In 1966, the Australian Government substantially increased its Vietnam commitment when the 1st Australian Task Force was given responsibility for securing the province of Phuoc Tuy. In 1965, the first infantry battalion to be deployed (1RAR) saw active service in the province of Bien Hoa. The RAAF Transport Flight Vietnam established its wonderful service in 1964. The first Australians into Vietnam were the gallant members of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) - first in, and almost last out.
#Band of horses cease to begin rar full#
Nonetheless, all of these Vietnam servicemen and women quickly embraced and lived up to the full expectation of the Anzac tradition. Many of these were 'New Australians', as they were called at the time, whose families had migrated from a battered Europe after the Second World War as well as Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders whose people had been, with some exceptions, denied opportunity to serve their nation in previous wars. Others had no ancestral link with the Anzacs. Many had grandfathers who landed at Gallipoli or fathers who were veterans of the Second World War or Korea some Vietnam veterans had actually served themselves in the Second World War, Korea, Malaya or Borneo. The men and women who served in Vietnam were torch-bearers of the Anzac tradition forged with the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. In retrospect, the date of that last flight could be seen as fitting. The last Australian flight out of South Vietnam occurred on Anzac Day, 1975. A final operation occurred in March-April 1975 with Australian military aircraft involved in an airlift carrying supplies into Saigon and evacuating embassy officials, foreign nationals and some refugees. From 1962 until 1973, about 60,000 Australians served in defence of South Vietnam either 'in country' or in a logistical support role, of whom 520 died and almost 2,400 were wounded. The Vietnam War was the longest and arguably the most divisive conflict in Australia's history.
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