By CASEY NEILL
THE Vietnam veterans’ motto is ‘Honour the dead, but fight like hell for the living’.
It’s a mantra Noble Park RSL president and Vietnam vet John Meehan lives by.
“That’s why we put so much emphasis on pension welfare,” he said.
“When men are down on their knees we’re here for them.
“You’re really in a complete state of despair when you come home.
“You’ve seen some horrific sights – a lot of horrific sights – and you’ve been damaged.
“These kids coming back from Afghanistan… really it’s deja vu for us.
“We can see, we were the same 40-odd years ago.”
And the 65-year-old is encouraging that new generation of returned soldiers to turn to the RSL for support.
“It’s their club as well and a lot of them need help,” he said.
“A lot of them don’t know that this welfare and pension work is here for them.
“If you go in by yourself, it’s a minefield for the veterans.
“Say the wrong thing and your claim can be denied.”
Mr Meehan was called up for national service in 1967.
“I wasn’t real pleased at the time but I did go in and did two years of my life,” he said.
“Nine months I spent in Vietnam of those two years.
“I had my 21st birthday over there and still hadn’t voted.”
He said there were defined lines and uniforms in World War I and II.
“In Vietnam there were none. So even if you were on leave in a town you didn’t know if a grenade was going to be thrown and knock you over,” he said.
“Our guys over in Afghanistan and Iraq are the same.”
He said this constant need to be alert led to problems when the soldiers returned home.
“You don’t come down,” he said.
They resort to alcohol and drugs to cope with a short fuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and physical wounds.
Their marriages break up. They can’t work. They lose their homes.
The RSL finds them medical assistance, accommodation and food, but some are beyond repair.
Mr Meehan recalled a young man who served in East Timor as a medic who sought his help.
“He said ‘John, I can smell the flesh still’,” he said.
“We had to get him on a full incapacitated pension.
“A 24-year-old kid that could have been anything in life… he’s gone.”
Vietnam veterans endured the same issues, but initially didn’t have the RSL support.
“A lot of them are still out in the bush, hiding themselves away,” he said.
“The ones that do get together… they live longer. The comradeship of this RSL is just incredible.”
Each Thursday at 2.30pm the RSL reads out the names of fallen Australian and New Zealand soldiers.
There’s also a Vietnam veterans sub-group at the RSL with 250 members which meets every Thursday.
Mr Meehan and his Noble Park RSL comrades held an early Anzac Day parade and service on 21 April, and many will head into Melbourne for official commemorations on 25 April.
“Anzac Day is a big day of comradeship and a commemoration of these beautiful men that we lost,” he said.
“It’s thinking of all their efforts over the years, and if they hadn’t of done that, what would Australia have been today?”
