In the peaceful surrounds of Dawson River Cemetery, the sound of bagpipes heralds a procession of witnesses to a solemn history, one that claimed the lives of two local men over half a century ago.
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More than 30 veterans and their families, friends, associates and members of the RSL attended the Vietnam Veterans Vigil held at the cemetery on Thursday August 3 at 11am.
They had come to pay their respects to the local men killed in action. Lance Corporal Michael Paul White, 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, died November 25, 1969; and Second Lieutenant Kerry Patrick Rinkin, 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, died on April 7, 1967.
The morning included a Service of Remembrance, a prayer delivered by Reverend Bill Green, a reading of each man's service record, a minute silence, and the playing of the Last Post and Reveille.
"A very special moment was a floral tribute being placed on the graves, a posy of wattle and rosemary which each of the people that were there placed on the graves," Taree RSL Sub-branch president, Darcy Elbourne said.
The ceremony was repeated at the gravesite of both men.
The vigil was part of a nationwide initiative to individually honour those killed during the Vietnam War by holding ceremonies at gravesites or commemorative plaque sites around the country.
It was quite dignified and very emotional. The discussion of the people there was that we should do this each year so I think it will become an annual event.
- Taree RSL Sub Branch president, Darcy Elbourne
This year marks 50 years since Australian troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, and 60 years since Australian troops arrived in the country.
Throughout the war some 60,000 Australian men and women served in the Vietnam War, costing 523 Australian servicemen their lives, while some 3000 were wounded, otherwise injured or were victims of illness.
Sadly, it is common practice to analyse wars through the examination of statistics when determining their place in history.
But the truth is they are all made up of personal sacrifice and suffering with far too many lives cut short. In regards to the Vietnam War, the two graves at Dawson River Cemetery bear witness to this unfortunate fact.
But on the morning of Thursday August 3, Lance Corporal Michael Paul White and Second Lieutenant Kerry Patrick Rinkin had comrades, fellow veterans and friends there to stand by them, to make sure that they, and what they went through, isn't ever forgotten.
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