“Fair Go Nashos” Fair suck of the Sauce Bottle Mate!

Re your advertisement in the Melbourne Herald Sun, 23rd July 2022

I remember when I was called up, there were those that were glad that although they were in the ballot, were happy their Date of Birth was not pulled out. Then there were those who were conscripted who were happy that they did not go to South Vietnam (apparently your Mob) They thought they were lucky, they had every weekend off with their family, got free medical, dental and didn’t need a health fund, shagged all weekend and back to Base on Monday and they were Happy. NOW THEY’RE NOT.  This is the attitude that has become part of the Australian belief, “Gimme Gimme Gimme”

I also remember after National Service had finished, I heard a lot of blokes that had missed being called up saying, “I wouldn’t have minded being called up” but I never heard that before Conscription finished.

You expect to be given the same everything for what others went through just because you were a Nasho. You believe you had two years taken from you, I don’t agree with that, it is my firm belief that because you didn’t go to South Vietnam, you got at least a year’s start on us! Furthermore, you must have asked yourself what sort of person you might have turned out had you not been conscripted? Would you be a better person, or would you have been worse? … only you can answer that, but what you haven’t experienced is the horrors of War, when you don’t know if you will get back home. You haven’t experienced being terrified of a killer hidden in front of you that you can’t see, who has already shot dead your forward scout. You don’t know where the shot came from and has he got you in his sights … am I next? Never mind the fact that your dead scout who you can see lying there shares your tent back at the Dat. You were never put in a spot where you can hear rounds cracking close by you, knowing that it was meant for you. You have never heard a Vietcong round hitting the body of your mate, yes, you can hear it thud into the chest of a 20yo Australian National Serviceman who twelve months earlier had been a happy 19/20Yo carefree with his whole life ahead of him. Furthermore, you haven’t had to listen to the agonizing screams of pain from a nacho who has just had his lower arm completely blown off because of a Booby Trap Claymore Mine. Also, a Medic who is a Nasho trying to keep him alive until the area is safe and he, along with the dead Nashos are lifted out by a Dust Off chopper. You don’t have to live with the physical injuries for the rest of your life, as a lot do to this Day, Surgeons can only do so much, but we continued, holding down a regular job, raising a family, buying a home, paying off cars and all the rest that goes with it. You cannot have the horrid dreams of those events that those who served overseas have; we are still suffering from the effects of that war.

However, if you were injured during the course of your National Service and have long-term effects from them, you should receive some assistance and you do, it’s called a White Card, so Suck it Up, Princess.

There’s not much difference between your lot and a person who left school as a 15yo, and works as a cleaner in a hospital believes they deserve the salary of a Brain Surgeon because he/she works in the same place, you tell me the difference.

Sorry, Nashos, everything has to be earned, unless, of course, that you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, then the rules are different…

Dave Rummery
Tasmania.