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Category: Conflicts/Vietnam

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Viet Nam Patrol; just another day at the office for a Crunchie

 

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<< The Infantry Combat Badge. This is how to earn one
This page is NOT for the Old and Bold. They KNOW what it's like. This is to try to give people who have never been there an idea of what a patrol in a combat zone is like. 

On this patrol you're the new bloke. A Reo. The originals would probably like you better if it weren't for the fact that your being here means that someone, a mate, went home in a body bag or all shot up. OK, got the picture. Let's start.

Saddle up. Righto you. Your first patrol. Welcome to the Funny Country. Check your gear, your weapon/s, your ammo. Load the whole damn lot on your back or around your waist. When you lift it all off the ground you will find out why you are called a "grunt". Grab your rifle. Hook a couple of bandoliers of machine gun ammo round your neck. If we hit the shit we don't want the Gun running low on ammo. Just ask Delta Six what that is like. Not something you do twice. The Skipper is on edge and the OpsO is going crazy. Thank Christ for Sergeants, they're half sane; except for Smithy, but this is his 3rd tour and he's been wounded twice so he reckons his luck is all shot to hell.

OK. You're at the "bus stop" waiting your turn to go to work. Relax. You can only die once.

You're riding the slicks. Hey Ho Hey Ho it's off to work we go. Hope the LZ is not hot.

You're down and still alive. Good start. Run for the trees. The LZ is not hot, Yet, but you never know.
 To continue the patrol
  • Most (not all) images from a selection of 283 Vietnam Pictures – Ian Cavanough, 

  • ALL photos are genuine, taken in country. None are staged.
  • I make no suggestion that this is anything other than a representation. It is not intended to be a Battalion specific story. It is a generalization.
  • Crunchie was the term Aussies Diggers used for infantry. Later in the war and afterwards the American term "Grunt" started to be used.
  • Reo meant Reinforcement. A new bloke. What the yanks called FNGs.
 

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