‘Those who have never experienced it will never know what we went through’

He served from 1967 to 1968.

While in Vietnam, Mr Brown met Trevor Adams. They became friends and remain in contact to this day.

“At first I was scared when I went to Vietnam, but when Trevor came up, and he was from the Baptist Church too, I felt somebody was out there watching over me,” he said.

Mr Brown married his wife Janet during his training at Holsworthy Barracks in Casula, Sydney, and she stuck by him while he was in Vietnam.

Mrs Brown said the following months after he left for Vietnam were the “most worrying of my life”.

“I wondered, ‘would I see him again? Would I be left a widow? How would I carry on?’ The list was endless,” she said.

“The days became weeks and the weeks became months.

“All the time, I expected army personnel to come and tell me of my husband’s death.

“The nights were terrible because my mind would focus on the worst. Weekends were hard, and I was so glad to return to work on Mondays.”

Mrs Brown said she was grateful to have had a loving and supportive family around her.

In November 1967, she received news that her husband would be coming home on rest and relaxation leave.

“Those five days were wonderful, but they ended all too soon when he had to return to Vietnam,” she said.

“Christmas 1967 was the Christmas we did not have. We didn’t celebrate our first wedding anniversary either — it would have been on my 21st birthday.”

In January 1968 Mrs Brown received a telegram saying her husband would be coming home.

“I was on top of the world with happiness,” she said.

“Then another telegram arrived saying that his orders had changed, the TET Offensive was on, and he didn’t know when he would be coming home.

“The news left me shattered, sad, angry and in a hopeless situation.”

However, after a few weeks, he finally came home.

Mr Brown said coming home all together on the plane felt like “magic” and Janet was there to greet him when he landed.

“The plane carrying the troops landed at Essendon Airport and all the families were there waiting to meet the plane.,” Mrs Brown said.

“Finally, the doors were opened, and we were able to go out to the tarmac to find our special solider.

“They were all dressed the same in their dress uniforms, but I found the solider I had missed so much.

“It was a very special moment.”

Several years after the war, Mr and Mrs Brown bought a dairy farm and moved to Cobram, where they have lived ever since.

Mr Brown is a member of the Goulburn Valley Vietnam Veterans Association; a group he has previously been the president of.

He said the organisation has been a “big support” for him and his wife Janet over the years.

Mr Brown’s father fought in World War II in the artillery, and he wears his father's medals alongside his own at ceremonies.

Mr Brown was also honoured to be awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2020.

Australia’s military involvement in the Vietnam War began in 1962 and ended in late 1972.

In total, more than 60,000 Australians went to serve in Vietnam, 523 lost their lives and 3000 were wounded.

Mrs Brown said she was “proud to be a Vietnam veteran's wife”.

“It is so rewarding to know that my husband served his country in the knowledge that all of his mates missed the call-up and many Australians protested at this unpopular war,” she said.

“Even after all these years, some things still upset me, and those who have never experienced it will never know what we went through.”