John Sonneveld - Arriving in Vietnam

Running time
1 min 37 sec
Date made
Copyright
Department of Veterans' Affairs

Transcript

I was at Oakey at that point in time, doing the training, not knowing, and next thing, I got a posting, I think it was a letter or something rather say, well, look, you're off to Vietnam on such and such a date. And I managed to organize to get my wife and, what did I have then?

Three kids, back to Melbourne, to stay close to her mother and before you know it, I'm on a flight to Vietnam…I was met Tan Son Nhut airport by one of the army pilots from Nui Dat, in a little, I think it was Cessna 180, that they flew and, the next thing, I'm at Nui Dat, it was a total blur…Nui Dat was well established by the time I got there.

In my last month, because we were starting to withdraw, we moved to Vung Tau. But other than that, I mean, I hardly ever got, I think I got out in the town in Vung Tau twice, just too busy…I still remember at Tan Son Nhut, wondering who's going to find me, and next thing I see this bloke with his blue beret approaching me, who was David Early, and he said, "Good day. Good to see you. Goodbye." He was home. And this other bloke, I think it was Bob Smith or somebody or other, who flew the airplane and took me to Nui Dat. And then, I proceeded to be indoctrinated for the next two weeks, which learning what to do there.

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