'Forgotten' veterans conscripted for Vietnam return to army barracks

Former national servicemen conscripted during the Vietnam War have returned to the barracks where they completed training half a century ago. 

About 63,000 men were drafted into national service between 1965 and 1972 using a lottery system based on their birthdays.

Nearly a third of the national servicemen, known as nashos, served in Vietnam.

But the rest did not and spent their 18 to 24 months of service in non-combat roles.

Bob Gilligan was forced to leave behind his life in Port Macquarie when he received his conscription letter in 1968.

"You're a little bit trepidant, waiting to see what was going to happen. We didn't know exactly what was going on," he said.

"All of a sudden, you just left your family, friends, work."

Conscription 'culture shock'

Mr Gilligan spent his first 12 weeks completing initial training at the Singleton Training Area in NSW's Hunter Valley.

"It was a bit of a culture shock. You soon realised it was cold and you were going to be yelled at a lot," he said.

"It was hard. I left a good job for two years; I got engaged while I was still in the national service." 

Fellow nasho Ross Durham remembered arriving at Singleton in 1966 with a "fear of the unknown".

"You thought, 'I wonder where I'm going to go, wonder where I'm going to end up,'" he said.

"You live with this nervousness and you get pulled out of your current lifestyle."

Advocacy organisation Nasho Fair Go arranged for close to 100 nashos to return to Singleton, which is now home to the Australian Army's School of Infantry.

Executive officer at the School of Infantry, Major James Weaver, said it was an honour to host the nashos and show them how the facility had changed.

"These guys would have been doing all the same stuff back then," he said.

"We're still teaching them to be fit, strong, healthy, work as a team, be good shots and work with the weapon of the day."

'Forgotten' veterans

Nashos who did not serve in Vietnam have struggled to get the same recognition and benefits as other veterans.

Mr Gilligan said the mission of Nasho Fair Go, to be "a voice for the men Australia forgot", resonated with him.

"Vietnam veterans, because it was war service, they came back and they got looked after … they got a bit of recognition," he said.

Mr Durham took pride in his contribution to the war effort, despite not having served on the ground in Vietnam.

"I [spent two years] looking after the vehicles going to Vietnam, which I took pretty seriously," he said.

"Those poor guys over there on the front line, the last thing they wanted to have happen is a vehicle breakdown with a Viet Cong running at them."

Mr Durham said he was concerned the stories of many nashos would soon be lost. 

"I'd like to see more recognition … but unfortunately, as we all age, our numbers are diminishing," he said.

Equal health benefits

On July 1, nashos became eligible to receive the same health benefits as other veterans after a decades-long fight.

Before the change, the group had fewer entitlements to make health-related compensation claims.

"We're able to get treatment for injuries that came from our services," Mr Gilligan said.

Mr Durham said despite the struggle for recognition, he was grateful for his time in the national service.

"I think I became a lot more sensible [from my time] in the army … it didn't do me any harm."

Mr Gilligan said it was a day of mixed emotions.

"It brings back some very strange memories, but I think you'll find the blokes remember all the good times,"