This is a short history of how the RAAF Vietnam Veteran FACs and 35thRTFV getting Air Medals some 40 years late. When I was in graduate school in 1969 one of my classmates was RAAF Wing Commander Trevor Kaine. We were assigned to the same class, group and work teams. I got to know him pretty well and developed a fondness for Australians as a result of this friendship. I had been to Vietnam in 62 and to Laos 69-70 and some of our R&R trips were to Australia which I wanted to visit but I had other things in the US. It was the best place for R&Rthe weather was warm and balmy, fantastic beaches, great food, and the girls were the talk of the people returning from their Australian R&R. Ron Workman, a Vietnam Veteran, attended the Air Commando Association (ACA) reunion at Hurlburt in 1994 and 1996 and we became friends. In 1999 I received an email from Colin Benson of Mackay, Queensland asking for some help in generating interest and PR in the US for their B-17C Memorial for 40 US Serviceman killed in a fatal crash near Mackay in WWII. What caught my attention in Colin’s email was that 40 people perished with one survivor in an R&R flight from New Guinea to Mackay, Australia in a B-17C which crashed on takeoff at Baker Creek, which is near Mackay, on 14 June 1943 while returning to the jungles of New Guinea. Normally a B-17 carried a crew of 6-10 people in WWII. This B-17C had been damaged in a raid against the Japanese on 24 Dec 1941 and could no longer be used as a bomber so they used it as a transport since they were short of aircraft. As our emails transpired I found out that they had built a monument to the B-17C aircraft and its crew and passengers and held yearly memorial services there on the 14 June (it is called the Baker Creek B-17C Memorial). They got crews from visiting American Navy warships to Mackay to participate in the parade and festivities (don’t think the USAF participated until 2000). They had the whole community of Mackay involved. This impressed me that I promised Colin I would be there for the 2000 Memorial service and that I would get some US recognition.

During the June 2000 memorial service I was introduce to a number of RAAF Vietnam veterans and they included Ron Workman of the 35th Royal Transport Flight Vietnam (RTFV) who flew Caribous with the 315 Air Commando and Garry Cooper who flew low and slow as a Forward Air Control (FAC) in an O-1 Bird Dog who would find the enemy in hostile environments and direct fighter air support against the enemy and Keith Payne who won the Victoria Cross in Vietnam. They were all working for their mates trying to get US decorations for their aerial achievements in the Vietnamese War which the Australian Government wouldn’t permit up to this time. Ron Workman had been working for some 20 years and Gary Cooper some 10 years to obtain US recognition for their RAAF units’ aerial contributions to the war. They explained to me how the Australian military decorations system worked and why they could not receive US decorations in Vietnam since their Government did not permit it. Ron provided a draft overview of the 35th RTFV submission for Air Medals. Some ten years ago the Government policy changed and the RAAF Vietnam Veterans were now permitted to receive US decorations for their duty in Vietnam. From this meeting we started to get organized. Ron Workman had considerable information on the 35RTFV (some 800 members) already gathered and Garry had a lot of organized data on the 36 RAAF and 14 Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) FACs. I had to return to the US and work on how belated medals could be given to foreign military. After much correspondence with the USAF, DOD, my Congressman and a few others we started to organize our efforts. The effort had to first go through my CongressmanGary Miller-standard for all belated decoration submittals. After getting educated on how we do this with foreign military we started to gather information required for submittal. Back in Australia a research started on locating members who were alive, who wanted to be decorated, and who could provide required data for the award and then consolidating this information to email, fax or ship to the US. I received the Australian data, organized and massaged the data and then submitted it through Congressman Miller. In this process it was returned a number of times because an agency wanted different information, more information or organized a different way. The data had to first go through my Congressman who massaged it for their requirements. This was then sent from the Congressman to the AF Office of Special Investigation (AFOSI), the Defense Intelligence agency (DIA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the US Embassy in Australia who then had to coordinate it with the host Government. During these 7 years papers were lost and time was extended due to other priorities at the agencies and they would come back for more work or additional information or having the right person signs it. There were a lot of administrative delays and sending paper from California to Washington DC and to Canberra, Australia where it’s encountered other problems with time and occasionally lost paperwork plus lost time involving new people such as the USN attaché administrative person that volunteered to go to Iraq which really hurt things. We sent some things by email or by faxes which could help if they were acted on right away. The system to honor both American and foreign military, after a war and with passage of times, is no simple task particularly when they are foreigners. They were approved at the end of 2007 but then came the competitive conditions of a current war in Afghanistan and Iraq where many decorations are generated. Each decoration requires a written citation, a decorative certificate which comes in a blue vinyl folder, orders must be cut, and the medals themselves must have a budget and then ordered. Then these items must be shipped some 10,000 miles to Australia.

The why of supporting this effort for many years, frustration with bureaucracy and the long communication line in this effort are many. I did it, as well as the other contributors, was simply to honor those who have honored Americans, their long persistent effort, and their support of a difficult engagement which I personally had firsthand experience with. The Australians treated me royally in the two times I have visited Australia and this beats the hell out of other countries I was stationed in such countries as Panama where I was chased out of town yelling kill dirty gringo during the 1964 riots. There were other countries that were a little unhappy with Americans who would treat us shabbily. The Australians have always been great to Americans and the numbers of WWII monuments, plaques, aviation museums etc are visible all over the country. Australia is the only country we gave a B-52 which is in the aviation museum in Darwin. It makes you feel proud having Australia as an ally.

The US Embassy in Australia has received all of the 128 Air Medals for the RAAF. The 35th RTFV flew the De Havilland DHC-4 Caribous in Vietnam and were under the control of the various 315th Air Commando and Special Operations Wing--it's names changed a number of times in Vietnam. Ron Workman, a RAAF Vietnam Veteran of the 35th RTFV, spent over 20 years trying to get the unit and mates recognized for their support of the USAF and to receive decorations as their USAF mates received. He finally achieved his long sought out objective through persistence and the typical drive of a champion/professional rugby player which he was. The 35th RTFV Vietnam Veterans will receive their Air Medals on 4th April 1400 hours at the Australian War Museum in Canberra. It is an open ceremony to all who may wish to attend and they expect 350-400 to attend. The US Ambassador Robert D. McCallum, JR (http://canberra.usembassy.gov/ambassador/) is scheduled to presents the decorations. Major Australian TV, radio and media will be on hand to record this event. The FAC Air Medal presentation will be held on 24 April 1600 hours at the US Embassy and is not open to the public for security reasons. According to the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) this is the largest single presentation of Air Medals at one time. The Australians have also indicated this is the largest single US decoration presentation in Australia. The RAAF is sending a C-130 to pick up the Vietnam Veterans receiving the Air Medals since Australia is as large as the US with about 24 million population and the veterans live the width and breath of the country.

The 315 Air Commando Group received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and the Presidential Unit Award but did not include the 35th RTFV. A request has been sent to the Air Force to include the 35th RTFV in these awards. Presently it is work in progress and unknown when a decision will be made.

President Bush, Secretary of Defense, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Chief of Naval Operations and the Chief of Staff of the Army are expected to send letters of congratulations for the RAAF FACs and the 35th RTFV Vietnam veterans to be presented during the award ceremony. Their offices have indicated that they are working on it.

A list of people who were instrumental in getting these decorations finalized, approved and signed are as follows:

a. The wives of Ron Workman, Garry cooper and Eugene Rossel. It would have been impossible to do this without them

b. “Colin Benson” , and ACA member, who started it with an email from MacKay to me.

c. "Ron Workman”, an ACA member, who was the most dedicated and persistent Australian responsible in getting the medals for the 35RTFV and moving others to contribute their talent.

d. "Garry Cooper" , an ACA member, persistence, writing ability, superb organization and desire to help his fellow FACs.

e. “Lt Tony Snyder” of the US Defense attaché office in Canberra who was a very positive force to help us gets it done at the Embassy.

f. "Graham Neil" who added his influence to move things in Australia.

g. “Congressman Gary Miller’s” local representative David Varnam was so instrumental to get this done and his patience putting up with me for all these years. It could not have gotten through without his support.

h. “Jeffery Simmons” who probably wanted to get rid of me with all my persistent faxes, emails, telephone calls but he stuck with me to the end.

i. "Col Douglas Galipeau", an ACA member, was an excellent friend and supporter at the Secretary of the Air Force. As an old Air Commando he wouldn’t let us down.

j. “General Heinie Aderholt”, an ACA member, provided his signature for the FAC submittals which meant everything for getting the FACs Air Medal.

k. “The Air Commando Association (ACA)” who contributed many things to help with this effort.

l. Col David Fleming, USAF Ret former commander of the 315ACG in Vietnam. Ret USAF commander of the units who had the 35RTFV fly under his organization and who started the process back in the 60s in Vietnam but had to keep the Australian decorations for the 35RTFV locked in his desk because of the Australian Government policy. Probably some VC who later found them wondered what the hell this was all about.

Eugene Rossel, LTCol USAF Ret

6083 Rosa Ct

Chino, CA 91710

Tel/Fax 909-591-7342, email aircommando1@earthlink.net,

Web site http://www.specialoperations.net/

The breakdown of Air Medals are as follows:

35RTFV 105

FACs 22

Total 127 Air Medals

RAAF 35th Royal Transport Flight Vietnam Veterans Veterans Receiving Air Medals Apr 04 at the Australian War Memorial are as follows:

Angus, Douglas John SGT

Baggett, William D. FO

Bonett, Stewart Hampton SGT

Bosley, Keith John SGT

Boss, Neil Raymond SGT

Brown, Barrie I. FO

Brown, Noel Peter LA

Calvert, Michael Sandro PO

Cassels, Cunningham McIntyre FO

Clark, Stanley SQL

Connor, Robert John FO

Connors, Kerry John PO

Cooper, Richard William John PO

Cooper, Stuart Douglas PO

De Boer, William SGT

Etheridge, Trevor R. PO

Gardiner, Denis James PO

Geraghty, Colin John FO

Glew, Ronald Thomas CORP

Gracie, Barry SGT

Greenwood, Robert M. SQL

Grierson, John David FO

Griffiths, John Charles PO

Gustafson, Peter PO

Gwin, David Michael SGT

Hammond, Brian FO

Harrison, George Arthur LA

Harvey, Douglas C. SQL

Henderson, Kevin B. FO

Henry, David Allan FO

Heuke, Frederick William FL

Howard, Kenneth Laurence SGT

Hudson, Allen Radford SGT

Huggett, John Raymond PO

Ingate, Barry Thomas SGT

Innes, David R. FO

Jordan, James Donald FL

Kimberley, Gareth FO

Laing, John Robert LA

Lancaster, Donald J. FL

Lane, Malcolm G. LA

Lewis, Maurice Alexander FO

Lindner, John Ernest FO

Lovett, Desmond PO

Lumsden, Geoffrey FO

Lundberg, Eric E. FO

Maguire, James Neil LA

Marion, James Alexander SGT

Marland, David M FO

Marsh, Horton Douglas GC

Marsh, Michael H. FO

Martin, Frederick Barrie FL

Martin, Gary Alexander FO

Martini, Alexander Francis SGT

Maxwell, John Howard PO

Mc Dougall, John SGT

Mc Gregor, Rodney John FO

McAlister, William Stewart FO

McQueen, John FO

Meares, Robert Francis PO

Mercer, James C. SGT

Milligan, David Seaforth SGT

Mills, Thomas Charles SGT

Millsom, John FO

Milne, Albert Grant PO

Mitchell, Stewart Cosman SQL

Nicholls, Gordon Phillip LA

Nicholson, Graeme Alexander FO

Pedrina, Jeffrey A. FO

Perrett, Mark L. FL

Peters, William Sydney AC

Pettigrew, Michael David LA

Pike, Frederick William FO

Pollock, Don Thomas FO

Pratt, Kenneth A. SGT

Pratt, Trevor John SGT

Prowse, John Grenfell PO

Ranger, Rodney Joseph LA

Raymond, Ronald George FL

Rich, Geoffrey Peter PO

Richards, Brian SGT

Robinson, Frank William PO

Rockliff, Reginald William PL

Rogers, Neville J. SGT

Rose, Malcolm Robert SGT

Seager, Richard J. PO

Shanley, Michael Terence FO

Sharman, Barry Allan SGT

Simpson, Richard Norman PO

Spinks, Stuart Gregory PO

St. John, Robert P. SGT

Staal, Jan FO

Story, Gregory Laird FO

Stringfellow, Barry John SGT

Sugden, Christopher J. SQL

Topping, Terence SGT

Trappett, Jeffery P. FO

Van Kessel, Dirk Peter AC

Wilcocks, Mark John PO

Wilson, Maxwell George LA

Winckel, Robert Charles PO

Workman, Ronald Samuel SGT

Yates, Peter FO

Young, Anthony FO

Young, Glynn James SGT

RAAF Forward Air Controllers Vietnam Veterans Receiving Air Medals at the US Embassy April 24 are as follows:

Ackland, Colin L. WGC

Butler, Raymond J. FL

Condon, Peter D. FO

Cooper, Garry G. FL

Cottrell, Macaulay FO

Ennis, Gary J. FO

Fooks, Brian H. FO

Kelloway, Richard N. FO

Mirow, Chris B. FO

Mitchell, Kenneth J. FL

Mouatt, Bruce John Stewart FO

Neil, Graham W. SQL

Ramsay, Rex S. SQL

Riding, Douglas John Sruart FL

Robson, David P. FO

Schulz, Barry M. FL

Searle, Bruce FL

Semmler, Kenneth I. FL

Sibthorpe, Arthur C. FL

Slater, Ronald A. FL

Smith, Peter Graham FL

Wood, Bruce R. FL