SERONG, Francis Phillip
| Service Number: | 3102 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 July 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Last Unit: | Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) |
| Born: | Abbottsford, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia , 11 November 1915 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | St Joseph's Primary School, Abbotsford, St Colman's School,Fitzroy, Parade College,East Melbourne and after winning a scholarship attended winning a scholarship he attended St Kevin's College then the Royal Military College at Duntroon, Canberra |
| Occupation: | Soldier |
| Died: | Natural causes , Melbourne, Victoria, Australia , 1 October 2002, aged 86 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 21 Jul 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lieutenant Colonel, 3102 | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Jul 1941: | Involvement Lieutenant, 3102, Royal Park, Victoria |
Vietnam War Service
| 3 Jun 1962: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Colonel, 3102 | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jun 1962: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Colonel, 3102, Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) | |
| 31 Jul 1962: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Colonel, 3102 | |
| 1 Apr 1965: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Colonel, 3102 | |
| 24 Jan 1966: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Colonel, 3102 | |
| 18 Dec 1966: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Colonel, 3102 | |
| 27 Dec 1966: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Colonel, 3102 | |
| 24 Jun 1967: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Colonel, 3102 | |
| 29 Dec 1967: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Colonel, 3102 |
World War 2 Service
| 30 Aug 1968: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lieutenant Colonel, 3102 |
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"Serong, Francis Philip (Ted) (1915–2002)
by John Farquharson
He was a ‘quiet, deep thinker, brilliant tactician, very brave in the field and a good leader’. That is how one of Australia’s most respected soldiers, General Sir Francis Hassett, described Brigadier Ted Serong who has died in Melbourne aged 86.
Those were among the qualities that led to this competent, but unassuming Australian Army officer winning international recognition for the innovative counter-insurgency and jungle warfare tactics he developed as Cold War conflicts and tensions gathered momentum in the aftermath of World War II.
His techniques and strategies were honed during his long service in the Vietnam War from August 1962 to April 1975. Initially, he made his mark there as the inspirational commanding officer of the Australian Army instructors team, known officially as the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV), to assist in the training of South Vietnam’s armed forces. Serong had considerable scope in raising the 30-strong training group, enabling him to attract highly motivated like souls. Apart from his own ability, what General Hassett termed his ‘remarkable success’ in this role, owed much to the calibre of his men, who became the most highly decorated Australian unit to serve in Vietnam. They won four VCs and a US presidential unit citation, while Serong was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and several American and South Vietnamese decorations to add to the OBE he had received in the 1962 Queen’s Birthday Honours..." - READ MORE LINK (oa.anu.edu.au)
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