Veterans gather to remember soldiers killed in action

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Veterans have been gathering across the country to honour the 523 Australians who were killed in action in Vietnam. The event was planned by the veteran community- and some believe it will be one of the last times they gather in these numbers.

Transcript

00:00 I'm here today at the grave of John Edgar Garrett, who died in 1968.

00:07 He was killed in action during the Vietnam War and is one of 523 Australians who died

00:14 during the conflict.

00:16 A memorial service was held here a short time ago, attended by members of the local ex-services

00:21 community and those who knew John personally.

00:25 Among them was Alan Partridge, a retired sergeant who both knew John growing up before they

00:31 went away to serve and was there when John died.

00:35 He came today to honour not just a mate, but a fallen comrade.

00:39 Well he was a top man.

00:43 We had a lot of time together before and after we joined the army to a degree.

00:51 It's a pleasure to come down.

00:54 Memorials like John Edgar Garrett's are happening across Australia today and in fact around

00:59 the world.

01:00 There will be a vigil held at the graveside of every Australian held in the conflict and

01:05 that includes the ones buried overseas with services due to happen in Terindak in Malaysia

01:11 and Birkhill in Scotland.

01:13 The commemoration is called the Vietnam Veterans Vigil.

01:16 It was organised by veterans to honour each of the Australians who died not just as a

01:21 collective but as individuals.

01:24 National Coordinator, retired army major John Thurgar says standing at the gravesides of

01:31 each of these soldiers shows you the true cost of war.

01:35 I would like them to try to remember the individual and to remember the loss that their family

01:41 endured and to try to think of what life they may have had.

01:46 If they'd got married, if they'd had children, if they'd returned to their profession prior

01:51 to joining the military and what sort of a person they could have done and what more

01:57 that they could have contributed to our great nation.

02:01 Today is the 60th anniversary of the entry of the Australian Army Training Team into

02:05 South Vietnam and this year marks 50 years since Australia withdrew its troops from the

02:10 conflict.

02:11 There will be a national commemoration event on August 18th which is Vietnam Veterans Day

02:17 and the ABC will have a broadcast event for that.

02:21 In the meantime, for the veterans who organised and attended today's vigil, they recognise

02:26 that they're ageing, they're in their 70s, 80s and 90s and they say this may have been

02:31 one of the last chances for them to come together across the country as a group and commemorate

02:37 the people who they lost.

02:38 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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