behind the paddy bunds, and radioed the other patrol to initiate their ambush. Rather than being 600 metres from us, they were in fact about 100 metres, and we were the “enemy patrol” they had observed. All hell broke loose. We instantly realised the situation and didn’t need the radio to alert them that it was us and to cease fire. All credit to the effectiveness of those paddy bunds. Most of us were very shaken by the experience, and the only casualty was a South Vietnamese Scout, who caught a small piece of shrapnel. The medivac helicopter was reluctant to land in a hot zone, but we were able to reassure the pilot and he was coaxed in to evacuate the injured soldier. Not many of us got any sleep for the rest of the night and, in the morning, we returned to camp on the top of a tank. It was obvious that mistakes had been made in that deployment, primarily a map-reading error by one of the patrols, but also by not twigging that the enemy patrol being observed was our patrol. That was back in the day before GPS, and our only means of ascertaining our location was by triangulating with a compass off the distant peaks of the Long Hai mountains, which were too close together to give one a level of certainty where lives depended on it, particularly when calling in artillery support. Friendly fire has been a hallmark of many conflicts, and we were very lucky to escape almost unscathed. I, for one, took a while to get a good night’s sleep after returning home. Fortunately, other life experiences have served to put that one into the distant past. I trust others have also recovered and can recall 106’s 1970 tour as a happy one. Warmest regards to all 106ers, and 4th Field Regiment. Ray King From John Derbyshire Hi Pete, Hope you receive a good response to your request for what the Regiment’s “Old Boys” have been up to since leaving the military. To that end I offer my ‘meagre’ contribution. I, for one, look forward to hearing what people have been up to, particularly Ben Lans, Hans Whynen and Steve Yates. I have not heard from these guys for about 40 years – where has the time gone? So, what have I been up to since retiring from the Army in 1990? “After retiring I joined the Australian Protective Services (APS) – now subsumed back into the Australian Federal Police – serving as Regional Commander for SA and NT for five years. Believe it or not they then wanted me to move – on promotion - to Canberra which was not something that aligned with my wishes. After leaving the APS I was successful in winning appointment as Chief Executive/Chief Officer of the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (SAMFS). I left that demanding role after 4 years – having first ensured that no fires were left burning. At that time, it was my aim to settle into a relaxing retirement (read a book and drink some wine) – alas that was not to be. I assumed the role of Chief Commissioner of Scouts in South Australia, a role that took care of the next decade of my life. I have a strongly held view that young people should be assisted to realise their full potential. Scouting not only provides this kind of assistance but has done so successfully for more than one hundred years. This was a very fulfilling time, and I gained great satisfaction from the role. My wife – God bless her – tells people I only took on the appointment because I have a uniform fetish (wives- don’t you love ‘em?).
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