Going fast have you got yours a full record of 2001 all pages(weeks) are included, so catch up on all that's been happening.
This might explain our missing page counter and Bravenet links on our site
Service Temporarily Unavailable
Dear Members and Visitors,
On Saturday March 2, we detected an unauthorized breach into the Bravenet server system. As a result, we have temporaily disabled outside access until we are confident that the integrity of the server system has not been compromised.
Progress Update for Wednesday, March 6
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we are working as fast as we can.
Dave, Brad and the gang,
Bravenet.com
22:42:52 03/05/02 Tue
From our Guestbook
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Looking for some old mates I served with, Geoff Phillips, Denis(grub)O'Connor, Glen Tillack, and Peter (fang) Schultz.
If some one knows them could you pass this on.
I was an ADGie for twelve years and served with somne of these guys in Vietnam, at Vung Tau and Phang Rang in 70-71.
Many Thanks
Darryl (skippy)Shipp
PO Box 924
Biloela Q4715
Monday 4 March 2002
STORIES OF THE DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA - 1942
In 1942 the people of Australia were called upon, for the first time, to defend their own
shores. Throughout that year, supported by their allies, Australians fought to turn the initial
defeats of 1942 into the beginnings of victory in the Pacific. This series, issued by the
Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Danna Vale, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Defence of
Australia, highlights some of the key events of those 12 momentous months.
THE WAR ON THE HOME FRONT
The year 1942 brought the war to Australian shores and the nation responded with
increased effort on the home front to aid the war against Japan and, further afield, Germany
and Italy.
Australians feared invasion. Thousands more men and women enlisted in the armed
forces. Many World War I veterans had already joined the Volunteer Defence Corps and
guarded beaches, bridges and other potential targets from enemy saboteurs.
In cities and towns throughout Australia air raid precautions were put in place and
thousands of men became air raid wardens. Other men and women kept watch for enemy
aircraft with the Volunteer Air Observer Corps. In the north, Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people were encouraged to watch for enemy aircraft and forces and in the
Northern Territory they captured some Japanese airmen and rescued Allied airmen. Some
Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders also served in local defence and labour units.
Industry geared up for full war production. With so many men serving in the forces,
particularly after the militia was called up, labour was a problem. Thousands of women who
had not previously been employed or had worked only in jobs traditionally filled by women
began working in factories, public transport, shops and farms alongside men in reserved
occupations. Many were taught technical and trade skills, such as welding.
Aircraft factories in Melbourne and Sydney built Beaufort bombers, Boomerang fighters,
and Wirraway, Wackett and Tiger Moth trainers. Ship-building firms around the country
constructed vessels for the Australian and American forces, ranging from Navy corvettes
and merchant ships to landing craft. Other companies supplied armaments, ammunition,
uniforms and all manner of equipment and stores.
On the land, farmers were called on to meet unprecedented demand for food and other
products like cotton. They had to supply the Australian and American forces, the civilian
population and meet export orders for the British Empire. Many young farmers had
enlisted, leaving mostly older men, women and Italian prisoners of war on the farms.
In early 1942 the Australian Women's Land Army was raised to boost the effort. Some of
the young women came from the land but most were from cities and towns. They worked
hard, moving from farm to farm as needed, and without them agricultural industry could not
have been sustained.
Australians came together in 1942 to ensure Australia could be defended and be supplied
with the people, weapons, equipment and stores required to wage war.
Thanks George for suppling the name of Bobby Richardson for the 9 Sqn list he has been now added to our nominal roll of 9 SQN Door Gunners, if at anytime you notice that i have forgotten to include someone please let me know, i do have the Vietnam Veterans nominal roll but as i don't know all the names or there postings a few have slipped by unknown.
Regards the POM
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Sunday, 3 March 2002
World War II medical personnel honoured
Twenty-four new plaques dedicated at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway in Concord
will honour the service of medical staff who served in the defence of Australia during World
War II, Minister for Veterans' Affairs Danna Vale said today.
"Army medical units and the health services of the RAN and RAAF, supported by nursing
sisters, both enlisted and civilian, and dental officers, played a vital role to support
Australian Service personnel in confronting the Japanese," Minister Vale said.
"As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the defence of Australia, we should also
honour those who served so courageously alongside the soldiers, sailors and airmen who
fought to protect our freedom.
"In 1942, for the first time, our nation was under threat. The unthinkable was suddenly
possible - our own shores were vulnerable and invasion seemed imminent.
"It was a time of great uncertainty for Australia: a time of maturing as we fought for all we
hold dear.
"Our medical personnel fought their own war, in arduous conditions, against wounds,
disease and infection as they tended to the endless stream of sick and wounded from the
front.
"Without proper medical care, no defence force can stand for long and our World War II
troops were no exception.
"These plaques are a lasting memorial to all those who provided medical support during
this time and the important role that they played in our victory over the Japanese.
"We remember their care of our loved ones in their hour of greatest need. They fought for
their recovery, or stayed by their side when they could not heal them. We are forever
indebted to them," she said.
The Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway is located between Concord Repatriation General
Hospital and Concord Road. It honours the service and sacrifice of Australian service
personnel in defence of Australia and its territories when threatened by Japanese Imperial
forces during World War II.
Media Contact: Rachael Thompson 02 6277 7820 or 0417 265 289
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Hi Bianca................love to be able to help you but my experience of Vietnam is the same as Uncle Don's except that I started and finished before he did.
You might ask him if he has Mick Bergend addy. Mick lives on the north side of perth near the coast........aaaaaaaaand, he was over there just a few months back. Bob Redway is another, he was there in 2000...........You might like to contact him on bobredway@hotmail.com , tell him I referred you to him. There is also an Aussie now living and running a pub in Vung Tau who is most helpful...ask Bob or, when you get onto him, Mick Bergen....They may know. Meanwhile I will see if I can get his details and let you know..........................
Bob Cornwall is another wealth of info....He is one of us and runs a great website. If you contact him, dob me in again, , he may have the guy in Vung Tau's details (quite likely) but also if you tell him you are Don's neice and what you need he will likely as not put your info request on his web site for you. His addy is ozflea@yahoo.com.
Feel free to call again..........all the best
Lawrie
--- Original Message -----
From: b i a n c a
To: lgatltp@tpg.com.au
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2002 11:28 PM
Subject: Vietnam
Good Evening
My name is Bianca and I was given your email address from my aunty and uncle. I understand that you might be able to help me with an assignment i am currently doing on Vietnam. The information that I need is:
geography, climate and history ( all must be tourist related )
information on the currency, language, national airline and the gateways, that is all the ways that tourist can get in and around Vietnam domestically and internationally via air, road and sea. I also need information on accommodation ( general and specialized ) and the types of tours that take place in Vietnam that are most popular with international tourists.
If you could be of any assistance it would be very much appreciated.
Thankyou
Bianca
56 Tonne Centurian Tank
Hot Laps and Drive Days - Hunter Valley. NSW Australia
If a guy who ever owned toy soldiers dream - driving a 56-tonne Centurion Main Battle Tank across rugged terrain.
Price from AUD 150.00 to AUD 495.00 DELIVERY INCLUDED.
Sit behind 56 tonne of the meanest metal off the road. learn to manoeurve this enormous machine over obstacles, with ease- too much fun! Also enjoy the 6 wheel drive Saracen Armoured Car.
Or if you don't want to drive but still want to experiance the thrill of riding one of these amazing machines, try our Hot Laps option, where the instructors take you on the ride of your lifetime onto mounds, over hills and through creeks.
Tank Drive Day.
9.15 am - 4.30pm
Restrictions None- providing you can fit into the drivers seat of the tank.
What to expect : You will be part of a group of 10 drivers and will drive a 56 tonne Centurion Tank, straight from the Australian Army. You will also be offered the chance to drive a 6 wheel Saracen Armoured Personnel Carrier. The day starts with genuine ex-army instructors explaining tank driving techniques and safety issues. The remainder of the day is hands on with everyone either in, on, or driving one of these mighty machines.
There is plenty of action - over hills , through creeks , mastering all sorts of moves, including moving the gun and turrent.
For the Grand Finale each participant will get to see first hand the versatility of these machines as the instuctors push them to the limit in simulated real battle scenarios.
Other information :
Special issue army clothing will be supplied for use on the day.
You will be advised to wear comfortable clothing and sensible shoes.
Suitable for people of all ages, although some driving experiance preferred.Lunch is also provided.
Guests and spectators are welcome although there will be a small additional fee for lunch.
Hot Tank Laps
Morning Session 9.30 - 12.30
Afternoon Session 1.30 - 4.30
You will be part of a large group who will ride in the gun turrent of a geniune 56 tonne Centurion Tank, straight out of the Australian Army! The day starts with genuine ex-army instructors explaining tank driving techniques and safety issues. The remainder of the day is hands on with everyone taking it in turn to ride in these mighty machines.
Booking a day: Tank Drive days operate once a month. After you have purchased your day you will have to contact the supplier to obtain dates and comfirm a booking . Vouchers are redeemable for up to six months.
Where: Hunter Valley.
Cost: Hot Lap Ride AUD 150.00 per person.
Drive Day AUD 495.00 per person.
Gift Vouchers: You will be sent a gift pack comprising a personalised gift Voucher, explanatory letter and information sheet once you have made your booking.
Cancellation: In the event of heavy rain the booking may be postponed and rescheduled for another date.
WASHINGTON: A few weeks before intensifying the Vietnam War, US leader Richard Nixon matter-of-factly raised the idea of using a nuclear bomb.
The notion was quickly shot down by national security adviser Henry Kissinger.
Mr Nixon's abrupt suggestion, buried in 500 hours of tapes released on Thursday at the National Archives, came after Dr Kissinger laid out options for stepping up the war effort, such as attacking power plants and docks, in a conversation on April 25, 1972, in the Executive Office Building.
'I'd rather use the nuclear bomb,'o Mr Nixon responded.
'That, I think, would just be too much,' Dr Kissinger replied.
'The nuclear bomb. Does that bother you?' Mr Nixon asked. 'I just want you to think big.'
The following month, Mr Nixon ordered massive conventional bombing and destruction.
Mr Nixon acknowledged in a 1985 interview that he had considered 'the nuclear option'.
He told Time magazine then: 'I rejected the bombing of the dikes, which would have drowned l million people, for the same reason that I rejected the nuclear option. Because the targets presented were not military targets.'
Mr Nixon showed rather less regard for the North Vietnamese in his 1972 taped conversations. In a conversation from June, he told domestic adviser Charles Colson: 'We want to decimate that goddamned place.'
He added: 'North Vietnam is going to get reordered. ... It's about time; it's what should have been done long ago.'
The latest Nixon material covers mostly the first six months of 1972, including everything from Mr Nixon's groundbreaking trip to China to the early days after the Watergate Hotel break-in.
With this release, historians and researchers for the first time are being allowed to use their recording equipment to copy Nixon tapes.
'The sheer volume and contents of the tapes will give historians and others plenty of research opportunities,' said Karl Weissenbach, who is director of the Nixon Presidential Materials staff at the archives.
Article from the Newcastle Herald Saturday, March 2, 2002
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The only details i have are as follows
Jack Coomer... born 1921... A25994
2Sqn 19-4-67.....25-3-1968
Verified as per the Vietnam Veterans Nominal Roll this member served with 2 Sqn at Phan-Rang,
can anyone assist in verifing whether he was an ADGie or not?
----- Original Message -----
From: LAWRIE GAY
To: Ozflea
Sent: Saturday, March 02, 2002 7:47 PM
Subject: Jack Coomer
Bob, I got a message from the States querying Jack Coomer...............He claims to have been an ADG at 2Sqn. I have verified he was 2 SQN but never heard of an ADG by that name....You heard of him?????
Coming up to see ya very shortly.
Take care....Me
The description of the movie follows, in through the eyes of a Marine, not a combatant, but he says that in his note.......
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I just came back from seeing, "We Were Soldiers," Mel Gibson's latest movie.
To put it very succinctly, it was the best movie I ever saw. Ever. Bar none.
It follows the exploits of 1/7 Calvary in the first major battle of the
Vietnam War between US and NVA forces. The battle took place in the Ia Drang
valley, in the Central Highlands, near the Cambodian border in mid-November
1965. The movie looks mainly at the American side of the battle, but uses
the NVA side to keep the tactics - and what was going on - focused.
It is an extremely realistic movie. I was never in a battle, but Gibson's
real-life counterpart, LtGen Harold Moore, Ret., says it was extremely
realistic and that's good enough for me. One thing that may not be
realistic, but it has to be this way in a movie, is that everybody is
awfully close to each other. I'd expect them to be more spread out.
The theater was nearly sold out, which wasn't too bad for a noon time,
Friday afternoon opening. Almost all of the people there were men, about my
age: 50. There were a couple of women, notably my mother, and a few
youngsters in their early 40's, notably my brother, and, of course there
were some of WWII age.
When the movie was over, there was not a sound. The audience was as stunned
as I was. This stun followed us right out the door of the theater, with a
pit stop on the way, and it still has me stunned 3 hours later.
I expected a lot of Vietnam vets there, but I didn't see any obvious ones.
There was one elderly man with a baseball cap with WWII - Korea stitched on
the front and his campaign medals underneath. So I went over to him to thank
him for his service. We shook hands and I explained who I was, a Jarhead
with no combat experience, and he confessed that this movie really hit home
in a lot of ways. Hit home it did and hit home it should!
We see these soldiers as the young men they were. We see the realistic
training they went through. We see their family lives. Mostly, we see the
ordeal we forced them into in a foreign land. We see their selflessness,
their extraordinary courage, their suffering, and their comraderie. And we
see their heroism in trying to prevail and to save one another.
There is a scene involving telegrams that will absolutely break your heart.
There is a scene involving the NVA commander after that battle in which he
says the truest words ever spoken in a movie. They leave a lot of individual
heroism out, because the whole group of them deserved Medals of Honor, as
far as I'm concerned. One MOH was earned there:
MARM, WALTER JOSEPH, JR.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant (then 2d Lt.), U.S. Army, Company A,
1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). place and
date: Vicinity of la Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 14 November 1965.
Entered service at: pittsburgh, pa. Born: 20 November 1941, Washington, pa.
G.O. No.: 7, 15 February 1967. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. As a
platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), 1st Lt. Marm
demonstrated indomitable courage during a combat operation. His company was
moving through the valley to relieve a friendly unit surrounded by an enemy
force of estimated regimental size. 1st Lt. Marm led his platoon through
withering fire until they were finally forced to take cover. Realizing that
his platoon could not hold very long, and seeing four enemy soldiers moving
into his position, he moved quickly under heavy fire and annihilated all 4.
Then, seeing that his platoon was receiving intense fire from a concealed
machine gun, he deliberately exposed himself to draw its fire. Thus locating
its position, he attempted to destroy it with an antitank weapon. Although
he inflicted casualties, the weapon did not silence the enemy fire. Quickly,
disregarding the intense fire directed on him and his platoon, he charged 30
meters across open ground, and hurled grenades into the enemy position,
killing some of the 8 insurgents manning it. Although severely wounded, when
his grenades were expended, armed with only a rifle, he continued the
momentum of his assault on the position and killed the remainder of the
enemy. 1st Lt. Marm's selfless actions reduced the fire on his platoon,
broke the enemy assault, and rallied his unit to continue toward the
accomplishment of this mission. 1st Lt. Marm's gallantry on the battlefield
and his extraordinary intrepidity at the risk of his life are in the highest
traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the
Armed Forces of his country.
They mention nothing of this lieutenant, not one word.
It is a movie not to be missed. It is a movie that will stay with you for a
long time.
BTW, "Gary Owen" is the theme song of the 7th Cavalry and is really called
Garryowen.
Hand salute!
_______
PS: Movie was very realistic ! Except no one is sweating on 120o all the uniforms are dry!!
Joe-VET66A
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We Were Soldiers
Begins Showing in Area Cinemas March 1, 2002 this date is for the States.
"We Were Soldiers" is based on the true story of Lt. Col. Hal Moore who led 400 American soldiers into the first bloody battle of the Vietnam War. Four hundred American soldiers entered enemy territory in the Ia Drang Valley and found themselves surrounded by 2,000 enemy troops.
Facing these overwhelming odds was Harold Moore, the commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry troops and Joseph Galloway, a Associated Press reporter assigned to cover the story. There they held their ground for the longest month of their lives.
The film is based upon the 1992 best-seller, WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE… AND YOUNG by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore, USA (Ret) and Joseph L. Galloway. It stars Mel Gibson as Lt. Col. Hal Moore, Sam Elliott and SGM. Basil L. Plumely, Barry Pepper as Joe Galloway and Madeline Stowe as Mrs. Julie Moore. See "We Were Soldiers".
9th from the left is Paul Tuck, can anyone spot who the other adgies are in this photo?