The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) began its involvement in the war in 1964 when a flight of Caribous began flying transport operations around South Vietnam. The following year RAAF helicopters began operations and in 1967 a squadron of Canberra bombers arrived in the country. Other RAAF personnel performed a variety of roles in Vietnam, from aeromedical evacuations to airfield construction and combat flying with United States forces.
To most Australians who served in Vietnam the RAAF presence was exemplified by the Iroquois helicopter. [AWM VN/68/0011/07] Regarded as emblematic of the conflict, the Iroquois, an image of which appears on the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial on Canberra's Anzac Parade, played a vital role in carrying men to and from operations, transporting supplies and, importantly, getting the wounded from the field to a hospital in time to save the lives of many who would otherwise have perished.