Battle of Long Tan Commemoration Ceremony
Join
The
Returned & Services League of Australia,
Washington
DC Sub-Branch
At
the
Battle
of Long Tan
Commemoration
Ceremony
On
Saturday
August 15, 2015
at
11:00
A.M.
Near
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial*
Constitution
Avenue and Henry Bacon Dr. NW
Washington, DC
Washington, DC
The
simple, solemn, ceremony is being kept deliberately short, at about
15 minutes, to allow attendees more time to pay their respects at the
Wall afterwards.
*East of
the Wall between 21st and 20th streets. Look
for the US, Australian and New Zealand flags.
There is neither reserved parking nor any seating.
After
the 2012 ceremony New Zealander LTCOL Terry Brown and R&SL member
Richard Southby getting ready to place the wreath at the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial.
Why Long
Tan? “In 1987 Prime Minister Bob Hawke designated
18 August as Australia’s official Vietnam Veterans’ Day. The date
commemorates the [1966] Battle of Long Tan, during which Delta
Company 6 RAR fought an ‘encounter’ battle against enemy forces
in the Long Tan rubber plantation just a few thousand metres from the
1st Australian Task Force base at Nui Dat.
Delta
Company suffered 42 casualties, including 18 dead – more than one
third of its strength – while some 245 enemy troops were killed.
Delta Company’s 105 men, and three New Zealanders from 161 Battery,
Royal New Zealand Artillery, fought for almost four hours against
soldiers of the North Vietnamese Army who outnumbered them by ten to
one.**
Parking on
the Mall is often difficult, but visitors may find spots on
Constitution Ave. or Ohio Drive. Limited handicapped parking is
available at the Korean War Memorial (Daniel French Drive), WWII
Memorial, and Roosevelt Memorial.
The
Washington Post has the following information:
By Metro:
From Foggy Bottom (Blue/Orange Lines), walk south on 23rd Street to
Lincoln Memorial [0.9 miles], turn left on near side of Reflecting
Pool. By car: The memorial is adjacent to the Reflecting Pool near
the Lincoln Memorial.
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