Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
He was a Sergeant Major for Victor6 Company who fought in Vietnam.
40 years on, Richard Shepard and his fellow comrades
are holding a reunion in Northland.
We caught up with him gearing up for the gathering.
This was the first war to be televised for the world to see.
Richard Shepard still remembers what it was like at war in Vietnam.
Sometimes we spent up to 21 days in the bush,
When we spotted the enemy the battle would begin.
We lost some men and so did they.
Richard was 31 when he became sergeant major of Victor6 Company
the last infantry to go to Vietnam.
I taught them to soldier and to kill.
I taught them how to stay out of trouble.
I was put in charge, so that if anyone got out of line
I was to put them straight.
Tonight his fellow soldiers from Victor6
will be welcomed to Whangarei,
the first time they have come together in 40 years.
This reunion is not about glorifying the war,
but we want to instead pay tribute to those who have passed on.
The disaster in Christchurch brings back memories
of the devastation he saw at war.
My deepest sympathies to them - those who have lost loved ones.
The Victor6 veterans will visit Waima in the coming days
where they will pay tribute to the last man of their company
who died in Vietnam,
at the same time it is a chance to catch up and share memories.
Irena Smith, Te Karere.