Extract from

CONSCRIPTS and REGULARS

WITH THE

SEVENTH BATTALION

IN VIETNAM

By MICHAEL O’BRIEN

Half of 11 Platoon D Company, commanded by Second Lieutenant John Heydon, had been tasked to do a seven day ambush at the base of the Long Hais in the eastern foothills of Nui Da Dung from 1 December. The patrol had a two man splinter team of engineers from 1^st Field Squadron attached to it. The group was dropped off by armoured personnel carriers about 2km from its intended position in the late afternoon. Corporal Graham Nix described the patrol:

The first evening we mounted an ambush on a small track and, just prior to daylight, moved into harbour position which had previously been used to spend the day. That night, just prior to nightfall, we moved back to the ambush position. During that move, the Number 2 from the splinter team, Sapper Bruce Fenwick, stepped on what was apparently an M16 mine. He was located in approximately the centre of the single file group. The mine must have detonated at ground level. The thing that surprised me most about the detonation was that the noise was not as loud as I might have expected. Bruce Fenwick, who had not been in Vietnam long, lost a leg, his No 1, Sapper Reidlinger, who was next in front of the detonations, suffered numerous shrapnel wounds to this back. Private Merv Hains, the platoon signaler, who was in front of Sapper Reidlinger, suffered shrapnel wounds to the back of this head and neck. The fact that he was carrying the radio probably saved him from further injury. Walking behind Sapper Reidlinger was Corporal Kev Pattle who suffered shrapnel wounds to the mouth and neck.

It was necessary to probe a track using bayonets to get to the wounded. I can recall asking if anyone had a can of shaving cream to mark either side of the probed safe track, and this worked reasonably well in the dark. Fortunately, we were in reasonably open country, enabling the Casevac helicopter to land virtually on top of us. The sandy soil in the area also helped with the probing.

Private Hains had called in the Dustoff, saw to the treatment of the wounded and only then calmly revealed his wound by notifying company headquarters. Private Bob ‘Chad’ Hendry was also wounded by shrapnel in his head, but was able to walk out. He returned to duty five days later. Corporal Pattle was evacuated to Australia on 15 January. Sapper Reidlinger’s courageous actions were described by Private Merv Hains as: ‘He got to Sapper Fenwick, stayed calm and directed the chopper in by standing with his arms raised. He was that peppered with shrapnel that he couldn’t walk for three to four weeks’.