BILL ANDERSON
The story of one man's journey as an ANZAC
Guest speaker on Tuesday 16th April
Bill Anderson recalled his experience as an infantryman deployed to the Vietnam war in 1970.
He emigrated from the United Kingdom in his teens but drew the lucky draw of being conscripted into the army by the birthday lottery of the times.
After training at Singleton Army Base he was posted to Vietnam for a 12 month stint as a radio operator and served in the 7th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment.
Life was spartan with extreme temperatures and open air living under tents and outside showers. Regular patrols were the order of the day with transport either by foot (tedious), personel carriers (stifling heat in the enclosed troop space) or helicopter (much preferred). Often on entering villages they were ordered to check on the quantity of rice with a measuring stick and if exceeding an arbitrary limit the excess was confiscated to prevent the possibility of feeding the Viet Kong.
Food and supplies would be dropped by helicopter and often they would be short of troops in their platoons. They preferred the Australian to American rations as the former were more compact with more variety and weight was an issue when carried on patrol. Amongst several skirmishes 8 comrades were lost.
Spare time at base was boring and after cleaning their weapons on return from patrol would entertain themselves with beer and cigarettes. Beer was only 15c and coke 10c. There were several R&R leaves and Bill managed to get himself to Melbourne and back on a 5 day leave.
The aftermath of deployment in military zones left many comrades in dire trouble with PTSD and suicides. The military would only recognise those if manifested in the first 3 years of return. Subsequent representations at the Court of Inquiry has improved but veterans still have an uphill battle to have their injuries recognised.
Although trained as a teacher and an active Boy Scout leader Bill feels that, as he says a pen pusher, the experience in the war zone with the infantry was worth while.
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