I am Australian. Thank you for the respect of playing the song right through before commenting. It means a lot.

Aussie here, if I play this too loud my neighbours will cry

As an Australian Vietnam Veteran (68/69) thank you John for this. I have never marched on Anzac day because I cannot forget how badly the RSL treated us when we came back. We were told and I quote: When you are in a real war come back and see us! My mate Kenny and I nearly decked the bloke behind the desk and have never stepped into an RSL since 1971. This song does help but the PTSD stays!

@gailchancellor9491

6 ай бұрын

I’m so sorry this happened to you and all the others. That was the first time I felt my Australia was slipping away from me, can’t even imagine how you guys felt 😢 you are very much valued and appreciated. Thank you. 🙏🥰🤗

@happyolddude

6 ай бұрын

Thank you Gail fir yourn well wishes.@@gailchancellor9491

@user-py1ut4vx9p

Ай бұрын

Thankyou sir for your service. 🇦🇺

When this song was released, ALL the proceeds were given to the Vietnam Vets fighting for damages from the government for AGent Orange and other issues.

This song hits such a punch, I started getting emotional even before you clicked play, know it so well. The Vietnam vets had it so bad as they came home to the cold shoulder, not parades.

@queenslander954

Жыл бұрын

Yea , well said mate 👌

@cameronliddell9533

Жыл бұрын

no matter how often i hear this song i always start to tear up by the end of the first verse simply because of the visuals

@2.0_The_Ghost

10 ай бұрын

It's not even just Vietnam and world wars Iraq desert storm desert shield hell people get PTSD not even going into combat because of training accidents and they see someone blow up in what is supposed to be a safer environment than actual combat

Thank you Dar for letting it play. Much respect bro 👍🏻🇦🇺 Lest We Forget

@donnanegri3186

11 ай бұрын

Thank you to past and present service men and women❤️

@quokka8292

10 ай бұрын

Lest We Forget

Respect and appreciation for all veterans and service members in peace and battle, past future and present. 'Frankie' (Frank Hunt) recovered from his injuries and is currently living on the NSW south coast with his loving family. He still suffers physically and mentally with pain. It was actually the platoon commander Lieutenant Peter (Skipper) Hines who was killed after stepping on the jumping jack mine that day. (R.I.P)

@jenniferharrison8915

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, yes I've met a few veterans and their suffering family's! 🫂 My uncle, a Wing Commander was lost during WWII, somewhere off Darwin at age 29, he was flying some American elites to another island but they crashed due to bad refuelling! 🤨 15 dead, their bodies never found! 😪 RIP.

@fasteddie9201

Жыл бұрын

@@jenniferharrison8915 Much respect to your uncle's and other's memory. R.I.P.

@jenniferharrison8915

Жыл бұрын

@@fasteddie9201 Thank you! 🫂🙋

Thank you for showing us this video it shows a bit of Australia's heart and soul. Australia has been standing and serving with America in every single war form World War One

@thehorriblegamer3263

Жыл бұрын

Australia sent the second most amount of troops to Vietnam if I remember correctly

@2.0_The_Ghost

10 ай бұрын

I've had the honor and privilege to work with some Canadian and Australian military and they are great men

@anthonypirera7598

10 ай бұрын

@@2.0_The_Ghost in bad times we need each other in trust

"Mum and dad and Denny saw the passing out parade at Puckapunyal, It was a long march from cadets." Puckapunyal is a town in Victoria where the Australian defence force has a base and training facility. "Cadets" is a program run by the military that is for children/adolecents too young to enlist, it's kind of like Scouts but run by the military. "The 6th battalion was the next to tour and it me who drew the card." The 6th battalion was a regiment of the Australian army sent to serve in Vietnam, they departed to Vietnam in 1965 and returned to Australia in may of 1969 (there is actually a lyric later in the song that doesn't really make sense regarding this, but don't look to closely into it). "It was me drew the card" refers to conscription and draft cards, it was almost like a lottery draw to see which young men were to be sent to fight and if you were a certain age when they did it then your name was in the hat whether you liked it or not. "This clipping from the paper shows us young and strong and clean. And there's me in my slouch hat with my SLR and greens" A slouch hat is the hat worn by Australian military personnel, usually in times of them looking formal in their uniform, such as if they were taking a picture for the newspaper in this case. A SLR stands for self loading rifle which were used by Australian troops and greens refers to the uniform. "From Vung Tau riding Chinooks to the dust at Nui Dat, I'd been in and out of choppers now for months. And we made our tents a home, V.B. and pinups on the lockers and an Asian orange sunset through the scrub" Chinooks are military cargo helicopters. V.B is a brand of Australian beer, he is insinuating they drank it in the tents to feel more at home in this new land. "Asian orange sunset through the scrub" is a meaningful line. It can easily be misheard as "Agent orange sunset" which I believe was done purposely as a play on words. In one meaning they are seeing the sunset in Asia but in another they are seeing the gases of agent orange on the horizon. Agent orange was a powerful weedkiller chemical dropped on the jungles during the war to try and make the jungle less dense and harder for the Noth Vietnamese to hide in. But exposure to agent orange was shown to cause serious health problems (mainly cancer) later in life to people exposed to it, which thousands were. "And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep? And night time's just a jungle dark and a barking M.16? And what's this rash that comes and goes Can you tell me what it means?" He is now back in Australia after his tour in Vietnam and experiencing the symptoms of PTSD. The "rash that comes and goes" is another effect of exposure to agent orange. Someone yelled out, "Contact" and the bloke behind me swore. We hooked in there for hours, then a God almighty roar". Contact means the enemy has been spotted and a gun fight has ensued. They stayed in their cover positions for hours exchanging fire with the enemy. "Frankie kicked a mine, the day that mankind kicked the moon. God help me, he was going home in June" His friend Frankie steps on a landmine the same day that the Apollo 11 astronauts first land on the moons surface. This is where is inconsistency mentioned before of the lyrics comes in because they were removed from Vietnam in May of 1969 and the moon landing was two months later in July of 1969. Also if he was going home in June then that would of been a month before the moon landing anyway. But it's better to just ignore that, it's a powerful line either way even if they took artistic license with it. "And I can still see Frankie, drinking tinnies in the Grand Hotel on a thirty-six hour rec leave in Vung Tau. And I can still hear Frankie, lying screaming in the jungle til the morphine came and killed the bloody row". He can still picture drinking tinnies (cans of beer) with his young friend Frankie on their recreational leave time. The next thought he has is of Frankie's final moments after stepping on the landmine, screaming in pain in the Vietnamese jungle. All they could do is give him morphine so he could die less painfully. "And the Anzac legends didn't mention mud and blood and tears and the stories that my father told me never seemed quite real. I caught some pieces in my back that I didn't even feel" The ANZACs is the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. In this case referring to the older veterans that had served in either WW1 or WW2. They would tell his younger self stories of war and make it sound like an honourable pursuit (which or course it still is) but leave out the stories of the horrors they faced. "I caught some pieces in my back that I didn't even feel" refers to artillery shrapnel that could kill someone just as easily as a bullet can. He didn't feel it because of the shock he was in and adrenaline coursing through his body in the moment of contact. "And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep? And why the Channel Seven Chopper chills me to my feet? And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means? God help me, I was only 19". Again he is back in Australia and years have passed since his service and he is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder but doesn't understand why since back then it wasn't really taken seriously or diagnosed.

There is a fantastic song called "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" written and performed by Eric Bogle, which I like, but I also like the version the Irish band "The Pogues" did as well.

HI ALL Australia here John shuman was my drama teacher at marion high school 1980 the song is about his brother-n-law in the vietnam war truly a nice man great song thankyou he would be happy his song is still relevant thanks

Hey Dar, thank you for reacting to this song. It's about two of the lead singer of redgum's (John schuman) mates, Frankie hunt and skip Hines. The title I was only nineteen ( a walk in the light green ) stems from the fact that the average age of the soldiers conscripted to the army during the Vietnam war was 19 and the walk in the light green park is named so because, on the Australian maps during the war, dark green meant thick scrub or jungle which was good because it meant a lot of cover and not many mines, but light green was large grassy open areas which were usually littered with mines. Frank hunt is still alive today and lives on the central coast of NSW, still battling PTSD. John schuman says that he gets very emotional around helicopters because of his traumatic experiences. Skip Hines was returned to Australia after standing on a mine whilst patrolling areas that were meant to be jungle, he died shortly after in hospital due to issues relating to his injuries.

The song is titled "I was only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)". "It's a song about two mates of mine who went to Vietnam, came back Agent Orange victims. The title "A Walk in the Light Green" stems from the fact that when the Australian soldiers in Vietnam were given their missions, they looked at the areas where they'd be working in on the map and if it was dark green on the map, then there was cause for some consolation, because dark green meant thick jungle, lots of cover, and there were no mines. If they were working in areas that were light green on the map, that meant light jungle, not much cover, and heaps of mines. This is a song for Mick and Frankie. It's called "A walk in the light green". John Schumann from a live performance.

Dar the legend. Thank you mate 😊

Hey Mate, thanks for reacting to the song. 19 was the average age of 'allied troops' in Vietnam (US, Aus, NZ, RoK etc) as opposed to WWII which was around 26. Kids vs men type scenario. Know ing you like/love Aussie music/culture, and ANZAC daay coming up, maybe you could do a reaction to a singer/songwrite called Fred Smith. Fred was an Aussie diplomat in Afghanistan and has written/performed some very powerful songs (dust of urzghan or sappers lullaby) about the things he saw and experienced while there. Just a suggestion, hope you consider it?

Pukapunyal (aboriginal name), main Australian army base in Vistoria, Canungra and Shaolwater are army bases in Queensland Frankie is still alive in a wheel chair and regularly is a gues of Redgum when they perform this song

The combat footage is from a movie called “Danger Close “ based on the real life battle of Long Tan in Vietnam. Where an Australian platoon went up against a much larger Vietnamese force. They were saved in part by the mortars of the New Zealand army.

@MrDekasOne

Жыл бұрын

This is not ture this video was entirely made for the herds cover of the song released in 2005 danger close wouldn't be made for another 14 years releasing in 2019

@bemusedbilby3409

3 ай бұрын

That's vaguely right, except it was a company of green troops with seasoned NCOs (no enemy in the area so the more experienced troops were on leave I believe), Kiwi Artillery in the mud - who kept up rapid and accurate fire, and latter some loons in M113s who ended up doing donuts in the enemy forces (counting on the armor). The enemy was a regiment. The battle is infamous because signals had been tracking the enemy regimental radio for weeks - but didn't warn the infantry of it's approach.

This song was for the Australian Vietnam War veterans about what all soldiers went through during & after the war. You could say it's also for the American soldiers as well.

@jenniferharrison8915

Жыл бұрын

This is only about Australian boys! It was only another pointless American war, that our pathetic government agreed to help them with! 😠

@tbonesfishies1797

Жыл бұрын

@Jennifer Harrison WOW really i had no idea thank you so much for your amazing knowledge about this song.

Lest we forget

@pixie3760

5 ай бұрын

Lest we forget.

Thankyou for letting this play through without interruption and inane comments. Well done!

Cheers mate, I love your channel and hope you're well. 🥂

Thank you so much for showing respect to our Diggers by playing this song to the last, I am a grandmother now and this song still brings tears to my eyes and pride to my heart for my loved ones who served to protect us. Lest we forget the sacrifices that they made so we could live in freedom and may we honour their memories by having courage such as theirs to stand in the face of uncertainty with strength and conviction.

Lest we forget.🇦🇺❤ ANZAC day here gets bigger every year as it should so we can show our past and present serving they are truly appreciated.

I cry every time I hear this. I had family and friends who went to Vietnam, it was heartbreaking and a shitshow. Respect and love to all the boys who went to this hell-hole.

I am a VietNam Veteran and now 82 years old ( I was a Tankie) and it still is with me (the war) and a very meaningful and emotional song. Basically it was written about a friend of the writer and addresses PTSD. Thanks for not babbling through the clip ! 😢

Cry everytime I hear this. Anzac day yesterday here. Lest we forget ❤❤❤

ANZAC day . Not to glorify war but to remember those who died in war

@lillibitjohnson7293

Жыл бұрын

@@daviddou1408 yes indeed, anyone that served

Lest We Forget🕊 Cheers Dar

Many years ago (sorry don't have the reference anymore) I read that in WWII the average age of the front line soldier was 29. In WWII they kept the young boys in supporting roles in the back lines. In Vietnam the average age of the front line was 19 (hence the title). Think about how you handled life at 19 and how much better you were at handling life at 29, you start to understand why so many of these people still have trouble. Puckapunyal was Australia’s basic training camp (think Parris Island to Americans). Shoalhaven and Cangungra were other training Army training camps.

Remembering all our veterans that fought in Vietnam . God bless all (on both sides) that were there . 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🇦🇺 ANZAC day . Hope you meet some Aussie Vietnam Vets mate . Consider also reading Barry Heard ~ Well Done Those Men 📖. ✊🏽

you sound like a really good kid. be good to yourself matey!

Play this song in Australia and you'll see one of us crying every time.

Today 18th August in Australia is Long Tan day, this is the last great battle fought by ANZAC troops in 1966. 18 young Australian died on that day They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Lest we forget

Compulsory hero is another great Australian war song it’s by the band 1927

This is the best version of the song.

Puckapunyal is a base in Victoria, Canungra is the jungle warfare training in QLD.. been there and dine the obs course and the jungle training and Shoalwater is also in QLD and I've done a joint training exercise with US Marines and Navy Sea bees there, Quite a beautiful place and was a good experience being around the US troops. Would've been a while different story for those conscripted to the Vietnam war. 💜🇦🇺

@RobertJW

Жыл бұрын

My dad's family's from Seymour district around Pucka, I know that country well.

At this time Australia had conscription. They did not have a choice. We also got into the war to protect the US. Australia wasn’t in danger.

Lest we forget...... get to a dawn service if you can on the 25th..... xx

Another great song is "Brothers in arms" by Dire Straits, a British band. That song is about the Falklands war between the UK and Argentina in 1982 kzread.info/dash/bejne/l3aHw7KGl9ybZs4.html

I recommend you take a look at a movie depicting a pivotal moment in Australian involvment in Vietnam, it's called "Danger Close, the battle of Long Tan." AAI (Australian Army Infantry) & NZAA (New Zealand Army Artillery) and how well they worked together. A friend of mine can't watch it because it's real, but she can watch John Wick because it's fiction.

In the Vietnam era you could enlist at 17. My father enlisted in WWII into the National Guard with permission of my grandfather at 16.

We’re all thinking back to that age , so the song really works .. there’s good little movie about ANZACS in Vietnam alongside the Americans ‘Odd Angry Shot’

These guys didn’t have a choice. They were conscripted to fight . They were old enough to fight but not old enough to drink .

That Is the acoustic version , listen to the original recording, it's even better.

I just wanna let you know this isn't the original video for this song the original video is entirely black and white and uses actual footage from the vietnam war, this is the video made for the hip hop group the herd's cover of this song which was made in 2005, the people in the comments saying this footage is from a movie are incorrect the movie they are referring to danger close wasn't released until 2019

@barnowl5774

Жыл бұрын

The original video for this song is BETTER.

@jadecawdellsmith4009

Жыл бұрын

Love The Herds version of the song 2. Traditionalists may not but it's brought the song & stories 2 a younger audience that maybe couldn't relate until the Herd.

@MrDekasOne

Жыл бұрын

@@jadecawdellsmith4009 I agree the people who hate of the herds cover are usually just your typical hip hop haters and also don't know that the herd did everything right by redgum and the veterans before they released it

Would love to see you react to The band played waltzing Matilda by eric bogal

Vietnam war Dar. Back then the conservative government brought in conscription. Whereby young Australian males were sent to Vietnam. If your birth date came up in this bloody lottery, you got sent there(it was compulsory). Many young Aussies died over there even if they were against the war. These kids were sent to fight in Vietnam they had no choice. If they didn't go they were jailed.

MERICA! has a lot to answer for.

The Herd did a hip hop cover of this song for Triple J's Like A Version segment. It's damn good.

Out of Australias 60000 soldiers in Vietnam they lost 523 troops While America sent 2709918 and we lost 58220 troops in Vietnam

Lucydog......Frankie didn't die.......

It’s so tragic that today’s 19 yo men consider themselves far more emotionally and physically damaged than our war hero’s before they have even lived a minute of life. God help us if we need them to fight for our countries.

PTSD.

Kids were sent, kids. Lifetimes altered and sacrificed for bitter nothing. Those that returned were not the same and again were failed in so many ways. Not a care given to just what terrors have taken residence in each. Friends seeing friends blown apart, spattered in blood and gore from someone you were only just joking with it changes you. Changes you enough that words fail and all one would want to do is scream at the darkness.

My twin sons were 19 oh my god I feel sick what was this for so many beautiful young boys for an old French territory what the hell

thank you for the emotion u showed // the most important song to all Australian //and so cheers again

What a fatuous burp.

Pls react to still in Saigon by Charlie daniels

i prefer the original music video, the clips in this are from danger close movie it's about the battle of long tan where the aussies fought a battle in a rubber plantation where they were massively outnumbered but more than held their own.

@MrDekasOne

Жыл бұрын

This is not ture this video was entirely made for the herds cover of the song released in 2005 danger close wouldn't be made for another 14 years releasing in 2019

The deep truth behind this song is that being 18 was the legal age to enlist at this time, however most were only 14 at a minimum that signed up to die for our country. They could not release a song with the lyric “I was only 14”.

@louise7552

Жыл бұрын

They didn't take 14yr old in Nam. We had conscription.

It's a great song, but the 19 shouldn't be taken literally. Men were drafted for Vietnam in Australia at 22.

@brettgilbert4742

Жыл бұрын

I was 18 when I got the letter saying I wasn’t required - are you Australian

@matilda8675

Жыл бұрын

thats just plainly not true.

G'day mate, a walk in the light green look up Red Gum Live and he will explain it before they play the song and also Eric Bolge the band played Waltzing Matilda it will bring a tear to your eyes keep up the great work 👍🇭🇲

Love Ya brother 🇭🇲🇺🇲