Today marks 55 years since the 1st Australian Field Hospital was opened
Today marks 55 years since the 1st Australian Field Hospital was opened during the Vietnam War.
The hospital colloquially became known as the ‘Vampire Pad’ and for the troops, this term became synonymous with survival.
Nursing the wounded has always been an aspect of war. Australian nurses in Vietnam continued that tradition. Providing care and comfort to allied soldiers, enemy troops and civilians alike.
The first four Australian Army nurses to be posted to Vietnam in 1967, who became known as the ‘Fab Four’, had limited experience of the range of severe injuries and tropical diseases they would encounter. They share their stories in the video below:
