Remembering Vietnam
Twenty six New Zealand Defence Force personnel who served in Vietnam were recognised for their service at a ceremony at Defence House in Wellington on Monday 19 May.
In front of family, friends and work colleagues, the 26 were presented with the New Zealand General Service Medal (NZGSM) 1992 (Warlike) with clasp ‘Vietnam’ by the Chief of Army Major General Lou Gardiner and the Chief of Air Force Air-Vice Marshal Graham Lintott.
The group were a mixture of current New Zealand Army and Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel, and former servicemen and foreign affairs staff who are now civilian employees within the New Zealand Defence Force.
For SQNLDR Warren Dale who was also awarded the Vietnam Medal for duty, receiving his GSM brought back memories of his time as an Acting Sergeant Air Quarter Master on RNZAF C130 Hercules transport flights operating between Singapore, Vung Tau and Saigon.
“Our C130 Hercules were new and well capable of the work. Our course of air quartermasters were among the conversion courses to be trained in New Zealand by the RNZAF crews who had trained and brought the aircraft home from the United States. Vern Carter and Jock Scott (who both went on to become Master Air Loadmasters) made a good job of our training and we were confident because of this good solid grounding and the quality and capability of our aircraft and equipment.
“It was a time of contrasts; from seeing the mist still gathered just under the top of the jungle canopy as we flew low level over the Mekong Delta in the peace in the early morning just after dawn, to the busy, somewhat dirty day-to-day business of an operational airfield. The air and the ground would shudder with the thudding beat of dozens of Iroquois and helicopter gunships lifting off in streams for their morning missions,” he said.
The RNZAF contribution during the conflict saw No.40 Squadron Hercules airlift NZ troops to South Vietnam, and No.41 Squadron Freighters began regular re-supply missions from Singapore. In 1967 the first RNZAF helicopter pilots commenced duties with No.9 RAAF Squadron in Vietnam. Other pilots served with US Air Force squadrons as Forward Air Controllers, bringing a total of thirty pilots who served in Vietnam between 1967 and 1971, 10 of these received decorations for gallantry.
Together with his fellow Kiwis, SQNDLR Dale recalls his time in Vietnam as one that was extremely challenging physically and emotionally but not entirely without its highlights.
“Getting to know our troops and gunners over the 2-3 days from New Zealand into South Vietnam was a highlight. Watching good, solid, quiet and determined New Zealand soldiers unloading their weapons, artillery and stores and going calmly about their business when we arrived was always impressive.
“We would sometimes lend the gunners aircraft ear defenders, for a few short months, as they looked to be better than the gear they had. Occasionally, we would collect the same people after their tour and remember each other. They were changed, but there was always a cheer as we lifted off for the flight home. Unfortunately, we needed to bring out some of them in their coffins which was a sobering reminder of the real war that our people were facing.
The war in Vietnam touched the public consciousness like no war previously, due in large part to the powerful then-new medium of television. It brought war – its sacrifice and horror- into the living rooms of ordinary kiwi families. People questioned New Zealand’s role in the engagement and protests were wide-spread.
Our servicemen were not immune to these protests and were often the easy target of unpopular government policies. For SQNLDR Dale, the protesters in some ways represented freedoms he and his fellow servicemen were defending.
“I was comfortable with our engagement in Vietnam. I saw it as New Zealanders helping to defend a small country threatened by insurgency and invasion by larger and more powerful enemies. By the same token, I was comfortable with the demonstrations. We felt that the demonstrators' freedom to do this was part of being New Zealanders and the sort of thing that our duties in Vietnam were intended to defend.”
Between June 1964 and December 1972 over 3400 New Zealand military personnel served in the Republic of South Vietnam, of that number 37 died in active service, including one RNZAF serviceman SGT G.S Watt, and 187 were wounded.
Image above: Current and former RNZAF personnel still serving as Defence Force employees receive their New Zealand General Service Medal (NZGSM) 1992 (Warlike) with clasp ‘Vietnam' in recognition for their service during the Vietnam conflict. (OH 08-0322-07-tn.jpg).