New research from the Australian War Memorial has identified more than 250 Indigenous men and women who served during the Vietnam War. Researchers say it is important to recognise their service and sacrifice now, especially as Indigenous people faced major barriers to joining the
More than 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples served in the First World War, and more than 4000 in the Second World War. At least 300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples served in the Vietnam War.
At least 250 Indigenous soldiers served in Vietnam
An accurate count of the number of First Australians who fought in the conflict could not be released until now, as it was not recorded at the time of recruitment.
Australia eventually responded with 30 military advisers, dispatched as the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV), also known as "the Team".
From 1962 to 1973, more than 60,000 Australians served in the Vietnam War. They were part of an allied force led by the United States. Australians fought alongside South Vietnamese Government troops against the Vietcong, a communist-led insurgent force supported by the North Vietnamese Army.
As the war progressed Australians were less convinced by the original rationale that China and communism posed a direct threat. Opposition to the war also grew as national servicemen were killed and wounded in the course of their service.
Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War was driven largely by the rise of communism in Southeast Asia after World War II, and the fear of its spread, which developed in Australia during the 1950s and early 1960s.
They were the North Vietnamese Army, the NVA, the People's Army of Vietnam and they were the People's Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam. Collectively the United States often called them the Viet Cong. It was commonly shortened to VC, which in military alphabet code was spoken as Victor Charlie.
Vietnamese migration to Australia was spurred by the Vietnam War. Many Vietnamese people arrived as refugees after the conclusion of the war in 1975. Others arrived as the wives of Australian servicemen or as war orphans.
And the German learned to fear Australians, because they were reckless, ruthless - and revengeful. During the Third Battle of Ypres, autumn 1917, the ANZAC's (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) met the Germans on high ground, in front of Polygon Wood.
Montagnard (/ˌmɒn. tənˈjɑːrd/) is an umbrella term for the various indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
The biggest ethnic groups with over 500,000 members include the H'Mong, Nung, Khmer-Krom, Hoa, Muong, Dao, Tay, and Thai. The smallest groups number at just a few hundred members in each, such as the Brau, O Du, Ro Mam, Pu Peo, and Si La.
Of the 1 million Australians who served in Australia and overseas during World War II, we estimate that up to 3000, perhaps more, were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples. Important contributions to Australia's war effort by Indigenous Australians included: military service overseas in all theatres of the war.
Researchers have noted that once in the AIF, they were treated as equals, paid the same as other soldiers, and generally accepted without prejudice. Returning home after the First World War, Aboriginal ex-servicemen received little public or private support. They were denied access to soldier settlement schemes.
Vietnam became a French colony in 1877 with the founding of French Indochina, which included Tonkin, Annam, Cochin China and Cambodia. (Laos was added in 1893.) The French lost control of their colony briefly during World War II when Japanese troops occupied Vietnam.
In 2015–2017, life expectancy at birth was estimated to be 71.6 years for Indigenous males and 75.6 years for Indigenous females. The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians was estimated to be 8.6 years for males and 7.8 years for females (Table 4.1).
California. California is a familiar state for many overseas Vietnamese as well as Vietnamese people because it is the state in the US with the largest number of Vietnamese people living. The number of Vietnamese living in California accounts for nearly 40% of the total number of Vietnamese residing in the US.
Migration history
Large numbers of Vietnamese students began to choose Japan as a destination in the early 20th century, spurred by the exiled prince Cường Để and the Đông Du Movement (literally, "Travel East movement" or "Eastern Travel movement") he and Phan Bội Châu pioneered.
Boo Koo (Boo Coo): Bastardized French from beaucoup, meaning “much” or “many” Boom-Boom: Slang for sex with a prostitute. Boonies: Any area outside a city or a base camp; colloquialism for “boondocks”; also called the “bush” Bonnie Hat: A soft, floppy hat worn by many in place of helmets.
American soldiers referred to the Viet Cong as Victor Charlie or V-C. "Victor" and "Charlie" are both letters in the NATO phonetic alphabet. "Charlie" referred to communist forces in general, both Viet Cong and North Vietnamese.
Calling them the “men with green faces” because of the face camouflage they used, the VC feared SEALs and often put bounties on their heads. After about six years of heavy involvement in Vietnam, the relatively small group of SEALs accounted for 600 confirmed VC killed and 300 more almost certainly killed.
More than 3000 New Zealand military and civilian personnel served in Vietnam between 1963 and 1975. In contrast to the world wars, New Zealand's contribution was modest. At its peak in 1968, New Zealand's military force numbered only 548. Thirty-seven men died while on active service and 187 were wounded.
The main reason for New Zealand's involvement was the need to be seen to cooperate with our major ally, the US. New Zealand's National government was cautious in its approach to Vietnam. Prime Minister Keith Holyoake didn't question the morality of New Zealand involvement but he did doubt whether the war could be won.
The Kingdom of Thailand, under the administration of military dictator Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn, took an active role in the Vietnam War. Thailand was the third-largest provider of ground forces to South Vietnam, following the Americans and South Koreans.