Three months and fifty years ago Australian soldiers were in the midst of one of the bloodiest and most significant battles they would face in the Vietnam War, the battle of Coral and Balmoral.
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Named for two “fire support bases” so the northeast of Saigon, the battle of Coral and Balmoral was a series of actions sparked when Australian, New Zealand and US forces were deployed right in the path of the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops withdrawing from their Tet Offensive attack.
As Wollongong marks Vietnam Veterans Day on Saturday, August 18, a veteran of Coral-Balmoral, Austinmer’s Major-General Brian “Hori” Howard, will give the address.
It will be part of a ceremony held at 11am at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Endeavour Drive above Wollongong Harbour. All are welcome to attend, and weather permitting a Caribou aircraft will perform a flyover during the ceremony.
“The Caribou aircraft was a workhorse during the Vietnam war and the sound of the Caribou’s engines certainly bring back memories to those who served,” Vietnam Veterans Association Illawarra sub-branch president Ian Birch said.
Each year Teresa Tran, president of the Vietnamese community in Wollongong, sends her gratitude to the Australians who served.
“For as long as we live and regardless whether the Australian Army and personnel were conscripted or enlisted to go to Vietnam on their free will, we have a responsibility and duty to remember their sacrifices,” she said.
