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August 2013 - updated edition

We're reissuing this year's second newsletter due to technical problems experienced with Friday's earthquake. Apologies if you receive this edition twice. To keep things interesting, we've added news of a series airing on TV3's Firstline this week about the Vietnam War's legacy and influence on New Zealand foreign policy. If you took part in Vietnam Veterans' Day commemorations on Sunday we're keen to hear from you. Email your stories and photographs to info@vietnamwar.govt.nz

• TV3 feature

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  Veteran's Bruce Knight and Brian Cudby feature in the first of a four-part series screening this week on New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War. Airing to coincide with Vietnam Veterans' Day on 18 August, the TV3 series also marks 40 years since the Paris Peace Accord was signed in a bid to end the war. Bruce also starred in our own short film about the Vietnam War, Home Fires Burning.

  
  Check out the first part of TV3's Vietnam War series

• Vietnam Veterans' Day

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  Vietnam Veterans’ Day events took place in Auckland, the Waikato, Gisborne, Wellington, and Christchurch on Sunday 18 August. If you took part in these commemorations we'd love to hear from you. Email your stories and photographs to info@vietnamwar.govt.nz

  
  

• Battle of Long Tan, 1966

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  Vietnam Veterans' Day coincides with the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, during which Australian and New Zealand artillerymen fought a pitched battle against an estimated 2000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan.

  
  Read more about Long Tan here

Collected memories of Long Tan

Wayne Robson:  “This is an evening which is indelibly etched in my memory; even after 46 years I still feel the emotions I felt then…” Read more

Ken Deacon:  “Repeated lighting strikes mingled with the flash of the guns in the murk…Working on the switchboard was a dangerous business in these conditions. One strike threw Gunner Ken Deacon back from the switchboard…” Read more

Terry Hughes: “It just sort of got bigger and bigger and we ended up being there all night. The average gun fired over 180 rounds per gun that night. I fired 188…” Read more

Willie Walker: Willie Walker was a member of the New Zealand artillery Forward Observation (FO) Party pinned down with D Company, 6RAR inside the Long Tan rubber plantation. Alongside Maurice Stanley, and Murray Broomhall, he helped direct artillery fire on the surrounding enemy forces. Read more

161 Battery gunners

The Vietnam War website contains an individual page for all 161 Battery gunners who served in or visited Vietnam during the war years. Many of these pages do not have photos. If you can help us add faces to their names, please send photographs to info@vietnamwar.govt.nz

• New-look website

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  You may have noticed a few changes to the VietnamWar website recently. We have completed a major overhaul of the old website, redesigning the homepage, adding new content about New Zealand’s Vietnam War, and upgrading our map and timeline resources. Let us know what you think of these improvements.

  
  Have a look at the new VietnamWar website

• RNZAF additions to veterans roll

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  We've updated the Vietnam War nominal roll with the names of over 150 RNZAF personnel who flew in and out of Vietnam during the war years. The roll is searchable by name, service number, and unit, and we encourage veterans and their families to check the service details it contains.

  
  Look through the Vietnam War nominal roll