Bill Black's story

Bill Black was a musician before he was drafted for compulsory national service.

After basic military training, Bill served for 6 months in Vietnam in 1971 as a medic with 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR).

Bill's selection as a medic was based on the old tradition of musicians being used as stretcher-bearers. He says that it was an understandable thing to do because musicians used both sides of their brain. This was critical to making good decisions under pressure for the care of injured men on the battlefield.

After his return to Australia, Bill eventually joined the police force. While he enjoyed the comradeship he found in the police, it did not match the experience he had in the army.