAM, as well as Senator Scarr and others, Senator Scarr and the author briefed the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel on it in detail last year; yet the minister refused to make a decision, on grounds that he believed that it would be unlawful to do so.
All this after more than a year in office during which he was fully aware of this distressing situation, as was the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Really, minister?
This non-decision was made even though the previous Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel, with agreement from the then Minister for Defence, had recommended that approval for the issue of the RVCM be put to whole of government consideration, when the last election intervened.
This was known by the cohort concerned. They were nearly there, especially when senior members of the then-opposition, even some now-ministers had written: ‘I can assure you that Federal Labor supports your campaign to have the RVCM awarded … , on the grounds of individual justice, fairness and equity.’
Many others wrote in the same vein. Due to an unconscionable betrayal and breach of trust the campaign needs to battle on even now, despite this and overwhelming support from numerous members of all parties and many leading Australians.
Notably, Australia’s ex South Vietnamese servicemen and their wider community, also came out in strong support of these men.
The continued denial and lack of recognition has led to even deeper withdrawal into isolation, contributed to frustration, despair and worse; even for those who were not already suffering from war-caused PTSD that is now being aggravated by their own government’s obstinance and unreasonable delay in seeing them equally and properly recognised.
This inhumanity needs to stop. Time is now of the essence and the minister, guided by equity, fairness, his conscience and the executive, has the power to resolve this matter for the benefit of these veterans.
Will the minister finally act equitably and empathetically and show determined leadership to let these veterans now have this medal?
It would be an immense contribution to the trust and morale of our armed forces of tomorrow.
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