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Non-Australian Military Awards

Once upon a time, the Australian Government had a strict policy that no foreign awards were to be accepted. This policy was winked at a few times during WW2 and Korea to my knowledge, but when we were briefed prior to going to Vietnam by Dept of Air (a large formal briefing in the RAAF Richmond cinema in early '64), and we asked what the policy on foreign awards would be, we were told absolutely no acceptance and any recommendations would be treated for Aust (Brit) awards.

Much later, of course, we found out that was a straight-out lie. As it happens, some time in Aug/Sep '65, I happened to be with my boss at Nha Trang Special Forces HQ when he was asked by the Colonel commanding US SF what was happening to the recommendations he had made for awards to Australians. SQNLDR Harvey said he would find out. In Sep '65 (at the Air Force Week cocktail party in Saigon), I also happened to be with Harvey when he asked GPCAPT Coombs, Air Attache Saigon, the same question. Coombs answered that they were all filed in the WPB (waste paper basket) in accordance with instructions from Dept of Air. With respect to the conversion of foreign to Aust awards, there was also the limitation imposed by only allowing so many Australian awards per year (or maybe per tour, I'm not sure).

By and large the policy was accepted by the troops at the time, although some accepted medals as memorabilia "under the counter" as it were, and it was only later that people started to get their knickers in a knot when they realized that the policy had been very unfairly applied over the years. There were other attempts at some sort of recognition (perhaps analogous to the dolls after Long Tan). My consolation prize was a commendatory plaque from the Colonel commanding 315th Air Commando Group, Colonel Hannah. However, as the war dragged on, more and more Australians accepted US awards. At some point, Howard (or somebody) did a complete about face, and Australians were given approval to put up their foreign awards if they had the paperwork.

A number of years ago several blokes from my era asked for permission to wear US awards. However, all requests were referred to the Pentagon because there was no paperwork in Australia. But, 35 years on it was all too hard for the Americans to deal with, their records were buried under mountains of paper or lost during the withdrawal. So nothing came of the requests. Not only our blokes, but a number of USAF and USA veteran friends thought this all a bit iniquitous, so an action was mounted in the States to do a bit of catch-up for those Wallabies who worked for the 315th AC Group, and also for the FACs.

It was realised that the original awards, whatever they might have been, could not be processed this far down the track. So the strategy of making a representative award of the Air Medal, as a general statement, rather than pursuing the Unit Citations and individual gongs originally sought was adopted. After serious endeavour by our US mates, the paperwork finally went to the US Congress last year, certifying every Aircrew member who responded to the submission process with their Vietnam flying record. Each Australian aircrew member in the Air Medal submission prior to being delivered to Congressman Miller was scrutinized by the CIA, the FBI and the Dept of Counter Terrorism in the US. The passage of the Submission of the US Medal was then passed thru the US Congress by Congressman Miller and the US President signed off the Award to the Caribou aircrew members in October just before Christmas, It has been a very drawn out process, particularly the getting together of all the flying records. The Wallaby bestowal presentation will be the 4th April, at the Australian War Memorial, and the FACs will receive their bestowal at the FAC Reunion to be held on the 24th April. (their Presidential approval was included in the Wallaby submission).

The organisers have tried to capture all pilots and loadmasters and assistants. Disappointing as it was to the organizers, there were aircrew members who neglected or failed to forward their details. Every endeavor was made by the organisers to contact the families of most of the deceased aircrew members but not all could be found, those deceased, whose families who were contacted and who supplied the relevant information, will get the awards. Mr. Garry Cooper of the FACs organised their records.

Each RTFV tour had 13 pilots and 6 loadmasters and 35Sqn had the same to the best of my knowledge. There were a number of repeats amongst those, a number have discontinued contact with the group as a whole and couldn't be found, and a number are no longer with us. Every effort has been made to contact everybody during the past few years.

Most of us still find the idea that something will happen after all these years a bit hard to believe. Just the same, it will be a great party when/if it happens!

Dave Grierson

It has recently been discovered that

research causes cancer in rats.

Always remember to pillage BEFORE you burn.

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