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Robert wrote the following story in 1985 in response to my request to an interview for a proposed VVet book which did not eventuate. I trust this person is the correct Robert Kennett as his details match. Val Braendler Apr2025


Robert Kennett National Serviceman His own notes

Qn : How would you describe life before volunteering?
Never heard of Vietnam. Always have been wanting to join the army, navy, air force. Very glad my number came up as it was the lever necessary to nudge me from what I know now as cultural ignorance of all things world-wise. I was offered deferment, etc. but preferred joining regulars. Have been going through culture shock since.
Qn: Describe your feelings about being called up.
Fear of the unknown, excitement of the adventure, should I or shouldn’t I? To hell with it, go.
Why volunteer? More adventure. Get out and do something exciting at last. I didn’t want to stay all the time in Australia. It was a way of travel I couldn’t resist. I would do it all again if possible. When we were due out the Middle East flared up so Australia was almost about to send troops but it was deferred. When that happened I changed my mind about staying in green. I regret that decision.
Qn: How much did you know about Vietnam and the war?
Absolutely nothing, didn’t even know where it was. Just a farm boy who didn’t know outside of the boundary. We should have known so much more than we did about the people, the country, the culture, the way of life. We didn’t know a damn thing except the lectures on disease, bars, drugs, and social habits of the locals (ie: rip-offs, theft, pocket-picking kids, etc.).
Qn: Would you have changed your actions as a result?
No, I still would have done what I did. Perhaps even more. A few bad shots but mostly fun. We should have known so much more. Forewarned is forearmed. Some knowledge on matters other than military would have helped understanding.
Qn: What happened in Vietnam?
Arrival at Vung tau, then by air to Nui Dat. Settling in plus country training. Then first op, much footwear and miles. The occasional night-time disturbance suspects, mostly animals. Now and then a body or some goods dropped. We were in Xyen moc (?) and Long Khan for some of our fun. C Company hit a reasonable force, suffered some casualties, and we as reserves were peppered with shrapnel from the artillery support group. A big piece just missed. I still have it. Others sat around with shovels over their heads. Unfortunately I cannot remember the time of each op, or even the code names of them.
It’s hard to describe the thickness or darkness of the jungle. Even the rubber plantations weren’t real bright. And the rain, always on time. We could hear it up top. Much later it would reach us and rain for twice as long as the original shower. I think we spent a lot of time in the plantation of Don Dien de Courtney. Most of the time we were on high ground but a couple of times the ground got a bit wet and soft. I remember one day the gunner just disappeared down to the waist in mud.
Mosquitoes and leeches were our biggest problem. We saw the occasional snake but there was no real trouble. Ron Greagen got one leech in the corner of his eye and was removed while the leech was removed. Had some monkeys in Ogradies and my night site. A bit noisy so I tried to chase them away. As I put my arm in the tent I felt lice shoot up my arm. I slept in the next tent. Chomper ants were a source of wonder to us. The size of those things and at night under the ground-sheet you could hear them munching away. One unnamed bloke woke up in the morning covered by bites on his chest.
One night on the gun we heard some noises in the scrub out left. On investigation we found G. Taylor half asleep about fifty yards outside the perimeter, lost. It was his turn on the gun. Another night, I remember after dark some had hot coffee before bed. T. Freeman made his coffee and had just finished putting the fire out when something made a noise outside the perimeter. He opened up with the gun. I can’t remember what it was, but when it was all over, his coffee was full of MG shells.
We were in Long Khan one day and found a couple of grass huts. We torched them and a big pile of plastic. The rubbish pit had cans of a better class of food than we were getting, eg: shrimp, prawns and tuna were some. This same day we had to rush to a L.Z. to be lifted out as an APC had blown up with a load of troops on board. One of our platoons scored the job of collecting the pieces. A couple of days later a hand was found, fly-ridden.
Another night N. Kirke and I were on the gun when we would hear human footsteps passing in front. He opened up but we never found anything come daylight. We saddled up and had just moved out when a fight broke put a few hundred yards up front. A while later the line moved again, then a shot did to the left, and a couple of ARVN soldiers walked past. We found out a short while later that these were the ones that had a go at us.
Another day after an R&R we were on the APC heading through a hamlet when the column stopped. As we were the tail end, it was over an hour before we got moving again. As we passed through a village we saw a bloke on the ground with a hole through his forehead. Apparently he’d raced out and had a go at the front carrier and lost. The occasional bout tended to relieve the boredom and frustration of all the walking and moving and not finishing anything.
Unfortunately as the number of contacts rose so did the casualties. I remember being back at the Dat watching TV one afternoon and, as it happened, the frequency of the radio was the same as this TV channel. I don’t remember the show, but suddenly we knew the C Company had taken three fatals by late afternoon. Occasionally we’d have night blackouts. This night at the Dat, before or after an op, we were all sitting around doing whatever when all lighting went out. Up there night is blacker than I could describe. You’d know where your defence was but things would go wrong, like the lights go out, you’d grab helmet and rifle and race out and around the tent to get to the pit. Count off an estimated fifteen or so paces, presto, your pit. Most times you’d get to perhaps ten and find bloody great holes sooner than expected already filled with scrambled bodies who had the same problem. Feels like walking off a cliff in the dark.
Our battles had no names and only lasted a couple of minutes. One night at the Dat all was quiet and peaceful, and early shots sounded out from the ARVN camp next door. They always carried sidearms as well as rifles. We heard that a couple of drunks had a cowboy disagreement and settled by fire fight.
The last big contact we had was in September, I think, about lunchtime. We were front section with G. Clarke up scouting. I’d only just hit the ground to the right when Clarke started a fight up front a couple of yards away. One got away but we had a KIA. I moved to the left as the gun and scouts moved in, and when the body gave a twitch, the cry, “He’s going for his gun!” set up a real din. I was about twenty feet or so away, and when silence returned, I had a piece of meat sitting on my barrel.
This turned into a bad day for us. I was always last man. Later that afternoon we walked into an ambush sprung by rifle fire signalling the mortar bombardment on us. Being last man is like being rear scout, and it was about now with bombs going off and fire crackling overhead that I felt bloody scared. I’ve never felt like this before or since, but luckily I could only hear what was going on as the wounded were brought back. The closest I got was a few meters away. P. Nicholson’s forehead disappeared in a cloud of blood. We had no KIA but half our force was wounded and dusted off before dark, and as a result, Freeman, Bennett, Porter, Muller and Olde were RTA. The rest were not serious physical injuries.
We stayed where it was till all the wounded were out. By then it was dark, real dark. We had to move to another unit’s position straight away, and again I was last man so the rescue platoon led the way. Pitch black, silent except for the slow shuffle of feet in the distance yet so close. Several times I thought I was left behind, took a step forward and collided with the next bloke because you couldn’t even hear someone breathing a foot away. The trip to safety took forever but we made it, after a heart stop when someone in front fired signal shots to guide us in. A few days later we were sent back to this spot to pick up our dropped gear to find it still untouched. Nicholson’s hat was still there full of pieces of steel.
Once this op was finished we scaled down to a few days out at a time so we were moved over to 3RAR lines till it was time to head for Vung Tau. These short runs were worse than the month long jogs. We had contacts but I’m sure animals were the sole recipients of our welcome. One of the blues in this phase was started by someone on the gear seeing two figures turn the corner in the moonlight. “Halt (bang), who goes there?” didn’t get results, even a couple of hours of star shells failed to help. A morning sweep found a dead body in a bush of a quarter in size, had been dead for a couple of days and it wasn’t us.
To see the effect of new mortar attack was to bring it to the surface. We were stood down that night, a few days before leaving the Dat, around the fire joking when next door a salvo of mortars went off, frightened the stuffing out of us and emptied a few chairs as those who did hugged the ground. There weren’t too many of us left in this platoon at this stage, but we had no fatals as the other company had. Once we got to Vung Tau it was all leisure and a bit of practice, into town, swimming or sightseeing.
Qn: What significant events stand out?
There is no real significant event that stands out because all that happened were unforgettable experiences, dimmed only by time and memory and regrets. I’m glad I was where I was when I was. I wouldn’t want to miss it. I suppose the most significant event, if there has to be one, would be the baptism of fire and the closeness of death. Tends to make you appreciate life more.
Qn: What feelings and thoughts did you have towards the Vietnamese, the country and the war?
None at the time but on reflection now I can recall what it means to me. I had no malice towards them before, during or after. I had no contact with the real seedy side of the country and people. The country was interesting as we were taken on a sightseeing tour of the safe areas, bypassing known VC strongholds Like the Long Hia hills, which were being shelled by the Brisbane off the coast at the time we went past. We were also taken to the Elephant Bath used by an emperor whose name I have forgotten.
Qn: What feelings and thoughts do you have about VVet mates, war-life and the anti-war movement?
While man lives on this earth, we will have degeneration, suppression, tyranny, oppression of minority groups and aggression. We will have conflict of some kind, irrespective of whether it’s called war, police action, emergency or whatever. Nobody like fighting, I don’t, but sometimes there comes a time where you have to decide to fight or capitulate, and suffer the consequences. I really miss the blokes I was with as there was a common bond between us all, and there were some favourites who had the best influence on me, not necessarily the most influence, but the best. I miss them because I’m not the same and nor are they.
I do not wish to seem a warmonger, I’m not, but at that time, in that place, I was alive. The anti-Vietnam movement signified the desertion of the Australian fighting man by the people of Australia. Sure, they had the right to object, obstruct and demonstrate, because the young boys fought and died in WWI and II and Korea so that they could be free to obstruct, object and demonstrate.
Qn: How did you feel on coming home?
Empty, lost, confused. Reconstruction was a non-event. I survived due to aimless wandering. I didn’t have much to leave, didn’t have much to come back to. In between was life and death. Who wins?
Qn: What effect has the war had on your life?
Some unfortunate side effects to live with are purely physical, others psychological. Sure, I’m suffering, but the war can’t be blamed entirely and there are a lot worse than I am.
Qn: What are your ideas about the present situation in Vietnam, future Australian involvement in wars and compulsory national service?
Now that the Communists are in control, are the peasants any better off? Better food? Better treatment? I don’t know, they weren’t too good when I was there. The Vietnamese military might will not stop as the Domino Principle has predicted, so they will cross borders until they are stopped.
Australia should be warned by Vietnam and be very careful of future involvements. We do have to keep our shores free of invaders, and that’s a lot closer than most people know. Darwin and Broome were bombed, Sydney was attacked, and there’s evidence that the Japanese may have set foot on Australian soil. The Australian Government was prepared to let WA go to the enemy if required.
Let’s keep undesirables out. The boat people who were accepted by nations throughout the world were not true refugees. It cost about $10,000 to $20,000 for a seat in a boat plus gold and jewels were taken by pirates on the way. True refugees and peasants didn’t have that kind of money. Some, of course, were genuine but most were not.
National Service was a good idea and should be re-introduced on a wider scale than before. We’ve got one hell of a coastline to protect from disease, immigrants, drugs, etc. and in peacetime military resources will be escalated as well as civil defence workers who are already in disaster relief. Unemployed could be our greatest labour resource. Not everyone can be employed but everyone can be productive to better themselves to the height of their own incompetence. Conscription saved us in one war, helped another, and one day it will again.
Qn: What do you think we’ve learnt from the Vietnamese conflict? Was it worth being there? Would you do it again, given similar circumstances?
Nothing. And the Yanks, even less. If we learned from these things, we’d know how to stop them, but we haven’t. I don’t know whether it was worth it because I don’t know what we were there for – to stop the takeover of their country or to get them used to being overtaken. When the props were taken away, the place collapsed in 1975. When that happened, it took away the worthwhile.
Yes, I’d do it again for the same reasons. For those who don’t want to be involved, they can transfer. Those who do not want to be active can supply support. Politicians start wars and leave it to the common fighting force to either finish or get out.


Notes written by Robert Kennett in 1985.