9 Things the US Army Did in Vietnam That Australian Soldiers Refused to Copy

The Australians fought beside the US Army for six years, borrowed its helicopters and its artillery, and admired a great deal about it. And there were things the Americans did every day that the diggers looked at, understood perfectly, and would not do: the radio on the trail, the smoke break, the dog tags on a chain, the helicopter for everything, the artillery before the landing, the body count, the four-month soldier, the ambush with no way out, and the rifle. Plus the one American idea the Australians did copy, and paid for. Chapters: 0:00 The track in Phuoc Tuy 2:08 9. The radio on the trail 4:00 8. The smoke break 5:44 7. The dog tags on a chain 7:17 6. The helicopter for everything 8:49 5. The artillery before the landing 10:13 4. The body count 11:59 3. The four-month soldier 14:30 2. The ambush with no way out 16:21 1. The rifle 18:57 The one thing they did copy 20:06 What became of it 21:27 Your turn Your turn: if you served beside the Australians or the New Zealanders, what did they do that you never understood, and what did they refuse to do that you wish your outfit had refused too? Australian and Kiwi veterans, what was the American thing that drove you up the wall? Unit, place and year. One line is enough. The best answer becomes a future file. Sources: - Greg Lockhart, The Minefield: An Australian Tragedy in Vietnam (Allen & Unwin, 2007) - Ian McNeill and Ashley Ekins, On the Offensive: The Australian Army in the Vietnam War 1967-1968 (Allen & Unwin, 2003) - Lex McAulay, The Battle of Long Tan (Hutchinson, 1986) - Australian War Memorial, Vietnam War collection and unit histories (awm.gov.au) - Department of Veterans' Affairs (Australia), Australians at War: Vietnam (anzacportal.dva.gov.au) - Accounts from Australian, New Zealand and American veterans of the Vietnam War, including the comments on this channel #VietnamWar #VietnamVeterans #Australia