Francis "Frankie" John Hunt with his wife onstage at the Vietnam veterans' reunion concert in the ...

Francis "Frankie" John Hunt with his wife onstage at the Vietnam veterans' reunion concert in the Domain, Sydney. The concert was part of the official Welcome Home Parade for Vietnam veterans and was held 12 years after the end of the war in 1987. Hunt enlisted with the 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), as a Private (service number 39701) on 8 May 1969 and served as a forward scout with the battalion in the Vietnam War. On 21 July 1969, Hunt was on patrol with 3 Platoon, A Company, 6RAR, when Lieutenant Peter Hines stepped on a mine, which activated and killed him. The explosion injured several others, including Hunt, who was standing closest to Hines. Hunt was air-lifted to the military hospital in Vung Tau and then evacuated to Australia for further surgery at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital to amputate his severely injured legs. He spent 19 months in rehabilitation in Australia. In 1983, musician John Schumann wrote and released the song "I Was Only 19" which was performed by his band, Redgum. The song references Hunt and the mine explosion: "Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon" and was performed onstage in the Domain for the Vietnam veterans' reunion concert on 4 October 1987.

This image is one of a series captured by Australian War Memorial photographers who travelled from Canberra to document the event.