Reception to honour Viet war veterans

By Jim Mynard
CASEY mayor Kevin Bradford has invited Casey Vietnam War veterans to attend a special civic reception for themselves and their partners.
The reception will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.
The reception will be held from 10am to noon on Saturday, 26 August at the Casey Civic Centre.
Cr Bradford asked veterans who would like to attend to register by Tuesday, 22 August through the council’s customer service centre on 9705 5200.
“The Vietnam War represents the longest operational commitment of Australian forces, and our nation is forever indebted to the efforts of our service personnel, many of whom served in extremely perilous circumstances,” he said.
“The upcoming civic reception is one way to recognise the residents who served in the Vietnam War effort and their partners, and respect the enormous contributions they made to serve our country.”
Between mid 1962 and 1973, when the last Australian troops were withdrawn from South Vietnam, about 60,000 Australian servicemen and women had taken part in the war directly or in logistic support roles.
A total of 520 Australian service personnel and seven civilians died in the war.
More than 3000 were injured and many others are still living with trauma.
Cr Bradford said Vietnam Veterans’ Day was on 18 August each year.
“This is an opportunity to honour those Australians who served during the Vietnam War and remember those who did not come home,” he said.