Australian PM apologizes to Vietnam War vets

[CHIMO]

Australian PM apologizes to Vietnam War vets
Last Updated Fri, 18 Aug 2006 08:38:20 EDT
The Associated Press

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has apologized to the country's Vietnam War veterans for the lack of respect they were shown for serving in the conflict.

Speaking on Friday at a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of Long Tan, one of the deadliest battles involving Australians in Vietnam, Howard said Australia was slow to recognize the psychological strain that many veterans suffered after serving in the war, which was highly unpopular at the time.

"We're very conscious of the lingering impact of that psychological strain," Howard said at the Vietnam War memorial in Canberra. Australia was "not as grateful and respectful as it should have been 40 years ago," he said.

"Let me say to all of you … that your nation honours you, your nation respects you and your nation thanks you for your courage and your commitment," he said.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/08/18/australia-vietnam.html

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. Lucheznum Poznem, chem nekagda ne

Russian, as close as I can approximate it in English typeface, for

Better Late Than Never

[MrPrax]

2. Is he apologizing to Vietnam? n/t

[Mountainman]

3. I met a lot of Aussies in Vietnam. I really liked them. Most of them kept

a good sense of humor in spite of the fact that we were in a war zone.

[Monkeyman]

5. Yep and met the headhunters too in the vally of death

[David__77]

4. It's the people of Vietnam who deserve an apology.

There's no honor in a criminal war, except for those who resist it.

[Mountainman]

6. The whole damn war was fought by the people of Vietnam on both sides.

I don't know where some of this shit comes from. Misinformation I guess.

[DemoTex]

7. Well, I worked with an Aussie T/S crypto unit at Phan Thiet (Poppa Tango)

They were top notch. The fact that we passed secure (scrambler) top-secret crypto info from in-flight, to the Aussies (Royal Australian Navy) on the ground at Phan Thiet validates their trustworthiness. We occasionally sent a helo or U-8 down to pick up a few of those blokes for our famous parties at Can Rahn. Their legs were hollow and their dic ... well, never mind. The Cam Rahn nurses loved those damed blokes!

I took my R&R in Australia in August 1971 (Winter there). I went to Thredbo to ski. All favors were re-payed, plus.

In 1994 I ran into a couple of the R.A.N. guys from Viet Nam at the Singapore Air Show. We had beers (again) and swapped stories, etc.. They mailed me a handful of "Fly Royal Australian Navy" bumper stickers. I flew them proudly on my bumpers, as long as I had them.

BTW: Any RAN guys from RVN, mail me and I'll swap some stickers from RVN.

[Mountainman]

8. One thing I remember is that I could not understand them because of their

accent but the more beers we drank the easier it was to understand each other. I missed my R&R to Sidney by one day. My fist sergent would not let me leave in time to fly to Cameron Bay. I sat on the runway and watched the plane take off without me.

[DemoTex]

9. What a bummer!

Our mission communications were so terse (Top-Secret/Crypto), that it did not matter. Sorry about your R&R. But Sidney sucked. I went to the Snowy Mountains, where scores of American-loving young women (teachers, nurses, professionals, etc) were on winter holiday. Imagine.

[anakie]

10. pity he can't apologize to indigenous Australians

for years (216) of oppression.

[AusGail]

11. As well as apologizing to the Aborigines,

he should have apologized on behalf of his party for sending our troops into Vietnam in the first place. Remember "All the way with LBJ"? It was not our war and we had no business being there. Howard is a sniveling, brown-nose little worm. He's only trying to buy votes.