Vietnam Veterans mark milestone

By Melissa Meehan
MORE than 500 veterans and their families came together this month to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Association (VVA) Victorian Branch.
Australian veterans as well as their South Vietnamese counterparts made the trek to the Phillip Island Vietnam Veterans War Museum to commemorate the sacrifices of the South Vietnamese Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. They also celebrated the 35th Anniversary of the arrival of the first Vietnamese boat people in Australia.
Special plaques were unveiled by leaders of the Victorian Vietnamese Veterans Association and the Vietnamese community in Victoria, and the plaques will be permanently placed in the museum’s Garden of Reflection.
Vietnamese Community in Australia president Bon Nguyen thanked the VVA for the opportunity for his people to take part in the proceedings of the day.
“Freedom and democracy for the South Vietnamese ended and many of us were forced to fight or flee,” he said.
“Australia offered us that freedom with open arms 35 years ago.
“Thankyou for your warm hearts then and now.”
Dandenong RSL’s John Filmer who attended the day and said it was great to see the two countries commemorating the 25th anniversary together.