A Vietnam War veteran has shared his experiences of the moment Australia confirmed it was getting out of the conflict, as the nation marks the end of its ill-fated military adventure there.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mike Rohde spoke at a Bendigo service on August 18, the day set aside to mark 50 years since Australia completed its staged withdrawal.
He was in Vietnam in 1971, when Australia confirmed it would end its military involvement, much to the delight of conscripted national servicemen who were told their tours would be cut short.
"We were completely over it by then," Mr Rohde said before the Bendigo commemoration.
Their frame of mind was starkly illustrated when a sergeant marshalled them and asked for volunteers to sign on for longer, hinting that they could parade with their units in a place like Sydney.
Not one person took the offer up.
"You gutless Nasho bastards," the sergeant yelled, using a nickname for National Service conscripts.
The men were not gutless. They were disillusioned.
"Australian soldiers were going out on operations and finding rice donated to the Viet Cong by Melbourne university students," Mr Rohde said.
"It was disheartening to know you were not supported by the people at home."
Mike served in war nerve centre
Mr Rohde served in Australia's de facto centre of operations in Nui Dat, helping track troop movements throughout the local province and prevent friendly fire.
He helped relay relay radio transmissions to help direct artillery, keep a close eye on troop movements and keep the skies clear when enemy soldiers attacked.
"We'd get clearances from everybody around the place - the Americans, the aircraft in the area - to make sure no-one was going to fly through an artillery barrage. They didn't like it when a 105mm shell came through their window," Mr Rohde said, referring to artillery big enough to destroy aircraft.
It was a job in which speed and accuracy was key.
"That was not as high pressure as what the guys getting shot at faced. But we had to make sure we got those clearances and firepower in as quickly as possible," Mr Rohde said.
"Get one thing wrong in an eight-figure grid and you kill people. And probably the other stress was hearing the battle, the casualties coming in, because they are all coming in to you."
Mr Rohde was serving when Australian and US forces launched Operation Overlord to beat the Viet Cong back.
"We had three guys killed on the first day, 11 guys a couple of days after that," he said.
"It was one of the longest engagements of the war."
Unexpected twist: Mike rejoins army
More than 500 Australians died in Vietnam by the time Australia had phased its military out in 1973.
Six were from Bendigo and veterans paid tribute to them at graveside services earlier in August.
Mr Rohde returned home much like many soldiers of that era: angry. He might have dropped anyone daring to suggest he might return to the army.
"But after two years I'd had a bit of trouble settling down, I'd had a couple of jobs and I found out the army trained people in adult trades," Mr Rohde said.
A fellow national serviceman recommended he check it out.
"I actually really enjoyed it." Mr Rohde said.
"It was a totally different experience than my first two years."
Mr Rohde served Australia in the army for more than nine years, in total.
Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
