Camaraderie and connection are considered among the central tenets to well-being for veterans as it is largely about mates keeping an eye on mates and sharing a common experience, understanding what each other has been through.

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Last week in Nambucca Heads a group of former Infantry soldiers, all of whom served in the Vietnam war together, came from all over Australia to Nambucca Heads to experience that camaraderie and connection.

The men had all served in 2 Platoon, A Company, The Fifth Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, during an operational deployment to Vietnam in 1969-70.

“In 1999 they began to hold reunions for our platoon and I got tracked down in 2005 as following the Vietnam War I sort of disappeared into the world,” 2 Platoon veteran Doug Holmes told News Of The Area.

“We get together and talk about stuff that we can’t really talk about with others and I find it very therapeutic.”

Like many Vietnam Veterans, Mr Holmes was insulted and even physically assaulted in the years following his time in Vietnam by members of the public who took their frustration about this unpopular conflict out on returned servicemen.

“For many years after Vietnam I was in a very dark place mentally, however since reconnecting with these blokes back in 2005, I’m a changed person,” Mr Holmes added.

The members of 2 Platoon converged on the War Memorial Cenotaph in Nambucca Heads during their visit to hold a small service of commemoration and lay a wreath in memory of their brothers-in-arms who have passed on.

By Mick BIRTLES