Vietnam veteran Ken Neath has paid his respects to the fallen at Battle of Long Tan commemorations in Merimbula, but says the truth of what happened 50 years ago is yet to be fully revealed.
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Mr Neath served in the Royal Australian Navy, first in the engine room of the HMAS Melbourne during operations in North Vietnam, and later on the MV Jeparit – a vessel he described as the “most controversial ship in the war”.
The Jeparit was a merchant ship commandeered by the federal government in 1966 to carry supplies for the Australian forces.
Its cargo included Agent Orange - which the servicemen were originally told was to spray mosquitoes - as well as tanks and rockets, medical supplies and food.
On shore, Mr Neath said the deadly herbicide was kept in rusty drums that leaked into a nearby fresh water stream from which the navy drew its water.
“We showered in it, cooked in it, cleaned our teeth in it," Mr Neath said.
"I was told to expect to develop cancer from Agent Orange sometime over my lifetime.”
That prophecy proved true, with Mr Neath, 68, soon to undergo treatment for prostate cancer.
He also suffers post traumatic stress disorder, night sweats, rashes and hypertension.
Other servicemen who came into contact with Agent Orange fathered children with birth defects, he said.
Mr Neath claimed that the Jeparit's log books were often falsified: "There were a lot of cover-ups, stories that have never been told."
The Jeparit came under heavy shore attack from the Viet Cong – eventually silenced by the HMAS Hobart – but it was never afforded an armed escort, he said.
Despite the horror of the war, recognition for the navy from the government was not forthcoming with servicemen waiting 20 years to receive their medals and other benefits.
About 300 people attended the 50th anniversary service in Merimbula last Thursday.
Lumen Christi student Laura Collins described the battle as an “Australian-defining moment”.
“Long Tan was fought on courage and I cannot stress that enough,” she said.