August 17, 2017
Vietnam veterans to remember fallen
New Zealand's Vietnam veterans will gather at cenotaphs and marae around the country tomorrow to commemorate the fallen, remember the war and what came after, and catch up with old comrades.
August 18 is set as New Zealand Vietnam Veterans' Day because on that day in 1966 the army's 161 Battery gunners supported 1st Australian Task Force 6 RAR infantrymen in the Battle of Long Tan to defeat Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army near Ba Ria in south-east Vietnam.
RSA national vice president Bob "Bukit" Hill, who served as a section commander in Vietnam in 1967 and 68, says the lives of those who returned from Vietnam have covered a full spectrum, from success to hardship,.
He says the intense shared experience of operational deployment creates a bond that lasts a lifetime.
More than 3000 New Zealand men and women served in Vietnam.
A national service will be held at the National War Memorial Hall of Memories, in Wellington, at 11am.
Copyright © 2017, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com