Vietnam Veterans of Australia Association

Geelong & District Sub-Branch Newsletter

 

Newsletter Editor: Michael Byrne

 

February 2005         

 

                

Presidents’ Report

We have now had our first meeting for 2005 and are off to a good start with membership numbers.  2005 is to be a year where we celebrate the first meeting held by Vietnam Veterans in our region thirty years ago.  These men and their partners are the foundation of what we have today and as the minutes are still on record, invitations are to be sent to all present at that meeting.  

 

Celebrations will be held in conjunction with the Veterans' Day Dinner on 13th August.  Could you please assist in getting word to all GVA foundation members?

 

Wendy and I had a rough time health-wise during the last half of 2004 and I would like to thank Nigel and Ian for their more than capable assistance during that time.

 

They say that good organisations are that way because they have a good secretary.  Mick Mutton continues to amaze with his work and has now almost completed our web site.  From what I have seen to date it looks very good and is a credit to him.

 

Remember our AGM is to be held next meeting, 21st March at the RSL.  Nomination papers for all positions are available, to nominate you must be financial, and please note nominations will be taken from the floor at the AGM.

 

Our monthly Saturday morning Pako BBQ people deserve special accolades as their efforts have raised over $3,500 during 2004.

 

I would like to encourage all of our membership to become active, especially past office bearers, as your experience is vital to the ongoing well being of the G&DVVAA.

 

Wishing you all the best for 2005.

 

Kevin Bate

President

 

 

Helping Hand

Max Ingles has asked Slouch Hat to help him thank all those Vets who helped him out with the painting of his home just before he went into hospital for an operation.

 

He would especially like to thank them for the attention they paid to Debby when she was instructing them in the finer points of painting etiquette.

 

Max writes: “Following on from a request I am running another training day with Debby on Garden Maintenance.”  Given the photo Max sent in its not hard to see the volunteer numbers weren’t a problem. 

 

 

G&DVVAA Calandar

 

A social/games event will be held in Colac in April. Details to be advised.

 

 

G&DVVAA Annual General Meeting

 

Meetings are generally held on the second Monday of the month at the Geelong RSL commencing at 7.30pm. 

However the next meeting will be preceded by the Annual General Meeting and will be held on the third Monday, March 21st.  The monthly General Meeting will follow the AGM.

 

 

 

Diggers Sought

Leonard Clampett (Lofty/Jed) of Stafford Heights Qld is seeking contact with other diggers who travelled home from South Vietnam on a C130 Hercules from Vung Tau on Wednesday May 29 1968, arriving at Richmond via Butterworth and Darwin on June 01 1968.  If you were one of the number, or know anyone who was, you can contact Leonard on 07 3315 5040 of by mail, PO Box 1392, Stafford, 4053.

 

As if life wasn’t complicated enough!

 

Viagra Anyone?

A woman asked her husband, "Would you like some bacon and eggs for breakfast?"  "No" he replies, "thanks for asking but I'm not hungry right now. It's this Viagra, it's really taken the edge off my appetite." 

At lunchtime she asked if he'd like something.  'A bowl of soup and a cheese sandwich?'  He declined.  "The Viagra," he says, "really destroys my desire for food."

Come dinnertime, she asks if he wants anything at all.  "Would you like a steak, or maybe some barbecued chicken with apple pie for dessert?"   "Nope, I'm still not hungry."  

"Well," she says, "would you mind letting me up because I'm starving."

 

Labour Pains

 

A married couple went to the hospital to have their baby delivered. Upon arrival the doctor said that he had invented a machine that would transfer a portion of the labour pain to the father. He asked if they were willing to try it out. They were both very much in favour of it.

 

The doctor set the knob at 10% for starters, explaining that even 10% was probably more pain than the father had ever experienced before. But as the labour progressed, the husband felt fine, so he asked the doctor to bump the machine up a notch. The doctor then adjusted the machine to 20%.

 

The doctor checked the husband’s blood pressure and pulse and was amazed at how well he was doing. At 50% the husband was still holding up fine, since this was obviously helping out his wife he encouraged the doctor to transfer all of the pain.

 

The wife delivered a healthy baby with virtually no pain.  She and her husband were absolutely thrilled. Everything was great until they got home and found the mailman dead on their porch.

 

 

New Web Site

 

Our new web site up and running.  For the link, just click on (and then bookmark) the Geelong Veterans web site at http://www.geelongvets.org.au.

 

 

Thanks

The Editor would like to acknowledge the special help given to the G&DVVA by Kwik Kopy.  If you have printing needs, be sure to support the business that supports the sub-branch.  

 

    

 

Mallacoota in March

Once again we remind you that Mallacoota in March 2005 will be the happening place for vets from all over.

 

Come and join the mob in the caravan and camping park for whatever time you can spare for fishing, boating (if you've got one, bring it!!), walking, beach combing, swimming, surfing, rock climbing, golf, singalongs (if you play an instrument, bring it, even your piano!!), you name it, Coota's got it. 

 

Powered sites, campsites are available, all in one huge camp (wives do the piquet).

 

It's the most beautiful place in Victoria, right in the heart of Croajingalong National Park. Start planning now for a great time.  For further details, contact Bernard Clancy on 5256 2633

 

Bushwalking

The bush walks are proving immensely popular.

 

This edition will be too late to promote walk scheduled for February 23 but for future walks, just click on to our web site.

 

 

 

Relay For Life

The G&DVVAA support the Relay for Life 24-hour walking marathon at Landy Field each year.  Volunteers are urgently needed to support the team. If you are able to assist on March 5 and 6, please contact Richard Embelton on Ph 5241 9356.

 

 

 

Pako Sausage Sizzle

As Kevin mentioned in the President’s Report, the monthly Pakington Street sausage sizzle has been a wonderful success as a fundraiser. Special thanks must go to Heritage Meats for their magnificent support.

 

Always held on the fourth Saturday of the month, the sausage sizzle only happens because our volunteers vets and their partners  man the grill.  It’s important that we don’t leave it to the same ones all the time.  If once a month you can spare a couple of hours, please contact Ian Reither on 5243 0228. Volunteers are most welcome. 

 

Frank Cunningham is journeying north for a couple of months leaving a huge gap in the labour roster.  The dates for the next few are:

 

*      ·         March 26th (Easter Saturday), and

·         April 23rd

 

 

Urban Myths

The following information was extracted from US publications.

 

The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter.

One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. Although the percent who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled.

 

Source: Speech by Lt. Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Vietnam veterans and visitors gathered at "The Wall", Memorial Day 1993.

 

Myth: The average age of an infantryman fighting in Vietnam was 19

 

Source: Assuming KIAs accurately represented age groups serving in Vietnam, the average age of an infantryman serving in Vietnam to be 19 years old is a myth; it is actually 22. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age.

 

Source: Speech by General William C. Westmoreland before the Third Annual Reunion of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) at the Washington, DC Hilton Hotel on July 5th, 1986
US Vietnam Veteran Statistics

The following data comes courtesy of the VFW Magazine and the Public Information Office in the USA.  While not Australian data, the statistics are nonetheless interesting.

 

·         Vietnam Vets: 9.7% of their generation.

·         9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (Aug. 5, 1964-May 7, 1975).

·         8,744,000 GIs were on active duty during the war (Aug 5, 1964 - March 28, 1973).

·         3,403,100 (Including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the Southeast Asia Theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flight crews based in Thailand, and sailors in adjacent South China Sea waters).

·         2,594,000 personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam (Jan. 1, 1965 - March 28, 1973)

·         Another 50,000 men served in Vietnam between 1960 and 1964.

·         Of the 2.6 million, between 1 - 1.6 million (40 - 60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack.

·         7,484 women (6,250 or 83.5% were nurses) served in Vietnam.

·         Peak troop strength in Vietnam: 543,482 (April 30, 1968)

 

CASUALTIES...

·         Hostile deaths: 47,378

·         Non-hostile deaths: 10,800

·         Total: 58,202 (Includes men formerly classified as MIA and Mayaguez casualties). Men who have subsequently died of wounds account for the changing total.

·         8 nurses died - 1 was KIA.

·         Married men killed: 17,539

·         61% of the men killed were 21 or younger.

·         Highest state death rate: West Virginia

·         Wounded: 303,704 - 153,329 hospitalized + 150,375 injured requiring no hospital care.

·         Severely disabled: 75,000.  100% disabled: 23,214. 5,283 lost limbs; 1,081 sustained multiple amputations.

·         Amputation or crippling wounds to the lower extremities were 300% higher than in WWII and 70% higher than Korea.

·         Multiple amputations occurred at the rate of 18.4% compared to 5.7% in WWII.

·         Missing in Action: 2,338

·         POWs: 766 (114 died in captivity)

 

DRAFTEES VS. VOLUNTEERS...

·         25% (648,500) of total forces in country were draftees. (66% of U.S. armed forces members were drafted during WWII.

·         Draftees accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam.

·         Reservists killed: 5,977

·         National Guard: 6,140 served: 101 died.

·         Total draftees (1965 - 73): 1,728,344.

·         Actually served in Vietnam: 38%

·         Marine Corps Draft: 42,633.

·         Last man drafted: June 30, 1973.

 

RACE AND ETHNIC BACKGROUND...

·         88.4% of the men who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian; 10.6% (275,000) were black; 1% belonged to other races.

·         86.3% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasian (includes Hispanics); 12.5% (7,241) were black; 1.2% belonged to other races.

·         170,000 Hispanics served in Vietnam; 3,070 (5.2% of total) died there.

·         70% of enlisted men killed were of North-west European descent.

·         86.8% of the men who were killed as a result of hostile action were Caucasian; 12.1% (5,711) were black; 1.1% belonged to other races.

·         14.6% (1,530) of non-combat deaths were among blacks.

·         34% of blacks who enlisted volunteered for the combat arms.

·         Overall, blacks suffered 12.5% of the deaths in Vietnam at a time when the percentage of blacks of military age was 13.5% of the total population.

·         Religion of Dead: Protestant - 64.4%; Catholic - 28.9%; other/none - 6.7%

 

SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS...

·         76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds.

·         Thee-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle-income backgrounds.

·         Some 23% of Vietnam vets had fathers with professional, managerial or technical occupations.

·         79% of the men who served in Vietnam had a high school education or better when they entered the military service. (63% of Korean War vets and only 45% of WWII vets had completed high school upon separation.)

·         Deaths by region per 100,000 of population: South - 31%, West - 29.9%; Midwest - 28.4%; Northeast - 23.5%.

 

HONORABLE SERVICE...

·         97% of Vietnam-era veterans were honorably discharged.

·         91% of actual Vietnam War veterans and 90% of those who saw heavy combat are proud to have served their country.

·         66% of Vietnam vets say they would serve again if called upon.

·         87% of the public now holds Vietnam veterans in high esteem.

 
 GEELONG & DISTRICT VIETNAM VETERANS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INC.

 

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Please send this form, along with your $25.00 annual subscription, to:

 

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

G & D VVAA

P O BOX 484

GEELONG  VIC  3220

 

Subscriptions may also be paid in person at the Geelong Veterans Welfare Centre, Clancy House, St. John of God Hospital, 80 Myers Street, Geelong, during office hours of 9.00 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

 

Disclaimer the material contained in this newsletter is in the nature of general comment only and neither purports nor is intended to be advice on any particular matter. No person should act on the basis of any matter contained in this newsletter without considering and, if necessary, taking appropriate professional advice upon his or her own particular circumstances. The V.V.A.A. the authors and the editor expressly disclaim all and any liability to any person in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by any such person in reliance, whether whole or partial, upon the whole or part, of the contents of this newsletter.

 

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