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| We
came off the farms and we came from the cities. We were
descended from the original inhabitants and we were
descendants of the early white settlers. Our parents had
emigrated from Europe after World War Two and we were
just new arrivals ourselves to this country. Our names
were tribal, they were Anglo-Saxon and they were
European. We had left school when we were 14 and we were
still going to University. We were labourers, clerks,
tradesmen, soldiers, and unemployed. We were on the run
from the law and we were solid citizens. We were the Baby
Boomer generation and we were Regular career soldiers
(Regs) and we were Conscripted into National Service
(Nashos). We represented a microcosm of Australian
society in the 1970's. We were here because we wanted
adventure, because we believed in fighting for democracy,
because our Government had asked us or we had nothing
better to do at the time. We had only one thing in common
... we were all volunteers. We were to become Charlie
Company. We were to set the record for the longest single
operation in the history of the Vietnam War (52 days) and
possibly for the entire Australian Army. In World War Two
soldiers averaged 40 days in four years in combat in the
jungle ... an average of 10 days per year ... we did more
than 5 years worth in the first operation alone. In
Vietnam soldiers averaged 314 days per year in Combat. Rumour had it, that if you fouled up you got sent to Charlie Company and if you fouled up again (or badly in the first place) then you went to 7 Platoon. Whether that rumour was true or not, we certainly had our characters. A bunch of disparate blokes thrown together ... they formed us into Sections, then those Sections became the Platoons and finally those Platoons became Charlie Company. Each Platoon took on the characteristics of the Platoon Leader. |
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Company  Headquarters |
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  Major Peter "Spot" Tilley commanded Charlie Company with WO2 David "Moose" Harris as the Company Sergeant Major. |
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7
 Platoon |
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  Sergeant
Robert "Dogs" Kearney commanded 7 Platoon. The
Goon Platoon (as they were to become known) had a number
of lieutenants, but they never stayed with them long.
Dogs became The Head Goon and the Platoon took on Dogs'
personality ... hard drinking, hard fighting and never
give an inch. The drunken Rat became the Goon Platoon's
emblem and their motto was R.L.B.P (Rape, Loot, Burn
& Plunder). The Goons amassed more charges than any
other Platoon in Charlie Company. Of all the Lieutenants
that they had, Lt Dennis J. Tyson was the only
one really accepted by The Goons ... and then only
because he allowed Dogs to continue to have a say in the
leadership of the Platoon.The Goons still hold a special place in their heart for Dennis Tyson. |
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8  Platoon |
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 2nd Lt Dave Paterson commanded 8
Platoon. He was a giant of a man, who had to have his
uniforms especially made for him. Lt Dave Paterson cared
deeply for his men and the platoon members loved him in
return. Eight Platoon adopted the logo of the Golden
Fleece Petroleum Company and it's associated slogan of
Activ-8 (Active Eight). The platoon reflected Dave
Paterson's personality, well ordered, well disciplined
and well trained. 2Lt Dave Paterson was Killed In Action
in Viet Nam on 20 March 1971. |
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9  Platoon |
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 2nd Lieutenant Robert
"Bob" Lewis commanded 9 Platoon. Bob was
recognised by all members of Charlie Company as one of
the best Platoon Commanders within the Battalion, and all
the troops respected Bob Lewis' judgement. Nine Platoon
were a determined, disciplined, well organised and well
trained Platoon. Bob Lewis has maintained close contact
with the Platoon members since Viet Nam. |
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| The Web Site | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The web site will take your through the history and the stories of Charlie Company, 3RAR during their Tour Of Duty in Viet Nam in 1971. Although the Company worked in the same general area of Phuoc Tuy, each Platoon had different experiences. Each page of the history will tell the general story for that part of the tour and the specific Platoon stories will be identified by their Platoon Logos ... 9 actually didn't have a logo (so I have given them one for the site). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regardless of your
opinions of the morality of The Viet Nam War or the
rights and wrongs of it, we went there to do a job ....
and at times we may have done it in our own way ... but
....
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| by
Bob Wood, Tony Cox, Bob Lewis & members of C Coy © 1999 - |
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| Disclaimer:This site has no official links with the Army, Department of Defence, The Royal Australian Regiment or 3 RAR. The site is purely a personal page of recollections & photos of our great adventure and the blokes that shared that adventure. Any errors or omissions are accidental and regretted. Please email the Author and they will be corrected. | ||||
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