October 9, 2014
Setting the record straight on contentious Vietnam War issue
Former Vietnam War platoon commander turned masters student reveals alleged war cover up.
A former Vietnam War platoon commander who is now a masters student at UOW has set the record straight on one of the war’s most contentious issues – the accidental killing of five civilians and wounding of six others at Nui Dat on 23 October 1967.
The stark recollections from those involved (entitled ‘The Diggers’ wish: set the record straight’) have just been published in the Oral History Association of Australia Journal. And at the centre of the article compiled by Ben Morris is the controversial claim that Army officialdom at the time tried to cover-up the reality of the event.
It has been revealed in the Journal article that on the platoon’s return to the Nui Dat base that it was suggested to Ben that the platoon should have been carrying captured enemy weapons to place on dead bodies. This could have allowed the battalion to claim these dead as enemy.
“In my opinion (at the time), this was deceitful and undoubtedly illegal. My report was written with a reference to the conversation about enemy weapons, but I was later ordered to sign a report that had my observations about these directions deleted,” Ben said.
Ben, who is undertaking a Master of Arts (Research) in UOW’s Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts served as platoon commander, 2 Platoon, Alpha Company, Second Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) in Vietnam during 1967 with a group of 33 men under his command.
Eighteen of the 33 soldiers in the platoon consented to provide oral histories of their experiences during the war. Each oral history interview was conducted using a questionnaire covering their service from their initial contact with the Army until discharge. Of the participating 18 veterans, 10 discussed the killing of the five civilians in their accounts.
Ben said it was important to set the record straight especially as there have been misleading media coverage over the years as well as incorrect claims by government ministerial representatives.
Most of the veterans were initially reluctant to talk about the accidental killing of Vietnamese civilians, which has become known as the ‘Bamboo Pickers Incident’. The platoon opened fire on the civilians when the platoon mistook the stick as a weapon being carried by a VietCong soldier. In fact, they were civilians out collecting bamboo.
“My own memories about the incident are vivid. The moment between the machine gun firing on the civilians and hearing the whimpering of children caught in the gunfire was very short but still remains with us all,” Ben said.
"I knew instantly on hearing the cries for help that something was very wrong. I ordered the platoon to ceasefire and ran toward the killing ground to assess the carnage. I was confronted with a scene that will haunt me forever."
“As I moved forward I think I was inwardly hoping that the residual firing would kill me. I had a death wish at that moment.”
In August 1976, Dr Jim Cairns, a doyen of the left wing of the Labor Party and the person who had been the leader of the movement against Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War, alleged that Australian troops in Vietnam had killed 27 civilians and most probably declared them as enemy rather than civilian deaths. This caused a political furore.
The Minister for Defence at the time, Jim Killen, promised a full scale inquiry. Later the minister said he had not been given any specific details about civilians being killed so he was not prepared to convene an inquiry into the allegations.
Ben said that when telling their stories, veterans tend to prefer to follow the theme of the national myth, which in this case is the ANZAC legend.
“In this research, the majority avoided disturbing and unpalatable memories of a particular incident. They demonstrate the hypothesis that memories are composed so the owner can live with them.”
Ben said that while his research presents a less than glowing picture of our battlefield experience, “it is not my intention to question the courage or bravery of our soldiers”.
Note to media: A copy of the full journal article and a high resolution image of Ben Morris are available by contacting either Bernie Goldie or Elise Pitt.
Media contact: Ben Morris can be contacted for further information on +61 2 4227 3664 (h). For general media enquires, please contact Bernie Goldie, +61 2 4221 5942, +61 412 484 124 or bgoldie@uow.edu.au.