Source: Ministry for Culture and Heritage
The national commemoration to mark Vietnam Veterans’ Day will be held on Sunday 18 August at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington.
“We invite people to attend this year’s national commemoration to mark Vietnam Veterans’ Day at Pukeahu,” says Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae, Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage Tumu Whakarae Secretary for Culture and Heritage and Chief Executive.
“This year acknowledges 60 years since a New Zealand engineering team arrived in Vietnam – a year before combat troops were sent.
“In June 1964, a 25-strong non-combatant engineer unit (NEWZAD) was deployed to Vietnam to work on reconstruction projects, such as road and bridge building, in Binh Duong province,” says Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae.
Combat involvement began a year later, when NEWZAD was withdrawn. By the end of the conflict, more than 3000 New Zealand military personnel and more than 200 civilian medical and aid workers had travelled from New Zealand to assist the people of South Vietnam.
Thirty-nine New Zealanders lost their lives during the conflict, including two civilians serving with the Red Cross and civilian surgical team. Many others were wounded with some impacts of war continuing to affect New Zealanders and the people of Vietnam to this day.
“The Vietnam War is often described as the longest and most contentious military experience of the twentieth century and had a significant political and cultural impact for New Zealand.
“The commemoration is an opportunity to reflect on the service and sacrifice of the New Zealanders who took part in the Vietnam War, as well as the ongoing impact of war on veterans and their families,” says Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae.
About the event
People wishing to attend this year’s commemoration are asked to arrive at the Hall of Memories at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park by 10.45am for an 11.00am start.
For anyone unable to attend in person, there will be a livestream of the ceremony on the Pukeahu Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pukeahu/
Please note that the Carillon Tower is currently closed for seismic strengthening. The Hall of Memories was strengthened in 2015 and is safe to enter.
About the conflict
The Vietnam War lasted from about 1960 to 1975. Fought between the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the US-backed Republic of Vietnam in the south, it ended with the defeat of South Vietnam in April 1975 and the establishment of a unified state, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (or Việt Nam). The human cost was horrendous: more than 1.4 million military personnel and approximately 2.6 million civilians died.
Many returning veterans felt a deep sense of frustration that their service – undertaken with characteristic dedication – was regarded with ambivalence or, in some cases, hostility. For a growing number of (then) young New Zealanders, the country’s participation triggered a re-examination of foreign policy and national identity.
Further information
