6 RAR arrives for second tour DPR/TV/1101

Men of 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment arrived at Vung Tau, recently, for the battalion's second tour of duty in South Vietnam. In 1966, during its first tour it killed 245 enemy in the battle of Long Tan, for the loss of 18 Australian soldiers. For its part in this battle Delta Company of the battalion, was awarded the United States Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation. Twenty veterans of Long Tan, are still with the battalion, although only a handful of them have remained with Delta Company. The men filed from fast troop carrier, HMAS Sydney, which brought them from Australia into landing craft which took them to the shore. Here, they boarded transport for their short journey to the Australian Task Force base at Nui Dat. Before departing for the shore the CO of 6th Battalion, Lt Col David Butler met briefly with his counterpart of 4 RAR, Lt Col Lee Greville (Col Greville in service cap). The landing craft returned to Sydney with men of 4 RAR who have completed their tour in Vietnam and who are now homeward bound. During its year 4 RAR was joined by two companies of NZ infantry to form the Anzac Battalion, a role now taken over by 6 RAR.