Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan

Vietnam Veterans’ Day – Honouring the Battle of Long Tan

Today, on Vietnam Veterans’ Day, we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan – one of the most significant battles ever fought by Australian forces during the Vietnam War.

On 18 August 1966, just 108 men of D Company, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, encountered a vastly larger enemy force in a rubber plantation near Long Tan. Surrounded and fighting through torrential rain, they held their ground with the vital support of Australian, New Zealand and United States artillery, before reinforcements arrived in armoured personnel carriers.

Eighteen Australians lost their lives and 24 were wounded. Their courage, discipline and mateship in the face of overwhelming odds became an enduring part of our nation’s military history – a testament to the spirit of Australian service.

Sixty years on, we honour those who fought at Long Tan, those who did not return home, and every Australian who served in Vietnam. We also remember the families who waited, worried and carried the burden of war – and the veterans who returned to a nation that did not always give them the recognition they deserved.

To all Vietnam veterans: we thank you. We honour you. We will remember you.

Lest We Forget.