From battles to salutations: Vietnam veteran reflects on his service

It took some 30 years for Vietnam veteran Greg Gilbert DSM to realise just how deeply some memories from the Vietnam War affected him.  

“I remember the first time we were being shot at,” the Clayfield-Toombul RSL Sub Branch member begins.  

“Bullets were coming at us; you could hear when they were going over you. I remember lying behind a little tree – maybe 10-15cm in diameter, the best I could find – and thinking at the time that if one of those bullets came down lower and hit me, there was nothing I could do about it.” 

At the time, Greg pushed on. It wasn’t until some decades later, while he was recounting the moment to a friend, that he began to tear up just talking about it. Now with hindsight, Greg realises how much of an impact his experiences during the war had on him. 

“After all those years, those sorts of moments can affect you in ways you don’t even suspect.” 

During the Vietnam War 

Greg served in the Australian Army as a Lieutenant and later Captain Forward Observer attached to an infantry company in 4RAR (D Company), but when he first arrived in Vietnam, he was sent out with a company in 2RAR to assist with their last operation in 1971.  

“We had different sorts of deployment, usually by road or by helicopter,” he says. 

“You’d usually be out for eight weeks at a time and have about a week for a bit of a break. You’d get a stint of maybe three days R&C Leave at Vũng Tàu where you could have a swim at the beach or visit the local bars. But then you’d get sent out again.” 

During his breaks, Greg would spend time exploring the local towns and practising his Vietnamese with the locals.  

Vietnam War veteran Greg Gilbert

“After a visit to the Pearson Centre, which was like an American post exchange store where you could get cheap Seiko watches or Pioneer hi-fi systems and things, I had this resolution that I wanted to come back from Vietnam with more than just a watch,” he says.  

“So, I actually set out to learn a bit of Vietnamese while I was there. Each day, I sat down with my notebook and our interpreter and asked him how to say particular phrases in Vietnamese. 

“Learning the language was really good for me. I found that when you showed the Vietnamese you were trying to learn the language or speak to them, they were extremely friendly.  

“During my R&C periods, I would try out my Vietnamese on unsuspecting locals and took myself out to explore and visit other parts of the area – not just Vũng Tàu. I just wanted to absorb a bit of the Vietnamese way of life while I was there.” 

By August, Greg was with 4RAR who were patrolling in the north of Phước Tuy province. His company was stationed around a prominent hill, with Company headquarters situated on top and the platoons patrolling around the base. Then they were told to redeploy to the east.  

Greg (right) with Australian soldiers in Vietnam

“We usually moved every day, but we stayed on this hill for about three weeks because of good communications,” Greg says. “But then we got word that we had to move about 10km east. We didn’t know at the time, but it turned out a regiment of the North Vietnamese Army was making an incursion into the province, and we were sent to find them.”  

Greg was involved in the Battle of Núi Lé – the last major enemy engagement for Australian troops in Vietnam.  

“My company had assaulted a bunker system, and we lost a lot of people. But when we tried to withdraw, we became surrounded; the battle that day became known as the Battle of Núi Lé,” he says. “A week after that, we were airlifted out, back to Núi Đất.” 

A month later, Greg’s company was the last to leave Núi Đất . From there, they were flown to Vũng Tàu where Greg stayed until he left Vietnam privately. 

After the war 

Instead of heading back to Australia immediately after the war, Greg received permission to go on leave for a few weeks and spent some time travelling around Europe. When he came back to Australia, Greg stayed in the Army, serving across Brisbane and Sydney before being posted to the Royal Military College of Science in England, where he completed a master’s degree in science.  

Following this, he spent a few years in London as the artillery representative in technical intelligence at the British Ministry of Defence. Greg then returned to Australia on promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and became the Deputy Director of Artillery. His final position in the military was Head of Army Technical Intelligence at the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO), which he held until discharging in 1986. 

In 1997, Greg decided to go back to Vietnam and visit the hill where he spent some of his final weeks of the war.

In 1997, Greg travelled to Vietnam to revisit some of the places he served

“I engaged a driver in Vũng Tàu to take me into the northern province where I knew the hill would be,” he says. 

“I brought a compass and an old map I had from back in the day, so I knew the direction we needed to go. Once we got to a little track that intersected the main road, I asked the driver to head up the track. He looked quite mystified but followed through.

“Up we went along the bumpy, beaten track until I estimated we were directly north of the hill. I asked him to stop and wait there on this road – he now looked visibly confused – and I got out to follow my compass and map to where I thought the hill would be. Then I found it, albeit with grass and banana trees in place of jungle. It was fantastic to stand on it again, even though it was so different.” 

Vietnam Veterans’ Day 

Reflecting on his service, Greg emphasises the importance of remembering the sacrifice of all Vietnam veterans on Vietnam Veterans’ Day.

“It’s important to have a concentrated day to commemorate the commitment and lives lost during the Vietnam War,” he says.

On Vietnam Veterans' Day, Greg reflects on the bonds he shared with his fellow soldiers

“It’s also a dedicated day where we can reflect on those bonds you formed with your mates during the war. That mateship and trust in another was most important. You never wore badges of rank or anything; you just locked in and helped each other no matter what.”

For more information on Vietnam Veterans’ Day and how you can commemorate, visit rslqld.org/whats-on/vietnam-veterans-day.