D. J. Poulton 2020 | Ormeau | Queensland | Australia|
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DAVO’S HOME PAGE FOR
VIETNAM VETERANS
After
discharge
from
the
Army
I
tried
three
different
jobs.
One
of
which
was
a
security
company
called
‘MSS’.
It
hired
Vietnam
veterans
because
of
their
knowledge
of
weapons,
discipline
and
their
obedience
to
tidy
uniforms
etc.
After
several
months
of
mundane
security
patrols,
I
was
accepted
into
the
Commonwealth
Police
Force.
After
graduation from the academy I was transferred to NSW HQ, in Brisbane Street Sydney.
One
of
my
duties
was
to
be
in
uniform
on
the
front
line
of
the
anti-war
demonstrations
that were slowly escalating into full blown anarchy on the streets of Sydney.
Daily
duties
were
to
attend
the
ant-war
and
moratorium
demonstrations
in
and
around
Sydney.
I
battled
student
abuse
for
8-12
hours
a
day.
When
off
duty
I
tried
to
act
as
if
nothing
had
happened.
If
there
was
any
other
series
of
events
in
this
nation
that
resulted
in
alienation
of
veterans,
it
was
the
way
national
and
international
media
fuelled
public
opinion
through
the
demonstrators.
I
was receiving the message first-hand.
A
"draft
dodger"
for
me
was
in
the
same
category
as
a
VC.
I
would
never
deny
it;
I
hated
the
demonstrators,
especially
students
and
relished
the
opportunity
to
show
them.
“
Burn
their
draft
cards
will
they.
Well
we'll
see
about
that.
When
I'm
finished
with
them,
army life will seem like a walk in the park.”
I
always
wondered
what
would
happen
if
somebody
I
knew
well
confronted
me
at
a
demonstration.
Would
I
ignore
that
person
and
let
one
of
the
other
officer’s
deal
with
them?
No,
I
would
give
the
command
for
them
to
move
on.
If
they
refused,
they
would
be
arrested
and
detained.
My
mindset
at
the
time
was
simple:
a
demonstrator
was
against
me
and
considered
the
enemy.
If
they
wanted
to
play
the
game
and
protest,
that was their choice and I was up for the challenge.
Standing
outside
the
Attorney
General's
office
in
Castlereagh
Street
on
8th
May
1970,
I
was
a
member
of
the
police
contingent
facing
an
estimated
30,000
demonstrators
gathered
for
the
first
national
Moratorium.
The
front
line
was
police
who
were
Vietnam
veterans.
We
stood
with
our
arms
linked,
veteran
to
veteran.
We
formed
a
human
cordon
as
we
waited
on
the
footpath
for
the
demonstrators
to
approach.
We
could
hear
the
din
of
the
march
in
the
distance
increasing
in
loudness
as
it
approached. Loud hailers filled the air with calls to get out of Vietnam.
I
knew
that
wearing
my
Vietnam
ribbons
would
incite
the
demonstrators.
I
looked
down
at my two ribbons and said to those around me, "Bring it on!"
"Steady
men,"
the
Sergeant
calmly
said,
"hold
the
line
no
matter
what.
It's
going
to
get
ugly. I feel it in my gut."
As
he
spoke,
we
all
tightened
our
elbows
together
firming
the
bond
between
us,
NSW
State Police and Commonwealth Police together.
The
Sergeant
went
on,
"We
are
here
to
stop
any
intrusion
into
the
building
behind
us.
Keep
your
cool.
If
they
break
the
line
arrest
them
and
take
them
to
the
charging
station
behind. Hand them over, give your details and return to the line."
All reports suggested a peaceful demonstration.
I turned to the officer next to me, "What unit mate?"
"One Battalion 65/66. What about you?"
"21 Engineer Support Troop, 67/68."
"Listen
mate,
if
they
get
too
close,
grab
them
by
the
scruff
of
the
neck,
pull
their
heads
through
so
the
guys
behind
can
give
them
a
biff
for
their
trouble.
Works
every
time.
Happens quicker than you can blink."
"Great idea," I replied. The thought of a bit of biff agreed with me.
Suddenly
the
demonstrators
were
in
sight.
Masses
of
them,
flags
waiving,
loud
hailers
blaring.
I
shuddered.
Half
of
Sydney
must
be
out
there
in
this
one.
I
braced
myself
along
with
the
others.
I
remembered
the
briefing
we
had
been
given
about
the
historical
'Battle
for
Sydney'
on
11
April.
Six
hundred
Sydney
University
students
did
their
familiar
march
to
the
city.
On
that
occasion
they
broke
into
a
full-scale
charge
and
occupied
the
Federal
Attorney
General's
office
before
police
had
arrived.
After
most
had
been
dragged
out
there
were
110
arrests.
I
thought,
there
is
a
bloody
big
difference
between
600
and
30,000.
The
noise
of
the
demonstrators
was
deafening.
A
mass
of
human
flesh
confronted
the
police
line.
I
adopted
a
steel
look
and
stared
straight
ahead,
straight
through
the
demonstrators.
The
abuse
we
coped
made
our
blood
boil
almost
to
breaking
point.
All
I
saw
was
a
bunch
of
drongos
aiming
all
their
fury
at
me.
This
was
personal and I wasn't going to tolerate it.
The
first
demonstrator
to
get
in
my
face
got
the
short
shrift.
I
grabbed
his
jumper,
pulled
his
head
through,
and
the
guy
behind
him
gave
a
greeting
he’d
never
forget.
I
yanked
him
back
through
the
front
line
and
pushed
him
back
into
the
crowd
quicker
than
you
could blink.
"Police
brutality!"
yelped
the
demonstrator.
"Did
you
see
that,
police
brutality.
Get
a
camera on these coppers somebody."
The
police
line
stood
their
ground
as
if
nothing
had
happened.
Demonstrators
pulled
cameras from everywhere.
"Smile
for
the
camera
boys,"
the
Station
Sergeant
quipped.
"Make
sure
they
see
a
friendly caring face now!"
I
smiled,
and
the
more
the
demonstrators
taunted
me,
the
more
I
smiled
all
the
time
trying to control my rage meter.
During
the
eight
hours
that
I
spent
on
the
line
I
was
pushed,
spat
on,
urinated
on,
flower
bombed,
water
bombed
and
generally
verbally
abused.
I
had
language
hurled
at
me
that
even
curled
my
hardened
ears.
I
was
threatened
with
every
form
of
corporal
punishment in the book by the protesters.
This
was
the
pattern
on
a
daily
basis
as
students
and
sympathisers
targeted
different
Federal
Government
buildings
and
instrumentalities
such
as
Qantas,
ASIO,
Kirribilli
House,
Parliamentary
Offices,
Reserve
Bank
and
the
like.
Small
group
incursions
designed
to
disrupt
the
business
of
the
day.
Most
demonstrators
aimed
at
taking
over
a
building with a sit-in.
To
me
it
wasn't
just
a
demo
-
this
was
all
out
war,
and
I
was
going
to
survive
no
matter
what.
What
I
didn’t
know
was
the
unseen
wounds
that
lurked
within
my
emotions
that
would soon erupt.
go to top
The
above
photographs
were
sourced
from
the
following
internet
urls:
(Photographs
in
order from the top)
1.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2014/05/a-noble-cause/
2.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-05/vietnam-war-protesters/7691002?nw=0
3.
http://www.austech.info/showthread.php/91671-Through-the-years-1964-1978
(Accessed 9 May 2020 at 10:30am EST Australia time)
Moratorium Demonstrations