Outline the role that Australian forces played in the Vietnam War and discuss the impact and change it had on Australia.

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Student Number: 5351

History Research Task – The Vietnam War (1962-75)

Question: Outline the role that Australian forces played in the Vietnam War and discuss the impact and change it had on Australia.

The key role of the Australian forces in the Vietnam War was to act upon its ‘four core beliefs’ in Australia’s foreign policy[1]. These policies were implemented in 1949 to achieve and insure the necessary protection of Australian shores in the near and distant future. José Narosky once rightly said ‘…in war, there are no unwounded soldiers.’ In conjunction with this quote, war is not entered into lightly and should be treated purely as a last resort. In saying this, Australia definitely had pressing reasons for becoming involved in the Vietnam War and in doing so, playing a crucial role along the way.

However, acting upon these four core beliefs had a substantial impact on Australia, in the subsequent years that followed the war. In particular, our Vietnam veterans and their families, our attitudes towards Asian migrants and political refugees and the way in which Australia deals with Asia economically.

In accordance with the textbook Experience of Nationhood written by K.J. Mason, the first belief was ‘that communism, particularly in Asia, was a threat to Australia.’[2] The ever expanding ‘reds’[3] were becoming very powerful which intensified rivalry and tension.  appropriately explained why his country’s going to war in these words, ‘We did not choose to be the guardians of the gate, but there is no one else.’ The only country that could rise up and stop the rapid spread of communism was in fact the United States. With reference to the Australian government website Vietnam War Commemoration, it suggests that one role the Australian forces played in the war was that the ‘United States was keen to avoid the appearance of replacing French colonialism with American imperialism…’ The contribution of other countries such as Australia helped to avoid this perception by suggesting a more international approach.[4] 

It was made apparent post World War II that Australia could not sufficiently protect itself. Therefore, the second belief was to seek support from who were often referred to as ‘our great and powerful friends’[5] by the Australian Prime Minister at the time, Robert Menzies. The above mentioned ‘friends’ were Britain and more importantly, the United States. These countries in many respects were the ‘powerhouses’[6] of the time and had overwhelming military and financial dominance. Menzies desperately sought their friendship in order to achieve some facet of protection and power from the ‘commies’[7] as countless veterans would describe them.

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The third belief comes hand in hand with the latter. It was to show loyalty and sacrifice to the United States through support in the war effort in Vietnam. One would say that the documents later released after the war, suggests that Menzies pushed the South Vietnamese government to ‘request’ for Australian military assistance because initially they were hesitant to approve.[8] This highlights the desperation in getting rid of communism in Asia and the very realistic threat of spreading to Australia. Furthermore, identifies the Australian forces role which was to support the Americans and maintain a healthy bond between the ...

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