50 YEARS

Submitted by PAT NUKU on

 

The effects of fifty years is a daunting kind of feeling

I recognised the hill and Luscombe Field’s tarmac sealing

What I once knew as Nui Dat was not so easy to recall

And Whiskey Company’s site was an estimation overall

So too was the chopper pad and where it used to be

 

The location of the Dust Bowl was no longer plain to view

And where Victor Company was located was also a guess too

Our guide identified the Dust Bowl in a place completely wrong

However being in the area after being away for so long

Made the whole experience precious and also saddening for me

 

Finding myself in the area made memories I had, return

And 1968 seemed like yesterday somewhat - as I yearned

I imagined so many places that were there so long ago.

Then we headed up the coast to that place I knew, Dat (Doe) Do

To visit the Horse Shoe area and see what I could see

 

But we couldn’t visit the site as it’s now a quarry too.

Part of the “Horse Shoe” is still there and easy for all to view

Where Three Platoon had their AOR to care for and to roam

So again a little saddened we left Dat Do and headed home

Stopping on our way to eat, for a small fee

 

For me the trip was exciting and it came with little cost

It was for me a special way to remember those that we had lost

So privately I dropped a “Poppy” on Luscombe Field along the way

Hoerara, Awatere and Petersen, I remembered there that day

And also for those that we have lost over the past fifty years

The effects of fifty years is a daunting feeling. Returning to the area of Nui Dat was almost unidentifiable. I did recognise the hill, Nui Dat, I was also able to recognise Luscombe Field and also the area where Whiskey Company was based. The Chopper Pad was hard to recognise and the Dust Bowl was completely unidentifiable. Our guide identified an area he said was the Dust Bowl, but where he said it was, was on the wrong side of Luscombe Field and not even at the end of Luscombe Field.

Of course just being in the area was an emotional and also a very sad feeling for me. I knew where I was and I could place myself at areas in my mind, but for most of it not to exist was a little heart wrenching. The most satisfying feeling I had was simply to be back in Nui Dat. To stand on an area of what I determined to be where Whiskey Company was, to stand on what I believed was the helipad, to have driven on Luscombe field and looked at the area that would have been the Dust Bowl. These experiences have been an awakening for the year of 1968. Then we headed to Dat Do (Pronounced Dat Doe) and hopefully to view what I knew as the Horse Shoe. Surprisingly, part of the “Horse Shoe” still exists but not being able to go onsite was a little hard never the less it was satisfying.

The Long Tan cross area was a nice visit but I must say that it did not have an emotional feeling for me. I am sure that many feel differently to me and many reading this will probably feel offended but I have to tell you I knew little if anything of Long Tan until years after my time in Viet Nam. I joined the NZ Army in late April early May 1967 and was with Whiskey Company arriving in Vietnam in December 1967.

The most touching experience I had was to have purposely dropped a poppy on what I knew as Luscombe Field. Not only did this mean something to me for the three we lost, Cpl G Hoerara, Pte W Awatere and Pte B Petersen, but also for those we have lost over the past 50 year period.

Reference

Pat Nuku

How to cite this page: ' 50 YEARS ', URL: https://vietnamwar.govt.nz/memory/50-years, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 28-May-2024