W3 Company - Remembrance
click the picture to see the significance of the Poppy

Remembering our Fallen Comrades

Pte DN Wright,  RNZIR  DOW 19 March 1970      [photo]
Pte JL Gurnick,  RNZIR  KIA    29 May 1970        [photo]
Pte T Cooper,    RNZIR  DOW  11 October 1970 [photo]

Each 25th April, ANZAC Day in New Zealand & Australia, the two countries remember their war death at dawn & civil ceremonies.  It is traditional for a returned serviceman to read aloud from the pCarillion National War Memorial Wellington - Vietnam Niche with the Maori canoe [waka wairua] symbolising the tapu-lifting [whakanoa] & bringing the spirits of those who died in SVN, home to rest with family/whanau. After resting in the Carillion the waka wairua is now in the Gallipoli Room, ANZAC House the NZRSA headquarters [Young]oem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon, after which those present promise "we will remember them".  The part of the poem typically read is from these two verses:

verse 3:
"They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow,
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
they fell with their faces to the foe

verse 4:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,
age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn,
at the going down of the sun and in the morning,
we will remember them".

read the complete poem here    consider this thought     
check the document repository

returned services clubs [NZRSA] also observe a minute silence each evening at 9PM where those present pause in tribute & respond 'we will remember them"

New Zealand casualties in Vietnam were 37 KIA/DOW, 187 WIA. 
Australian casualties in Vietnam were 413 KIA/DOW, one MIA, 2026 WIA,
64 non-battle deaths and 999 other casualties. 
We will remember them...

43223 Pte David Wright RNZIR, wounded 30 January 1970 Phouc Tuy Province South Vietnam, died of secondary infection 19 March 1970 Sydney Australia

 43223 Pte David Wright RNZIR

Age:  23
wounded:  30 January 1970
died of wounds:  19 March 1970
buried:  Esk (Timaru),

Christ College Memorial

commemorated on the
Timaru Cenotaph

 headstone of David Wright
483256 Pte John Gurnick RNZIR - died of wounds 29 May 1970 Phuoc Tuy Province Vietnam 483256 Pte John Gurnick RNZIR

Age:  21
wounded:   29 May 1970
died of wounds:  29 May 1970
buried:  Plot 142, Soldiers Section
Pukekohe Cemetery (Auckland)
482859 Pte Tom Cooper RNZIR - wounded 10 October 1970, died at 24th US Evacuation Hospital Long Bien 11 October 1970 482859 Pte Tom Cooper RNZIR

Age:  22
wounded:  10 October 1970
died of wounds:  11 October 1970
buried:  Taupiri (Waikato)

 

these W3 Company and other deceased servicemen have personal records online in
the Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph database, use the link to search on surname and theatre

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."    John Stuart Mill (1806 - 1873)

"At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them...!' sunset over Phouc Thuy province Vietnam 1970 [Stock]

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We Will Remember - webmaster
This website is about remembering - not just our dead [but only we and those close to them will actively do this] but also about those who returned.  It seems to many [and the RNZRSA apology supports this view] that after Vietnam finished for us not only our dead were to be forgotten but also our service, and our campaign.  It has been a struggle but many veterans did not accept that we should be forgotten when we were shunned by those who should have known better.  There is evidence of this determination bearing fruit in events like Tribute08 and the MOU, so that today we do have our dead respected, our service acknowledged, and our campaign added to war memorials across the country.  To those of you who never forgot and who persevered in getting these glaring errors resolved, you are owed a debt of heartfelt gratitude by all veterans and their families.

Where applicable stories that demonstrate this determination will be added to this page.  In doing so it may be necessary for some veterans to re-examine their long-held beliefs about the treatment they received.

My Experience - Rex Alexander [V6]

I listened with sadness to the stories of the treatment of Vietnam veterans on their return home; specifically their treatment at their local RSA's.  I consider myself very fortunate.  Before leaving for service overseas, I had accompanied my father to our local RSA in Timaru on a number of occasions, very much underage.  The club was men only as was common back then.  In 1969 there was a Gallipoli Corner with as I recall 6 - 8 Gallipoli veterans plus one or two others who had served in WW1 and were tolerated (just) by those of the 1915 landings.  They would have ranged in age from early to late 70's; ancient to a 19 year old.  They never spoke to the WW2 veterans who made up the majority of the membership and always remained in their corner surrounded by memorabilia and photographs.

Whenever one of them approached the bar, Stan the barman and club president [a WW2 returned man] always served them first; it was just the done thing.  My father was a sergeant in 3 platoon, C Company 23rd Battalion who had served in Syria, North Africa and Italy.  He was at El Alamein and Monte Casino.  I like to think it was out of respect for him that prior to my departure, one of the Gallipoli vets approached my father saying they wanted to talk to me (actually demanded).  I got some awesome advice from a group of legends.  The only piece I remember now being from one who never seemed to sit still for long; he was always the one who got the drinks from the bar.  His advice was; "occasionally it is necessary, even important to stick your head above the parapet.  Don't worry about that" he said; "head shots are painless - we have seen more than a few - it's more important to keep your bum down.  I know, I am still in pain over 50 years later."  On my return from Vietnam they again asked to speak to me.  They sat me down, didn't ask questions, just said: talk to us.  I did, left nothing out, there was no bullsh***g these guys.  At the end one of them who had never said anything to me at either session called the barman over and said "Stan, process this man's membership application."  They never spoke to me again, but then since they never spoke to anyone, I felt very included.

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