Australians in Vietnam
The Vietnam War was fought by the U.S. and its allies against the invasion of South Vietnam by North Vietnam and its allies Russia and China from about 1964 to 1973.
One of the U.S. allies was Australia. In this post, we see some soldiers from 9 RAR (9th Battlion, Royal Australian Regiment). bathing in a stream in Vietnam.
The Australians sent a total of about 60,000 troops to fight in Vietnam, compared to 3.1 million American troops who served in Vietnam, but we seem to have more photos of naked Australians in Vietnam than naked Americans.
Another photo of the 9 RAR men bathing.
And another. These photos were taken in Bien Hoa province on Oct. 31, 1969.
We end with one of the men putting on his boots while still in the stream, perhaps to avoid getting mud all over his feet.
Australia pulled out of Vietnam in 1971, and all U.S. troops were withdrawn in 1973, after which North Vietnam took over South Vietnam and all of Vietnam became communist. So, from the U.S. viewpoint, the entire Vietnam War was a failure and a waste. The cost of this wasted war was 58,000 American troops killed and an estimated 970,000 to 3 million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed on both sides.
3 comments:
9 RAR in service 1967-1973, suffered 35 dead and 150 wounded.
The Australians had far better tactics in fighting guerrillas, as their skills had been honed combatting insurgent guerrillas in Malaya and Burma for the British. They tried to advise the American military to adopt their tactics, it fell on deaf, ignorant ears. A willful ignorance that cost America dearly. Of course America’s costs were nothing compared to those of Vietnam.
-Rj
War is hell.
La malédiction du Viet-Nam.
Ne pas se mêler des affaires des autres nations avec manipulation, une leçon jamais apprise.
-Beau Mec à Deauville
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