Vietnam Veterans from across the country are gathering at Port Macquarie this week for the 44th Reunion of the Battle of Fire Support Base Coral.
Over 320 Veterans and their families will be attending a program of events for the Reunion titled ‘Coral on the Coast’.
Members of the public are invited to join Veterans and their families for a short march from the Glasshouse forecourt and along Hay Street, followed by a Commemorative Service at the Port Macquarie War Memorial from 4pm on Saturday, May 19.
At the Battles of Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral in May/June 1968, Australian soldiers fought their largest, most sustained and most hazardous Battles of the Vietnam War against the North Vietnamese regular army in what was then known as Bien Hoa Province.
The first of the Battles at FSPB Coral on May 13, 1968 saw Units of the 1st Australian Task Force withstand heavy enemy attacks during which a mortar platoon and two gun positions were partly overrun.
The Australians drove off the enemy after fierce close-quarter actions, with the Task Force suffering 11 killed in action and another 28 wounded.
Ever since, those involved in the Battle and their families have been meeting each year at different States and towns across Australia.
“The bonds the battle created remain with each of us today,” says local organiser of this year’s reunion, Ross Hoy.
“It was a life changing moment for most of those involved,” says Hoy who was conscripted for National Service.
“Our Battalion was an interesting mix of regular Army guys and Nashos, with many of the frontline soldiers having already done a tour in Vietnam and some were Korean Veterans.
“The Reunion is one of the most successful of all Vietnam Veterans’ Reunions with large numbers attending each year.
“It is a special time for us to remember not only what happened at the Battle and those who lost their lives but to also remember our fellow soldiers who have lost their lives since then, many as the result of their service in Vietnam.”
