Currumbin Vietnam Veterans Commemorate Together

Garry was posted to Vietnam in 1996 and served with the US 173rd Airborne Brigade, and then the infantry’s 1st and 6th battalion. In 6RAR, as part of Bravo company, he was a forward scout at Long Tan in the morning of 18 August, and after Delta company was ambushed in the afternoon, he returned to the battle site the next morning on 19 August. He served over 300 days in a combat battalion before his tour abruptly ended. 

Image: Australian War Memorial

Pte Garry Chad (second from left in back row) along with members of B Company 6RAR (17 Feb 1967, Phuoc Ty Province Nui Dat)

“We arrived after the battle and essentially cleaned up. I’ll never forget it for as long as I live. It stays with you,” Garry says. 

“We had an unspoken agreement with the North Vietnamese. They respected us and we respected them. We used to bury their soldiers killed in battle to give them their after life, which they believed in. And in return they never touched our blokes, either.”  

Garry completed two tours of Vietnam and was flown home during his first tour in 1966 after being seriously wounded.  

“I was flown home on a medevac flight and remember the whole plane cheering when the pilot announced we were flying over Darwin. I’ll never forget the feeling of the plane hitting the tarmac at Richmond air base,” he says.  

“I was wounded and sent home again during my second tour, but this time disembarked at Townsville from HMAS Sydney and flew home on a civilian flight. I’ll never forget the kindness of an elderly nun who sat beside me on that flight and talked to me about everything we’d been through.”  

RAY ENLISTED AT 18 

Ray Piper was a regular soldier and served with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, having enlisted at 18 years’ old in 1968. He got the call to serve in Vietnam at the age of 19 and was a part of the Armoured Corps.  

“I knew from the start that I would be sent to Vietnam at some point. I won’t say it was exciting, I accepted it as part of the condition of being appointed into the armoured corps,” he says.  

“I felt pretty well prepared when I went over and arrived in November 1969.” 

Vietnam veteran Ray Piper

Unfortunately, Ray was critically injured in June 1970 in a mine explosion that would see him lose one leg below the knee, and almost lose the other.  

“It was an occupational risk, which I was prepared to take. There were quite a few landmine incidents at that stage. And so, while I hoped I wouldn’t be involved in one, I knew on some level it was also pretty likely. 

“I had really great support when I came home. I had family, the military, even the RSL. I didn’t feel left out or ignored.” 

His experience returning home was not the same for many of his colleagues, which he says was disappointing.  

“The attitude in those days was pretty poor towards the military and veterans in particular. It irked me the way they were met and treated when they came home.”  

A CAREER DEFINED, POSITIVELY 

While many would have considered it a career-ending injury, Ray went on to serve another 28 years in the military, including serving in the Air Force as an air traffic controller.  

“I was a pretty fit young man, so I focused on getting myself fit again. When they came to medically assess me to return to duty they scratched their heads and said, ‘Okay.’”

“I figured I could have gone downhill and become a burden on everyone or I could get it together and get out to make a decent contribution. Which I think I did.  

“Being posted to Williamtown near Newcastle was probably one of the best postings I ever had in my military career. I ended up working in air traffic control with Air Service Australia until 2016 working as a civilian after leaving Defence in 1996. So, all up about 49 years of government service.”  

Ray found additional community in his love of golf. A community and sport that saw him compete in World Senior Amputee Championships.  

“It’s important to have your veteran mates, but you’ve got to broaden out. You have to see what else is out there because it can also take your mind off other problems.  

“It’s been good for me, and I’ve met a lot of interesting people. It’s been a great journey. I’ve not looked back on my life with any regrets whatsoever, including the incident where I was wounded.”  

WHAT VIETNAM VETERANS DAY MEANS TO THEM 

Like his fellow Vietnam veterans, Ray believes Vietnam Veterans’ Day on 18 August must be remembered.  

“There were so many involved, and Vietnam veterans are getting older. I think the recognition we’re getting is justified. So many were national servicemen, we were sent there by the powers that be at the time. We really had no say in where we were going,” Ray says.  

For Garry, the day equally symbolises the service and commitment he and other Vietnam veterans made.  

“It means so much that we finally get recognised,” he says.  

Ray and Garry will both be at a lunch being held by Currumbin RSL Sub Branch on Vietnam Veterans’ Day. Garry will do the toast to fallen comrades, while Ray will be the guest speaker, participating in a Q&A session.