Posted on 06/20/2014 4:13:17 PM PDT by naturalman1975
One of the most decorated soldiers in Australian history, Keith Payne, has donated all his service medals including a Victoria Cross (VC) to the Australian War Memorial.
Mr Payne was awarded a VC - the highest honour for gallantry - for his actions in the Vietnam War.
He also fought in Korea, Papua New Guinea and Malaya after joining up in 1951.
Mr Payne earned 23 service medals over the course of his military career, as well as a Medal of the Order of Australia.
Placed side by side, the medals are far more than one man's chest can accommodate.
At 80, Mr Payne is also the last living Vietnam veteran who is also a VC.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc.net.au ...
The Victoria Cross (VC)
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975 (with clasps KOREA, MALAYSIA, VIETNAM, and THAI-MALAY)
Korea Medal
United Nations Service Medal for Korea
General Service Medal (1962) (with MALAY PENINSULA clasp)
Vietnam Medal
Australian Service Medal 1945–1975 (with clasps KOREA, SE ASIA and PNG)
Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal
Centenary Medal
Defence Force Service Medal (with 2 clasps denoting between 25 and 29 years service)
National Medal
Australian Defence Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (United Kingdom - worn as a foreign award for which dispensation has been granted to wear)
Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (United Kingdom - worn as a foreign award for which dispensation has been granted to wear)
Distinguished Service Cross (United States - worn as a foreign award for which dispensation has been granted to wear)
Silver Star (United States - worn as a foreign award for which dispensation has been granted to wear)
Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star (South Vietnam - worn as a foreign award for which dispensation has been granted to wear)
Vietnam Campaign Medal (South Vietnam - worn as a foreign award for which general dispensation has been granted to wear)
Dhofar Campaign Medal (Oman - worn as a foreign award for which dispensation has been granted to wear)
Dhofar Victory Medal (Oman- worn as a foreign award for which dispensation has been granted to wear)
Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysia - worn as a foreign award for which dispensation has been granted to wear)
Do our soldiers get medals for ‘10 years on secret waitlist’?
Obviously a fine soldier. I understand most of it but what happened in New Guinea?
The Queen has been graciously pleased to signify Her intention to confer the decoration of the Victoria Cross on the undermentioned
Ben Het, Kontum Province, Vietnam, 24 May 1969, Warrant Officer II Keith Payne, Australian Army Training Team, Vietnam.
On 24 May 1969, in Kontum Province, Warrant Officer Payne was commanding 212th Company of 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion when the Battalion was attacked by a North Vietnamese force of superior strength.
The enemy isolated the two leading companies, one of which was Warrant Officer Payne's, and with heavy mortar and rocket support, assaulted their position from three directions simultaneously. Under this heavy attack, the indigenous soldiers began to fall back.
Directly exposing himself to the enemy's fire, Warrant Officer Payne, through his own efforts, temporarily held off the assaults by alternatively firing his weapon and running from position to position collecting grenades and throwing them at the assaulting enemy. While doing this, he was wounded in the hands and arms.
Despite his outstanding efforts, the indigenous soldiers gave way under the enemy's increased pressure and the Battalion Commander, together with several advisors and a few soldiers, withdrew. Paying no attention to his wounds and under extremely heavy enemy fire, Warrant Officer Payne covered this withdrawal by again throwing grenades and firing his own weapon at the enemy who were attempting to follow up.
Still under fire, he then ran across exposed ground to head off his own troops who were withdrawing in disorder. He successfully stopped them and organised the remnants of his and the second company into a temporary defensive perimeter by nightfall. Having achieved this, Warrant Officer Payne of his own accord and at great personal risk, moved out of the perimeter into the darkness alone in an attempt to find the wounded and other indigenous soldiers. Some had been left on the position and others were scattered in the area.
Although the enemy were still occupying the previous position, Warrant Officer Payne, with complete disregard for his own life, crawled back on to it and extricated several wounded soldiers. He then continued to search the area, in which the enemy were also moving and firing, for some three hours. He finally collected forty lost soldiers, some of whom had been wounded, and returned with this group to the temporary defensive perimeter he had left, only to find that the remainder of the battalion had moved back. Undeterred by this setback and personally assisting a seriously wounded American adviser, he led the group through the enemy to the safety of his battalion base.
His sustained and heroic personal efforts in this action were outstanding and undoubtedly saved the lives of a large number of his indigenous soldiers and several of his fellow advisors. Warrant Officer Payne's repeated acts of exceptional personal bravery and unselfish conduct in this operation were an inspiration to all Vietnamese, United States and Australian soldiers who served with him. His conspicuous gallantry was in the highest traditions of the Australian Army.
When I see stuff like this I realize that Western Civilization is passing and this honorable man’s donation will soon be tossed in a box somewhere and his country’s contributions rewritten by some twenty-something fascist dunce.
God bless you, Mr. Payne.
I don't know what specifically he got it for - it was awarded quite commonly - for 30 days service in Papua New Guinea in nation building, training and administration of defence forces, and humanitarian relief from 3 September 1945 to 16 September 1975.
During that period, PNG was part of Australia, so there were ample opportunities for Australian servicemen to serve there. Given his experience, my guess is he was probably training local troops.
Thank you.
An honorable man with an incredibly impressive record. This world needs more like him.
Certified bad ass and still looks like he can kick but at 80. I’d buy him a pint if I met him.
In addition to the VC, I see he also has medals from the US
DSC
Silver Star
Citation
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Keith Payne, Chief Warrant Officer (WO-2), Australian Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with the Australian Army Training Team. While personally leading the 212th Company, 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion, in Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 24 May 1969, his company was attacked by an overwhelming force of the North Vietnamese Army. The attack isolated the two lead companies. They then came under heavy rocket and mortar fire and an infantry ground assault from three directions. This intensive attack caused the strike force to begin withdrawing. Warrant Officer Payne, exposing himself to enemy fire, rallied the troops by firing his personal weapon and running from position to position, collecting and hurling grenades at the attacking enemy. He was wounded in his hands and arms. Despite his outstanding efforts, the indigenous soldiers retreated and the battalion commander and staff retreated with them. Warrant Officer Payne covered this retreat by firing his weapons and throwing grenades. Under heavy fire he ran across exposed terrain to stop the disorderly withdrawal - and as night fell - organized his company into defensive perimeter. He then proceeded into enemy held territory collecting some forty wounded and lost soldiers. Upon returning to the defensive perimeter, he found that his battalion had left. Undeterred he continued collecting staggers and led them and four American soldiers to a final rendezvous where he supervised the evacuation of all wounded personnel. He refused to be evacuated until all other wounded had departed the area. Through his sustained and courageous soldiery performance, he saved the lives of his American comrades in arms and many Vietnamese soldiers, bringing great credit to the Australian and United States Armies.
Awesome! Thanks for the posting. (Y’All find MH370 yet?)
PING!
I like your post.
Way more to the point than anything else here.
ANZAKS (sp ?)
Some of the best fighting men in the world. Take your back and then some.
Met a bunch, not a wilting violet among them.
Originally stood for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. Formed in 1914 for the First World War, it marked the first significant deployments of both Australian and New Zealand troops under their own flags, since they became sovereign nations, in 1901 and 1907 respectively (having previously been British colonies). The Corps first went into action at Gallipoli, Turkey on 25th April 1915, the anniversary of which is now ANZAC Day in both Australia and New Zealand - our most sacred day, seen as the day our nations were baptised in blood, and the day we commemorate those who have served and in some cases, fallen for our nations in time of war.
I bought a cd album of John McDermott a few days ago mainly because I like his version of “Scotland The Brave” and “Loch Lomond”.
There was another one on the album called “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”. It is a long one and clearly about Gallipoli tho I am not sure the word Gallipoli is even mentioned.
I'll say it again - certified badass. Many men were saved by this man. I hope their familes know,
You're right - it is about Gallipoli, and the ANZAC Day marches that continue until today - although as the song says:
But as year follows year
More old men disappear
Someday noone will march there at all
There are no longer any of the original ANZACs alive - but the veterans of our later wars still march, and we will remember them.
Gallipoli may not be mentioned in the version you heard, but it is in the original:
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As the ship pulled away from the quay
And amidst all the cheers, the flag waving and tears
We sailed off for Gallipoli
It's probably one of the two most poignant Australian songs about our war experience. The other is the Vietnam era based I was only nineteen
Mum and Dad and Denny saw the passing-out parade at Puckapunyal
It was a long march from cadets.
The sixth battalion was the next to tour, and it was me who drew the card.
We did Canungra, Shoalwater before we left.
And Townsville lined the footpaths as we marched down to the quay
This clipping from the paper shows us young and strong and clean.
And there's me in my slouch hat with my SLR and greens.
God help me, I was only nineteen.
From Vung Tau, riding Chinooks, to the dust at Nui Dat
I'd been in and out of choppers now for months.
But we made our tents a home, VB and pinups on the lockers
And an Agent Orange sunset through the scrub.
And can you tell me, doctor, why I stil can't get to sleep?
And night-time's just a jungle dark and a barking M16?
And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?
God help me, I was only nineteen.
A four week operation when each step could mean your last one on two legs
It was a war within yourself.
But you wouldn't let your mates down til they had you dusted off
So you closed your eyes and thought about something else.
Then someone yelled out "Contact!" and the bloke behind me swore
We hooked in there for hours, then a Godalmighty roar
Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon,
God help me, he was going home in June.
I can still see Frankie, drinking tinnies in the Grand Hotel
On a thirty-six hour rec leave in Vung Tau
And I can still hear Frankie, lying screaming in the jungle
Til the morphine came and killed the bloody row.
And the Anzac legends didn't mention mud and blood and tears
And the stories that my father told me never seemed quite real.
I caught some pieces in my back that I didn't even feel
God help me, I was only nineteen.
And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep?
And why the Channel Seven chopper chills me to my feet?
And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?
God help me, I was only nineteen.
I Was Only Nineteen at YouTube.
Just listened to the song.
You are correct, he does say Gallipoli tho he drags out the word.
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