Kiwis Reluctant for Full Engagement Part III 1/2

NEW ZEALAND, EXHAUSTED FROM THE MALAYSIA EMERGENCY

Between 1964 and 1972, roughly 3,500 military personnel had been committed to the American War in Vietnam by the New Zealand leadership.  Once their strongest, and geographically closest ally, Australia had fully engaged, Wellfleet (the capitol of NZ) came under mounting pressure to contribute manpower and heavy weapons.

The first New Zealand combat unit consisted of a four gun artillery battery which shipped out to Vietnam on May 24, 1965. This along with 120 men. However, prior to that, in 1962 a civilian surgical team was sent by New Zealand. This team would operate at Qui Nhon in Binh Dinh province during the entire presence of that nation's involvement.  Eventually, in 1964 a non-combat group of Army engineers was sent. Their mission was in the way of reconstruction projects of roads and bridge-building. Once their work was completed they mustered out, a year later.

There was no stomach in the nation for a full and robust involvement in the American War in Vietnam by the government or by the public. 

"In our national interest? The potential adverse effect on the ANZUS* alliance of not supporting the United States (and Australia) in Vietnam was of paramount importance, but the decision to participate was in in with New Zealand's own national interests in countering Communism in South-east Asia and of sustaining a strategy of forward defence. A failure to make a token contribution to the Allied effort in Vietnam would have brought into question the basic assumption underlying New Zealand's post-war national security policies."a

The escalation of the war and continued pressure on New Zealand yielded further invovlement when -although minimal in relation to its allies-  Kiwis would finally send  two companies to Vietnam. The first company to be deployed was V Company which was deployed from West Malaysia in April 1967. This infantry battalion would later be followed by W Company in December of the same year.  Initially these companies would fall under the command of 2RAR but eventually would be integrated to form 2RAR/NZ(ANZAC) Battalion. Some NZ personnel would take positions of command. Each subsequent group, when relieved by the next, would take on the same character and protocol with New Zealand fully integrated into Australian battalions until both countries pulled out in 1972.

Banners representing W and V Companies of New Zealand and their eventual integration into the Aussie Battalions.

Soldiers from New Zealand fought with extraordinary courage and valor alongside their Aussie mates. 37 would be killed and 187 wounded. We remember them all with respect and sadness for their losses.

Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment

ATTRIBUTIONS: a- "The impact of ANZUS - NZ and the Vietnam War", URL: http://www.nzhistory.net/war/Vietnam-war/anzus, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 20-December-2012

*ANZUS: This is the Australia, New Zealand, US treaty which was signed in September 1951 joining the three nations together in their mutual agreement of combined forces against any hostile actions occurring in the Pacific Ocean area and, nowadays, to any attacks.

-next up...medical support from australia, new zealand, spain, and the philippines.

Remembering Vietnam Veterans From Australia, New Zealand, and Canada

TO THOSE WHO WENT

**Read through series by clicking on NEWER POST at bottom of pages**

In July and August 1962, at the request of then-US Secretary of State, Dean Rusk- Australia sent 30 military advisers to Vietnam. Because of the experience the Aussies had with jungle warfare and counter-insurgencies in Malaysia and Borneo the Americans regarded their input as invaluable.

"Australia's initial commitment to supporting the American stance in Vietnam consisted of the deployment of a team of military advisers. On 26th July, 1962, the Minister for Defence announced Australia's intention to send 30 instructors to the Republic of South Vietnam, 4 going to the Military Aid Council Vietnam (MACV) Headquarters in Saigon, 22 to regional locations in the Hue area and 4 to Duc My.(1) This team would be headed by Colonel F.P. Serong, previously Commanding Officer at the Jungle Training Center, Canungra, Queensland and would fall under the command of the Australian Army Forces, Far Eastern Landing Forces Headquarters in Singapore.(2) The Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) arrived in the Republic of Viet Nam in August, 1962." Quoted from "Australia's Military Involvement in the Vietnam War by Brian Ross  (additional citations below)*

Personnel and aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force

Deplaning August 1964

Republic of Viet Nam

The Americans and Australians, with their varying types of experiences, possessed very different tactics and fighting styles.

"Whilst American instructors expounded the virtues of the rapid deployment of large numbers of troops, massive fire power, and decisive battles, Australians concentrated on individual marksmanship, the independence of platoons from battalion HQs, small scale patrols and ambushes. These differences frequently brought Australian advisers into conflict with their American superiors. The Australian policy of "economy of effort" was directly opposed to the American idea of "concentration of force".(6)

In addition to ground forces, eventually there would be medical personnel, air force personnel, infantrymen, tankers, and naval forces hailing from Australia and New Zealand. These combined forces were known as ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps). This would be the first war which involved New Zealand that did not include forces from Great Britain.

And, although the Canadian Government was not involved politically or militarily, many Canadians joined or allowed themselves to be drafted into the US Military- mainly in the Marine Corps and the US Army.

We will focus our spotlight on each of these nations and their involvement with the war in Vietnam and that includes any and all medical personnel whether military or civilian. We will first begin with the largest contingent to serve in Vietnam, and that would be the folks from Australia whose Army is known as "Diggers". The soldiers from New Zealand, nicknamed "Kiwi" because of the presence of images of their national bird on emblems. The origin of the nickname "Digger" has been widely debated. Knowing that our friends from Oz love a good argument, we will stand by to see their comments!




Attributions: (1) p.8, Australia's Military Commitment to Vietnam, Paper tabled in accordance with the Prime Minister's Statement in the House of Representatives on 13 May 1975. (2) p.1, Horner, D.M., Australian Higher Command in the Vietnam War, Canberra Papers on Strategy and Defence No.10, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National Univsersity, 1986. (6) pp.56-58, McNeill, I. "Australian Army Advisers: Perceptions of Enemies and Allies".

October: Our Month For Honoring American Women in Vietnam: Part V

THE AMERICAN RED CROSS

American Red Cross Patch

Although they went by many names (some not appreciated, some hangovers from World War II and Korea and some used derisively by soldiers) the women of The American Red Cross (SRAO) Supplemental Recreational Activities Organization volunteered to serve their brother-soldiers and contribute in their own way to the effort in a war that no one of their generation really understood. Some have settled on the nickname "Donut Dollies" and found comfort in that association.

In the most notable group of civilian women who served in Vietnam there were three outfits:
the American Red Cross (ARC), the United Services Organization (USO), and the Army Special Services.

Most of the early groups of women who went to Vietnam set out to be a part of something they believed to be important-standing behind their nation. In the early days, the volunteers were girls who had been born as the "point" of the Baby Boom- right after WW II and were raised on John Wayne, General George Patton, the Battle of the Bulge, Iwo Jima and all the fantastic red-white and blue of their country- America. Volunteering to do their bit made sense and was, they believed, in the tradition of those women who volunteered by the thousands during World War II both at home and abroad. They would quickly learn how much the world had changed in those 20 years.

Originally established in 1882 by Clara Barton, the Red Cross provides, to this day, service to civilians and military during times of war or other crises such as natural disasters. 

"The ARC was sent to Vietnam by Congress in 1962 to assist the increasing number of American military in the country. General William Westmoreland, the military commander at the time, requested the service of the ARC workers. He considered them of great importance to the  morale of the men. Of the twelve-hundred women who worked for the ARC in Vietnam throughout the war, 627 were part of the Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas (SRAO) Program, or better known as the Donut Dollies. In addition to the Donut Dollies, there were also women in the ARC who worked in Service to Military Hospitals and Service to Military Installations. In the peak year, 1968, there were 480 ARC staff who assisted an average of 25,550 men each month in the clubs, and 2,300 cases each month in the hospitals."-a

The women who were a part of the ARC (SRAO) volunteered. Most of them were just out of college in their early 20s. All of them had college degrees. None of them had experience in war, and were not provided with any training to protect themselves in the case of an attack. Because there was no front line, per se, in the war in Vietnam, danger was everywhere. More often than not, their billets were situated in camps and compounds vulnerable to attacks. Many stories have been related where the Red Cross housing might be located near a helicopter pad or some other important area- the idea being that the enemy would never attack a structure with red crosses painted on the roof and walls. But they would. The enemy would wait for nightfall and run around madly tossing sappers (percussion bombs) into the open windows of Red Cross quarters knowing full well that any GIs nearby would run to help the women- and then the infiltrators would blow up the helicopters. This was an incident that occurred in An Khe sometime between the summer of 1969 and summer of 1970 as told to us by a volunteer stationed there who dove under her bed when she heard the explosions. The enemy was not there to kill Donut Dollies, he was there to blow up helicopters.

"Donut Dollie" engaging soldiers in the field in a game
intended to take their minds from the war-if
just for a few moments.

Joann Puffer Kotcher's Memoir

More often than not, soldiers in the field especially, would ignore or ridicule the efforts of these women who had risked life and limb- without protective gear like helmets and flak jackets, riding in helicopters, jeeps and troop trucks to reach their destinations. 
One can imagine that trying to balance the silly games and Kool-Aid and snacks with death and destruction was not a simple task- for the soldiers OR the Red Cross volunteers. Their charge, at all times, was to BE CHEERFUL no matter what.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

The young American women who volunteered, whether with a civilian organization, such as the Red Cross or as Army Special Services and USO personnel connected with their brother-soldiers because they were roughly the same age. They might share a cup of coffee in the morning, swap a few laughs and then- whoosh off the boys would go on their helicopters out into the field. Sadly, many would not return. If they survived but were wounded, more often than not,  medevac choppers would carry them off to a hospital in another area or to a US Navy hospital ship offshore. Some times they would come back- but most of the time they would not. These volunteers would never see those guys again. Their buddies often did not see or hear from them again either.

In some instances, Red Cross girls would go to hospitals and MASH units to visit fellows who had been wounded, guys they had shared some stories of home with, guys who'd shown photos of their girlfriends back home only to find the young soldier had lost both of his legs. Or had his face half blown off. Any of a million different kinds of injuries. They could not cry. They could not show emotion. They could not tell the soldier how bad they felt. They had to keep smiling no matter what.

Even a warm cup of Kool-Aid tasted
pretty good!

Most of the Donut Dollies were about the same age as the soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors serving in Vietnam. By 1969, the age of 60% of military in country was 19.  It was up to these young women to keep a game face on. Imagine the pressure to withhold emotions in the midst of a war. A war that was raging all around them. Many of the women returned stateside and never received any therapy.  Just as their brother-soldiers, they pretty much faded back into "the world" as if nothing had ever happened. "After all, it was only a year- how bad could it have been?", their unknowing friends would wonder.

Sometimes a cup of coffee from a "round eye" was
the best thing a soldier could think of.

"Yes and how many seas must a white dove sail, before she sleeps in the sand?"

-Bob Dylan "Blowin' in the Wind

The question was asked "How many (SRAO Red Cross) volunteers died?" The answer is four we will list their names here with deepest sadness and in honor of their contributions and ultimate sacrifices- regardless. May they rest in eternal peace.

Hannah E. Crews, Jeep accident, Bien Hoa October 2, 1969

Lucinda Richter, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Cam Ranh Bay February 9, 1971

Virginia E. (Ginny) Kirsch, murdered by an American soldier, Cu Chi August 16, 1970

Sharon Wesley, April 4, 1975, "Operation Babylift" crash, after her tour with ARC

The American Red Cross Memorial
Washington, DC
November 11, 2013
" In Honor and Memory of the
Men and Women of the American Red Cross
Who Gave Their Lives In Service
to Mankind

In Memoriam
May You Rest In Peace
Thank You

Thank You Women of the American Red Cross (SRAO) Vietnam

(Donut Dollies)

Welcome Home!

1. Attributions: a Weber, Maryann L., "Forgotten Sacrifices: American Civilian Women in the Vietnam War"   (1996) Master's Theses, Paper 1272. San Jose State University.
2. Photos: Have been gleaned from various sites on the internet. Most do not have credits or attributions, kindly contact us if you recognize any of these photos and/if they are yours, we can remove them or, at your request add the credit.  We understand how personal they are. VMWT mywartoo@gmail.com
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