CALL SIGN TIGER 62 - THE STORY OF THE ASSAULT PIONEER PLATOON OF THE 5TH BATTALION, ROYAL AUSTRALIAN REGIMENT - VIETNAM 1969
Call Sign ‘Tiger 62’ is the story of the members of the Assault Pioneer Platoon of the 5th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment.  It accurately chronicles the lives of the men through their subsequent tour of Vietnam in 1969.   Told by the Platoon members themselves and voiced by their Platoon Commander this vivid and accurate account is a sobering description of these young Australian men’s lives in Vietnam and beyond.   A factual narrative; told with honesty and humour, the story delivers with emotion the sad, funny and often unbelievable events that these young men faced.  Events that are still echoed in their lives and those of their families today.	In Store Price: $AU21.95  Online Price:   $AU20.95 ISBN: 1-9211-1808-3 Format: Paperback Number of pages: 130 Genre: Non Fiction
Author: Graham Locke Publisher: Zeus Publications Date Published: 2006 Language: English

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INTRODUCTION

Twelve months of my life was spent in the army on active service in Vietnam . That was thirty-five years ago. Sometimes I feel as though I am still there. My physical condition is probably below others my age who have had a relatively ‘normal’ life. I wondered how the rest of my platoon that served with me in South Vietnam was doing after such a long time. I decided to write a book about my platoon of 1969, the Assault Pioneer Platoon, 5^th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, the Tiger Battalion.

            I decided I would write about the Pioneers, before during and after their tour of Vietnam in 1969. I had never written a book so the task ahead was daunting to say the least, but I must admit that as I remembered events from that period the task seemed more achievable. I decided the best place to start would be to speak to members of the platoon who were there with me in 1969. I would try and locate them and get their impression and thoughts on what happened during that time and since. I would look for their assistance in obtaining information required to complete this task and I thank those who contributed. I understand some of the reasons why others could not. I know it is difficult to bring back those memories after such a long time hidden. Even now, some members of the platoon are being treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD).

            After thirty-five years I thought it would be difficult to locate many of them, but after the word was out about the project, members of the platoon from all states of Australia contacted me. I found that in most instances each member knew and was in contact with other members of the 1969 platoon. It was as if they needed each other for .support.

            Locating them was not the problem I had anticipated. The difficult aspect was getting many to remember their time in South Vietnam . I regret that in several cases contacting them and seeking information has opened old wounds that were best left alone. For this reason I think many did not want to expose their memories to anyone, while others seemed happy to participate.

            There was one aspect that most of them agreed upon - that enough experts had written about and told us how we felt and how we should feel about our time in Vietnam . I saw this book as being our opportunity to have our say in how we felt about our service in Vietnam and coming home.

The 5^th Battalion had as its mascot, a Bengal tiger. Each infantry battalion had its own mascot and because our unit colour was yellow, the tiger was selected to be the 5th Battalion’s. The first tiger was named Quintus 1, Latin for five. Quintus was kept in Sydney ’s Taronga Park Zoo and the battalion financially supported its upkeep.      For ease of handling, a tiger cub was used for formal parades where the public was likely to be in fairly close proximity. Quintus 1, the original mascot, was always viewing proceedings of any activity from his cage on the sidelines with great interest. Thus the nickname ‘Tiger Battalion’ was made; and the Assault Pioneer Platoon was part of it.

            As the history of the battalion has shown over the years, the selection of the tiger was a most appropriate way of describing the battalion’s way of performing its duties as part of the Australian Army.

For those who are not familiar with the way an infantry battalion was organized in the 1960’s I will describe its structure briefly, the detailed structure is located after the last chapter. The battalion consisted of four rifle companies, each company being about one hundred and twenty men. Each of these companies consisted of a headquarters and three rifle platoons, each platoon consisting of thirty-four men. In addition to these companies the battalion had an administrative company that surprisingly looked after administration, such as stores, transport, catering etc. The battalion also had a support company, which consisted of a mortar platoon, a signals platoon, a tracker platoon and the assault pioneer platoon. In all, the battalion had approximately eight hundred and fifty men.

            The assault pioneer platoon had three sections, each comprising of a corporal and eight infantry soldiers. These soldiers were trained in the specialist tasks that an assault pioneer would be expected to undertake in war. We also provided the battalion with two carpenters, two drivers and a storeman. The tasks of the ‘Pioneer’ included; all forms of demolitions, dealing with mines and booby traps, flamethrower support, construction and destruction of anything anyone could think of, tunnel clearance and, in general, any other task that could not be done by anyone else. After finishing these tasks the pioneer would then perform all the duties of a normal infantry soldier.

            I remember a line in a movie that describes what the Pioneers needed to do; ‘adapt, improvise and overcome’. This certainly described the Assault Pioneer Platoon. We seemed to be continually asked to do the impossible with little or no equipment for the task. Training manuals in the army are alleged to explain how to do the required task. However they always seem to always finish with, ‘these are guidelines’. This means ‘good luck - you decide what to do.’

            One of the Pioneers found a ‘poem’ on a wall in Saigon , which he said best described the role of the Pioneers. It is an old saying but a true one:

We were the Unwashed

Led by the Unqualified

To do the Impossible

For the Ungrateful

            Sometimes, I thought, ‘This is a most accurate description.’

When the platoon was at full strength, with no one on leave or sick, we would have twenty-seven trained Pioneers in the field. I do not ever remember having twenty-seven men for any operation in Vietnam . For operations we also had a signalman and a medical orderly attached to the platoon.

I remember arriving in the battalion in May 1968 to take command of the Assault Pioneer Platoon. I was dressed in my best winter uniform and feeling pretty smart. I met with the Commanding Officer of the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Colin Khan. He was over six feet tall, sun-tanned and every inch a professional soldier.

            He looked at me and quietly said, “You are here to work, why aren’t you dressed in the correct uniform? You only wear jungle greens to work in this unit.”

            So, the playing rules were quickly explained and understood. The uniform I was in was for semiformal type activities and was certainly not designed to be worn for day-to-day work and definitely not for the work Pioneers would be required to perform.

            What Lieutenant-Colonel Khan said next has stayed with me forever, “I am entrusting the lives of thirty of my men to you. Don’t mess them about or you will have to deal with me.”

            Over time, he proved to some officers that he was in fact, a man of his word. I spent the twelve-month tour of duty in Vietnam as one of his platoon commanders and I am proud to say I was one of those officers. I found out later that for those who served in his battalion he would be there for you for the rest of his life if you needed him.

            The commanding officer had a soft spot for the Assault Pioneer Platoon. It will suffice to say that the two previous platoon commanders, for one reason or another, had not settled into the position and had ‘moved on’ and several of the experienced Pioneers in the platoon were not going to South Vietnam with the platoon. The Assault Pioneer Platoon was one of two platoons that the commanding officer directly deployed so he had a personal interest in its development and performance.

            The platoon gave him their complete loyalty and dedication. As an example, he was a man with certain habits, one of which was to read the morning paper during what the army referred to as the morning ablutions. The normal army latrine in the bush was a hole in the ground. When he came to visit the platoon during its explosive training exercise, he was greeted the first morning with not the normal army latrine, but more a throne. It was made of filled sandbags, and it included a backrest, a specially constructed paper rack, with, believe it or not the current local daily paper. Small things like this helped the platoon develop its character and certainly put the commanding officer on side. Later in life he was heard to refer to the Pioneers as his platoon. To be acknowledged in this manner by a soldier of his stature was a compliment.

            As the platoon was at his disposal to employ, as he required, he allocated tasks to the platoon that at times that we felt looked beyond our capabilities, but we always gave it our best shot. It didn’t matter how hard the task was, the Pioneers would give their full effort if it were asked by the commanding officer.

            The most important result from this soft spot was that it helped forge the platoon into a pretty formidable team; capable of completing the most difficult tasks without complaint. They had an identity within the battalion. Where the other members went to work wearing nicely ironed green uniforms with shiny boots and polished brass; we went to work not so soldierly with barely ironed green uniforms and boots that never looked polished - as we were working Pioneers. There were never any set hours of work; you just kept going until the job was done. This development of an identity was to become invaluable during the time in Vietnam , where we regularly operated independently, well away from other platoons. The Pioneers had a reputation to maintain that had been developed over many years, the job always gets done, no matter what it was or how difficult it was - and to achieve this, certain military requirements were allowed to be passed by. There were many rules and regulations, which, when necessary, the Pioneers bent in order to achieve our allocated mission. These incidents were often overlooked or filed in the wrong location so that they would be overlooked.

The Vietnam War was unpopular to say the least, but as a soldier I will let the educated historians decide and explain why it was unpopular. The Australian Government at that time decided we would go to war, so we went. I have learnt one thing since those days, that no war is popular and neither it should be, but some wars are necessary. I will not get involved in the debate as to the popularity of this particular one. Regardless of the popularity of the Vietnam War; when one Australian soldier gives his life for his country in a war -it makes that war very important.

            During the Vietnam war, national servicemen were conscripted into the army to make up the manpower shortage. The army had to maintain a force of about eight thousand men in Vietnam , this was more than the regular army could provide. The Australian government used a lottery system where dates were selected. If you were a male person born on that day twenty years ago you would most likely be called-up for two years’ military service. I would not under any circumstances differentiate between the abilities or dedication of a regular soldier and a national serviceman as to their abilities or dedication to their duties, as they were all soldiers together in Vietnam . They all suffered the same discomforts and dangers as they fought together as a team.

            I was a regular officer having graduated from the Officer Cadet School , Portsea in June 1966 as a second lieutenant.

            After attending one of our reunions, my son commented that he could not get over how young we all were when we went to Vietnam . My son was twenty-eight at the time. Most of the men in the platoon were twenty to twenty-one years of age when they left for Vietnam . My son said he had not realized how difficult it must have been for these young men to leave their homes and families and go to fight in a different country.

Ian Ward, a Pioneer who spent twelve months with the platoon in Vietnam , wrote a reply to a student who was completing a project on Vietnam Veterans –

            “When I was conscripted I felt proud to be representing Australia in the conflict in Vietnam . I volunteered to join the 5^th  Battalion at the end of my recruit training. I knew on joining the 5^th  Battalion that I would go to Vietnam . I guess it was just one big adventure for a 20year-old.”

Another Pioneer was a little more mercenary but honest -

            “I was a 21 year old national service volunteer, I had one agenda, to get a war service home, a home of my own”. He eventually achieved his aim. The war service home loan was a low interest loan given by the government to returned servicemen who could use the loan to purchase a home. The interest rate was significantly lower than the available bank rate.

            These Pioneers were the ones who knew what it was like to give up a year of their lives to an unpopular war. They were the ones who had come home and faced their family and friends alone. They were the ones who tried to explain to others what it was like and what they were doing in Vietnam . In many cases, they could not talk about this ‘private’ twelve months of their life because their family and friends had rejected the war in Vietnam . Even though they were conscripted they had to face the same abuse from those opposed to the Vietnam war as any other soldier. I often wonder what our country would be like if soldiers selected which war and which country they would fight, would it be the Australia we know and enjoy today?

            How could these soldiers explain what it was like to be with twenty other men in their early twenties; living on only what they could carry on their backs, for weeks on end in the countryside of Vietnam? The long, dark nights of uncertain silence, the isolation, every conversation whispered, and all the time that odd feeling that someone was out there with their rifle or setting booby traps, itching to kill him. So, he probably said nothing because ‘if you were not there you wouldn’t understand’. The soldier in Vietnam not only gave up twelve months of his life for his country but also in most cases, grew old before his time and missed many youthful years.

            To say, ‘if you were not there you would not understand’, was the easiest way of handling the questions, like “Why were we there?”, “How did it feel?” etc. I find the youth of today are genuinely interested in how we felt and how we were treated during that period of time.

            One Pioneer, Doug, told me that when he returned home to Melbourne after his tour, “Nobody was game to talk about it and you didn’t have anyone to talk to. I suppose I had Dad because he was in World War II, but Mad Dog (Neill, his mate from Vietnam ) didn’t have anyone to talk to except me.

            “Even when we went out we never spoke about Vietnam , we spoke about other things before Vietnam .

            “When I got home on leave after Vietnam, going to the pub with all my mates I had grown up with from Box Hill in Victoria, I found I had grown up quicker than them, and the first thing they asked me was how many people I had killed. I just finished my beer and left and have never seen them again.”

            Doug continued, “When I left national service I couldn’t keep a job. Mad Dog came back and returned to University, but we would often see each other and get on the piss. I went to Mad Dog’s one night and his mother said he had gone back into the army. The next day I went to the recruiting office and said I want to come home. That was the best thing I ever did.

            “I found it very hard to go back to ‘civvy street’, I couldn’t hack it, same as Mad Dog. You couldn’t talk to anyone about it, they just called you a war monger baby killer anyway.”

Like so many others he found the army to be his home where he could talk to fellow veterans, and they understood. Doug feels that because of this decision to go back into the army he overcame a lot of the physiological problems others had gone through.

            It is probably important to explain how Neill got the nickname Mad Dog. It seems that one day he was seen eating a fruit salad sandwich in the bush. One of the platoon members commented on this delicacy. Neill advised him it was a red dog sandwich. The reply was “That you would have to be a mad dog to eat it!” From that day on he was known as Mad Dog.

Even those who were not expected to have problems returning to their normal work because of their work qualifications and strong character, have over the years become victims of post traumatic stress disorders. It is a very real illness that physically attacks the body, and has an unfortunate, lasting affect on the sufferer’s family. After thirty-five years some of the Pioneers are having treatment for the first time.

It seems that everyone who goes to war suffers in one way or another.    The national serviceman was in the same position as regular soldier; they had no option but to do what was directed by the government in power at the time.

            It is probably realistic to say that there was never any way of winning the war in Vietnam and I don’t think that any person involved in a war of this nature ever thinks they are going to win.

            When it got a bit tough, the local enemy, the Viet Cong, would pack up their weapons, hide them, and go back to work in their normal everyday jobs. Then, when they decided the time was right, they would clean their weapons -mostly AK 47’s, (Russian made rifles that are still used extensively) - and get back to soldiering. They had been fighting a war of some sort for the last hundred odd years, so they knew how to fight a guerrilla-type war and we were just another enemy. They had fought the United States, French Foreign Legion troops, the Japanese during World War II, and undoubtedly several other countries in their region.

            To the Australian soldier it was not about winning the war, it was about winning the battles to stay alive for the twelve-month tour. He thought he would be able to do his duty for his country and then return home as if nothing had changed. Little did he realize that his life would never be the same.

Enough of the history lesson. This book is written by and about the members of the Assault Pioneer Platoon of the 5th Battalion. I am just compiling the thoughts, feelings, memories and stories of these men. I must admit to a few personal comments that I cannot resist making at times. Sometimes, I found it difficult to get everyone to agree on exactly what happened during a particular incident so I have tried to be honest and give both sides of the story. Each person believes that his version is correct and it probably is, depending where you see it.

            After thirty-five years, I wrote to as many of the platoon as I could locate and asked them to tell me their life story from Vietnam to now.    Hopefully this will give you some honest thoughts on what these men gave up for the right to be called an Australian and remember his lost comrades on ANZAC day each year.

            Many could not tell their story for fear of it all coming back and adversely affecting them and their family. Some phoned me with their apologies and wished me luck. They have nothing to apologise for, and I respect their right to make this decision. It is not guilt they feel but rather, confusion about what was expected from them during their tour of Vietnam .

            One aspect that I found difficult to accept was that I have learnt more about many of them now than I knew when we were preparing and during the tour of Vietnam. This is not something that a commander of men likes to admit. I believe that if he is going to ask men to put their lives on the line, a commander should know as much about the person as possible. It is marvellous to have hindsight and a few extra years experience.

            I don’t think anyone really knows the effects an unpopular war has on the men or women who go to fight it. Only later in life, after getting some comments back from members of the platoon did I realize the long-lasting affects the war has had on them. Many books have been written about the effects of the war in Vietnam on the men who fought it and it is very difficult to work out whose opinion is correct.

            I thought it was time we heard from the man who was there and has never had the opportunity to have his say. Even the belated and well-publicized welcome home marches did little for many of the Veterans, but I feel it made the general population feel better.

Whilst searching for the Pioneers, I got a note from one of them that made me realize that all was not forgotten after thirty-five years. The comment was, “Doc became a TPI (Totally and Permanently Incapacitated) last year (2001) after I met him and thanked him for saving my life. Bought it all back to him too vividly, but he is doing okay now”.

Doc was treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2001. I doubt whether he is aware of it but I have him to thank for my life since 1969.

            I believe that at the time of writing this, most, if not all of the Pioneers from 1969 are on a TPI pension, or have applied for one for one reason or another. Most are related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

            There were approximately forty-seven men who served in the platoon during the Vietnam tour. This book is about them and what they did in Vietnam . Most of the stories and tales come from them along with the odd one I can remember. Where necessary, I have expanded on them to help fill in any gaps. Some stories are funny, some are sad, but mostly they are honest, if not sometimes exaggerated with the years. The comments are the way they felt then and how they are coping now. They are not in any chronological order -as that would make it too disciplined – that would certainly not fit in with the traditions of Pioneers. The stories are more a series of major events or incidents, which influenced the members of the platoon for the rest of their lives.

            Several of the stories told here do not directly involve the Pioneers but they occurred in the battalion and certainly assist in helping the reader understand the character of the soldiers who made up the battalion. The Pioneers were a part of the battalion and it is impossible to treat any group in complete isolation.    

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