Robin Charles Harris 6 RAR interviewed by Greg Swanborough for 'The sharp end'

Scene 15 take 1. The reason he joined the Australian Army was that he was previously in the Citizen Military Forces thought it was great fun and that he was in a ‘dead end job; how he became a National Serviceman it seemed a good idea at the time; Scene 15 take; 2. open secret that the battalion would be going to Vietnam; Scene 15 Take 3. when joined up not expecting to Vietnam thought the battalion would be going to Malaysia; reports that 1RAR would be replaced by 5RAR and 6RAR; elation when the official announcement that 6RAR was going to Vietnam; the exhaustion and boredom of patrolling not as depicted in the movies; hunger, thirst and tired all the time and then carrying 100lbs of gear encountering an light equipped enemy that could out run you all the time; circumstances of how he was wounded during operation Bribie; led into an ambush by the Viet Cong; casualties taken in the final assault with bayonets; he was wounded supporting artillery that fell short; describes the evacuation after being wounded; Scene ? take 4 announcement of the relief of 1RAR when the battalion was training at Canungra he was in hospital with an illness; Scene 15 Take 5; how everyone in Vietnam claims to a been in D Coy 6RAR at Long Tan; story of how some of his mates were caught AWOL at a United States recreation centre in US uniforms. Scene 16 Take 6; story of being frightened by guns firing on his arrival at Nui Dat; some weeks latter he could sleep next to a gun firing all night at a Fire Support Base.