Australia

[MG1962]

I've posted it before, and I'm sure to post it again. No sport-related song can ever hold a bar to I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green) by John Schumann:

There is seriously nothing you can say about this song. It just sits there and stares you down

 

[Sideroxylon]

There is seriously nothing you can say about this song. It just sits there and stares you down

Very true - one of the few songs that can get me watery eyed.

 

[arthwollipot]

Very true - one of the few songs that can get me watery eyed.

I still can't sing it.

 

[Akhenaten]

Another Vietnam War Story or Two

I'd been in Vietnam more than a year, first at Tan Son Nhut for about nine months and then at Long Binh for four months. I'd already extended one month and thirteen days and was being heavily encouraged to re-up and extend for another one year tour of duty. The enticements were considerable: cash bonus, rank and of course, the chance to continue serving my country in a foreign war of liberation. To help liberate an oppressed people from the heavy heel of Chinese communism -- that argument was pure ******** to me. A better argument would have been -- Do you want to stay in a situation where you have power totally out of proportion to your age, experience, training and rank? Or do you want to go home, take off your uniform and be a nobody in a job where you have no autonomy, no power, and are surrounded by people who have absolutely no interest in where you have been for the past two years or in what you have been doing?

Not a denial that A Walk in the Light Green is a powerful and iconic song, or that its sentiments are misplaced. Just tryin' to lighten the mood.

I think this song will definitely be close to the top of our list of best ever Aussie songs, when we have one.



Cheers,

Dave

 

[Damien Evans]

Verily that and the following verses go far in explaining some of life’s eternal mysteries – like why Richmond supporters flock to matches and tithe memberships year after year. Recently I was at a loss to understand a young niece taking up with the Tiges but it’s easily understood in the light of this unflagging optimism that their time must some day come again. I must confess that as a worshiper of the mighty Magpies my making this statement surely smacks of irony, however the completion of the holy trinity of Eddie, Bucks and Malthouse is indeed an omen that our destiny is near.

Indeed, you will fulfill your destiny of losing another grand final in the next couple of years.

 

[lionking]

Verily that and the following verses go far in explaining some of life’s eternal mysteries – like why Richmond supporters flock to matches and tithe memberships year after year. Recently I was at a loss to understand a young niece taking up with the Tiges but it’s easily understood in the light of this unflagging optimism that their time must some day come again. I must confess that as a worshiper of the mighty Magpies my making this statement surely smacks of irony, however the completion of the holy trinity of Eddie, Bucks and Malthouse is indeed an omen that our destiny is near.

Geez, and here I was thinking this forum was free from infection.

 

[The Fool]

I've posted it before, and I'm sure to post it again. No sport-related song can ever hold a bar to I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk In The Light Green) by John Schumann:

It was actually not Frankie Hunt that tripped the mine. It was the Platoon commander. Poetic licence for the song I guess. It was a huge tragedy, causing more casualties than the Bn had suffered in the entire war up to that point. A medical officer was killed and more guys wounded when they tripped a 2nd mine while evacuating the casualties. I remember it like it was yesterday. I wasn't there.....but I wasn't far away, with another unit and it floored everyone. The VC sappers used many mines like this that they lifted from our minefields... M16 jumping mines....bastard things.

 

[lionking]

That's right, I remember you were in Nam. My number did not come up. You probably have a good book in you.

 

[The Fool]

That's right, I remember you were in Nam. My number did not come up. You probably have a good book in you.

want to know something funny? My number didn't come up either I actually joined up.... And I don't know about a book.....I could write a book on insects because in Vietnam I got bitten by every variety that existed....also spent a bit of time with my nose very close to the ground watching them crawl around.

The mine business was a Giant cockup. We put in this huge belt of mines around the main base.....later, when we went to recover some of them we found most had been lifted. Very handy stock of mines we kindly provided to local VC. We told the sappers to put anti lifting switches on some of them and they told us to get ....ed because we didn't have to go back and get them and anti lift switches are bastards to lift and recover (I wonder why????)....Fair enough I suppose.

 

[lionking]

The job description of a sapper never really did appeal to me.

 

[Akhenaten]

G'day TF,

Very nice to see you here, and I for one am looking forward to more stories.

I also signed up, in hopes of going to Vietnam, but play finished early and I missed out. IIRC, the last platoon of Nashos were just getting ready for passing out when I arrived at Kapooka in March, 1972. There was actually a lone Nasho in my platoon (8) but he went over the wall on the first night and we never saw him again.

And I ended up in the Spanners, helping to maintain our fearsome Aviation resources.

Well, pretty fearsome, if we ever needed to invade King Island.


Cheers,

Dave


ETA: One of my best mates did two tours, one with 4RAR and one with 6RAR, as an Assault Pioneer. I wonder . . .

The job description of a sapper never really did appeal to me.

You're not wrong there mate. Especially the poor bloody tunnel rats. I'll do a write up on them in due course, unless TF would rather do it, as one who's actually been in that arena.


Dave

 

[The Fool]

You're not wrong there mate. Especially the poor bloody tunnel rats. I'll do a write up on them in due course, unless TF would rather do it, as one who's actually been in that arena.


Dave

sorry, going down a hole with a 9mm and a lot of luck doesn't fill me with envy.

I did spend some time working for Lt Col Sandy MacGregor....who got an MC and a US medal for leading the rats. In an Army reserve unit a long time after Vietnam when he was the Units CO. In a terrible postscript some time after I lost touch with them all....Sandy's 3 Daughters were murdered by some crazy guy with a gun who broke into their home. How he ever recovered from that I'll never know. Sandy apparently met the guy years after the murder in a Prison interview and forgave him. How can you do that? A great man...one I will never forget.

 

[Akhenaten]

Col (Ret) Sandy MacGregor MC


Australian Story - 19 July 2001

The Devil You Know

"I felt a chill go through me...I had to think about Sandy facing the murderer of his daughters."
- Sandra MacGregor, wife


"To peacefully confront someone who's killed your own loved ones, in cold blood, takes a lot of guts."
- Charlie Barnett, former Army colleague


Australian Story on July 19 tells the story of Sandy MacGregor, decorated Vietnam war hero, father of six, and now meditation teacher.

MacGregor was a Colonel in the Army when he became the first to lead soldiers into the tunnels of Vietnam, to conduct underground warfare. He was subsequently awarded the Military Cross.

In 1987 a knock on his door changed the direction of his life. A uniformed policeman had arrived to tell him his three teenage daughters and their 19 year old girlfriend had been shot dead by Richard Madrell, a paranoid schizophrenic fixated on one of the girls.

In the aftermath, Sandy's son Andrew (the only remaining child from his first marriage) taught Sandy relaxation and meditation techniques to help both of them combat their grief and distress.

Twelve years later MacGregor shocked many by appearing on Sydney radio and declaring that he had "forgiven" Richard Madrell. He argued that continued hatred and loathing would only make him another victim of Madrell.

These days he teaches other people - many of them prominent business people - the meditation techniques he believes can improve every aspect of their lives.

But he felt his personal journey would not be complete until he finally confronted his daughters' murderer in prison.

 

[arthwollipot]

I would have been an extremely bad soldier. I'm lazy and I disrespect authority. Not good qualities for the military. I have the greatest possible respect for the people who do a nasty job that I could never do.

 

[The Fool]

[qimg]http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/SandyMacGregor.jpg[/qimg]
Col (Ret) Sandy MacGregor MC


Australian Story - 19 July 2001

I always remember him as a huge bear of a man. Like a front row forward rather than a senior officer. Our standard joke was that he ate a lot so he could could plug up the tunnel entrances while his guys worked inside.

One of those sorts of officers where a forcefield of military discipline would precede his arrival by up to an hour. You always knew he was coming from the bush telegraph of mad cleaning and tidying. In the field everyone is constantly covered in crap but he always looked like he had just stepped off a parade ground. Rumor was that he was made of Teflon.

He had a habit of just silently looking at you If you told him some rubbish excuse. You were sort of stuck there looking at him...It was like trying to defy gravity.... and you would limply reveal the horrible truth...

Quite a Character,you don't get a Military cross in a packet of cereal...

 

[The Fool]

I would have been an extremely bad soldier. I'm lazy and I disrespect authority. Not good qualities for the military. I have the greatest possible respect for the people who do a nasty job that I could never do.

seriously. My experience was that many, if not most, soldiers are lazy and disrespect authority.
being energetic and respecting authority can get you killed

 

[Akhenaten]

I would have been an extremely bad soldier. I'm lazy and I disrespect authority. Not good qualities for the military. I have the greatest possible respect for the people who do a nasty job that I could never do.

I dispute this, but I couldn't be bothered arguing about it.

seriously. My experience was that many, if not most, soldiers are lazy and disrespect authority.
being energetic and respecting authority can get you killed

Seconded.

 

[Akhenaten]

I always remember him as a huge bear of a man. Like a front row forward rather than a senior officer. Our standard joke was that he ate a lot so he could could plug up the tunnel entrances while his guys worked inside.

One of those sorts of officers where a forcefield of military discipline would precede his arrival by up to an hour. You always knew he was coming from the bush telegraph of mad cleaning and tidying. In the field everyone is constantly covered in crap but he always looked like he had just stepped off a parade ground. Rumor was that he was made of Teflon.

He had a habit of just silently looking at you If you told him some rubbish excuse. You were sort of stuck there looking at him...It was like trying to defy gravity.... and you would limply reveal the horrible truth...

Quite a Character,you don't get a Military cross in a packet of cereal...

I never met Col MacGregor, but in every aspect other than physique your description fits perfectly with my recollection of another great soldier, Maj Gen Michael Jeffery, also an MC recipient. He visited my FRT a couple of times in the field when he was the Div Commander, and I swear there was, as you describe, a force field around him.

The ADF seems to produce outstanding senior officers out of all proportion to its size.


Mostly

 

[MG1962]

seriously. My experience was that many, if not most, soldiers are lazy and disrespect authority.
being energetic and respecting authority can get you killed

Which is why Australian troops in action have managed to carve out the name and traditions they have. Process is far less important than getting the job done....as safely as possible.

 

[Akhenaten]

Which is why Australian troops in action have managed to carve out the name and traditions they have. Process is far less important than getting the job done....as safely as possible.

We're all Jedi, you know.