Absolutely sir thank you for making a song like this and let me pin you to the top you're a legend and definitely shouldn't be mixed up in the comments lol I had no idea you commented until I was told. This song is probably one of the greatest songs I've heard ❤️
Thanks John for this song. A dear friend was a clearance diver in the first Gulf war & saw mates blown to bits. His brain injuries are severe & it's heartbreaking
I was born with a deformity in my hand (it was later diagnosed as Agent Orange) from Vietnam from the insecticides and pesticides as he mentioned that was passed thru to me from my father. I was very lucky as many children born with Agent Orange were born with very severe disabilities. We love our ANZACS🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
The thing about this song is that whilst it did change the attitude of Australians to the Vietnam war, its applicability to the USA veterans is immense.
@@bertiemagoo8826 actually I'm not getting paid a dime for it. It's demonetized. Secondly it's a patreon request Not sure where the ad money goes but definitely not to me if it's demonetized. And if somebody didn't recommend it I wouldn't have known it exist THATS why I have paypal and cash app. Know what you talking about before you start having trash judgments of people
It’s a timeless song. John is by no means pro war, if anything he’s a pacifist which makes his points about needing to respect and support the soldiers who come home from wars politicians choose to send them to all the more poignant. We’re a young nation, with only about 25 million people but we do whatever we can to help people the world over. John mostly did light hearted comedic songs before this, it was a step away from his normal repertoire in a time when Vietnam vets still were being stigmatised, and ever since he’s been doing anything he can to help veterans. He really deserves a knighthood I might drop Queen Elizabeth a note…
Aussie Vet here. This song breaks me every time I hear it . I’m 55 now every day seems to get harder than the last. I KEEP losing my mates. There are very few of us left now and the shame is we are not what I would consider old men yet …. The price was a heavy one. Wife, kids and now friends…. Just my dogs now.
Thank you for your service. It just doesn't seem enough. But for what it's worth, thank you, to you your comrades and families for all you have sacrificed. If not for anything else, it was for freedom. ❤
I sent a copy of this to an American friend of mine who fought in the Vietnam jungle, the ‘dark green’ on the map as opposed to this “walk in the light green”. My friend was driving when he played the tape in his car. He said he pulled over to the side of the road and cried like a baby.
I was working in a chemist aged about 19. When a vet came in. His hands were peeling like a glove. We got him some salve but i asked about his story. I cried for the rest of the day..just quietly to myself. But i hope he was okay.
I worked with an SAS Vietnam Vet...... never said much..... not a big guy, wiry tough, steely eyes, indecently capable, a dangerous gentleman....... on his return, he ended up living with the Pintubi mob in the Great Sandy Desert in WA.... he did tell me when I asked, that when he was in Nam he couldn’t see 2 ft in front of him, but in the desert he could see to the horizon in every direction....... says it all... every time I hear your song JS I think of him, the mates he lost and the sacrifices they ALL made.. for us......... THANK YOU 🙏
I served in the Australian infantry and I'm currently in vietnam and visited the Long Tan memorial last week. Most emotional I have been in years Lest we forget
As an Aussie with a family history of ancestors that fought through WW1 & 2 "I Was Only 19" & "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" give me goose bumps as i try to understand what these men & women went thru day to day during their service... the most important songs ever written for any conflict that involves personel in the military worldwide only to return home mentally shattered without much help... Also like to pay tribute to "The Singer Reactions" for the best reaction vid i have seen on this subject... kudos to you sir...
This song is such a powerful song for all Aussies whether we served or not we all know someone that has fought for Australia. It hits us hard everytime this song is played, listened and reacted to.
The days when Redgum began, playing pubs. They were the best, & my favourite band. Never missed them playing the Eureka Hotel in Geelong. They have a number of outstanding songs, from Fabulon for a laugh, to the beautiful Diamantina Drover, written & sung by the late Hugh McDonald, to this outstanding song. Redgum are the most underrated Aussie band ever. John Schumann is an absolute star.
Thank you for having respect for my Australian dad in Vietnam. Im now 53 and its still extremely hard for what us kids went through after the yrs. We took the pain 😢 12:36
I'm an an American vet, but this touches me because after 91 and Desert Storm alot of us developed serious neurological issues. Gulf War syndrome. We were told it was in our minds, or from burning the latrine pits. It took the government 20 years to admit it was real and the reason why.
Typical govt denial. My dad died of prostate cancer and the lady from the RSL (returned service league) told us that the govt know agent Orange causes cancer but they will never admit to it due to all the legal cases it would open. He was 69 so I can't complain too much, but we will never know.
Here are some words in the song that I think you, or other non Australian viewers, might need explaining: Puckapunyal - Army training camp in Victoria Long march from cadets - Australia use to have a school based military training program called "cadets." Something like ROTC but in high school and not for officer training but exposure to military discipline. Canungra and Shoalwater are Queensland tropical warfare training bases. Townsville is a northern Queensland city and the staging base for the conflict in Vietnam and the Pacific Conflict of World War 2 Slouch hat - traditional Australian military hat dating back to the Boer War and the First Word War. SLR - Self Loading Rifle, standard issue military weapon of the time. VB - Victorian Bitter beer. Asian Orange sunset - I think this is a reference to "Agent Orange," a defoliation chemical used to reduce the capacity of rainforest to hide the enemy but had devastating long term effects on anyone the came into significant contact with it - it did not discriminate between friend or foe. Bloke - man Tinnies - cans of beer (it can also mean a small boat but not in this case.) ANZAC legend - the heroic story of the exploits of Australian and New Zealand Army corps beginning in 1915 at Gallipoli - probably the only line that misrepresents the truth - "mud and blood and tears" is a huge part of the ANZAC legend. But I think he is saying it has become so "glorified" in the culture that the pain and suffering are overlooked. The "rash that comes and goes" is the impact of Agent Orange.
A bit more context - One significance of "I was only 19" was that the voting age was still 21, so that those who were conscripted at 19 had no say in government policy. Not so easy nowadays when 18-year-olds can vote. SLR - officially the L1A1 rifle. A locally made (Government Small Arms Factory Lithgow) version of the FN FAL rifle, pretty much identical to the British L1A1 and similar to the Canadian C1A1, among others. Channel 7 Chopper, the Australian 7 Network news helicopter. There is more than one, every Australian State capital has at least one. Cadets - I was an Air Training Corps (RAAF) cadet. We were envious of the Army cadets because they had SLRs, while we still had No1MkIII* bolt-action .303s. It was more like a junior version of the CMF (Citizens Military Forces, now the Army Reserve) than the US ROTC. (Boy Scouts with guns.) Conscription was by lottery. Birthdays were nominally drawn from a barrel. It was supposed to be impartial, but it was completely corrupt. If you shared a birthday with a prominent entertainer, especially a pop singer, you were definitely in. That's how my number came up. Fortunately the Army rejected me on medical grounds - I never objected or tried to find out why, but it couldn't have been too serious as I'm still here 50+ years later.
@@allenjenkins7947 I worked the Melbourne Museum back in the early 90's for 1 12 hour night shift & had the master key, I checked out the storage areas in the basement, I come across what I thought was an early Lotto tumbler with all the numbered balls in it, it had a plaque attached to it & I read it was the machine your talking about, the Mummies on the table next to it seemed less horrifying.
@@allenjenkins7947 No one was conscripted at 19. The age to register was 20. The 19 in the song comes from Francis Hunt's (Frankie) age, he being 19 when he went to Vietnam as a regular soldier not a conscript. That you shared a birth date with Normie Rowe is irrelevant.
My dad was conscripted to go Vietnam. He drew the unlucky birth date. He was coloured blind and had flat feet but still had to go. He is now 75. More than 50 years later he still suffers rashes, nightmares and ptsd. This song is so real. War is evil. 💗
My eldest brother died 6 weeks before he was due to come home, from standing on a landmine. It forever changed our lives. My mother never got over his death, his then fiance grieved for him until the day she died. My second eldest brother enlisted after his death and served two tours in Vietnam. He spent the next 4 decades destoying his life and those around him because he couldn't come to terms with what he had seen and done over there. He has now, in his 70's, finally found some measure of peace, but too late to save his relationship with many of his children. All this for what? War answers nothing.
You & your family have suffered terribly. Dad didn't realise what his baby brother went thru in Vietnam. For Grandma, born in 1903, & had a husband that served on the western Front in WW1 it must have been scary
Chrissy, I have mentioned before that my youthful mate 471836 L/Cpl Roger Fisher was KIA Vietnam on April 26, 1968. He too was a victim of a land mine and just under 3 weeks from coming home from his second tour and marrying my Late boss's niece. Aged 23, he was the only Aussie KIA that day. Hailing from Mintaro, a small rural town in the mid north of Sth Australia, he was a national Serviceman and at the time of his call up, was a Police Cadet, with the Sth Australian Police Force. RIP Roger, even though it has been 54 years, I have never forgotten you, nor will I ever, cobber. RIP and LEST WE FORGET.
My dad served in The Vietnam War and suffered terribly for 25 years after until he’d finally drunk himself to death. I loved my dad and he tried to do the right thing but the demons he carried after the war were too strong and alcohol was the only thing to numb it and the only way he could sleep. I remember waking up to my Dad screaming in his sleep only to wake up and then cry like a child wanting his mother, it scared me and my siblings but we weren’t scared for ourselves because he was always so gentle with us but we were terrified for him. This song makes me reflect and understand my Dad a bit better so thank you for reacting and to John for writing it!
My heart goes out to you Holly & I completely understand as my father was a vet & he was the same! I miss him so much & how open he was with me as a child. I was to young to understand at the time but he was honest and open with me I think because he knew I wouldn’t judge or think less of him for what he had to do. My mother on the other hand was & still is a particularly nasty piece of work & still tries to make everyone feel sorry for her lose. She lost nothing, she got his pension what more does she want!? She never had any sympathy for his post traumatic stress or mine & seems to think it’s a joke for her personal pleasure to make fun of. I really don’t know how dad stayed with such an evil woman.
Even after listening to this song for 40 years, it still gives me chills, one thing I learnt after serving in the Australian Army, governments do not care about those that have served in combat,
The Viet Vets thought so much of John Schumann's (Redgum) and the work he has carried out for the Veteran Community and the Spotlight he shone onPTSD, that words from I was only 19, are included on the Viet Vets Memorial in Canberra and as you said in your review of the song, a song for the world. Thank you Harry Watson a 38 year veteran.
I'm Australian. I've never served, never had too thankfully. This song holds a special place in Australia's heart that just the respect you give it would have me standing beside you at the gates of hell.
My brother was a sapper on the Mekong Delta. He died in his sixties as a result of being sprayed with heavy duty insecticide during the Vietnam War. My brother in law was Divisions Locations, which meant going behind enemy lines. He was sprayed with agent orange twice. He witnessed absolute horror, they both did and they both suffered from PTSD. When my brother in-law came home, people thought it was hilarious to burst balloons behind his head because he would fling himself flat on the floor. He became very involved in the RSL ( Returned Soldiers League). He passed away recently. His funeral was held at his local RSL branch. The President said that my brother in law saved his life by getting him to march on Anzac Day and become involved in the RSL. Other members got up and said he saved their lives and countless others as well. They were still lost and suicidal for so many years after Vietnam. They now have a monument to him sitting on the bar of the RSL and the Australian Army presented the family with the flag - which they usually only do for someone killed in combat. He was a pretty special guy. He wanted to connect with the young ones of today. He was so worried about them. For some, the RSL is better than a Doctor because they have ALL been through it and they all understand.
Thankyou for this story and I thank your brother for his service. Times have changed but problems still exist and with a son in the Services I do worry for him and others. Bless you.
@@NeilBlanco Thanks for saying so. The veterans really do understand and I was kinda hoping that anyone suffering from what happened to them during their time in the armed forces and who reads what I wrote, particularly about my brother in law, and the benefits of the RSL will maybe reach out to the veterans. They really do "get it".
Combat changes a human. You are NEVER what you were before the experience. PTSD is the mind reliving what the eyes saw…and beyond. The best one can do is to connect with others who know how it is. One cannot heal. One can only learn to adapt to the present reality, and occasionally go meet with brothers and attend reunions and just be in their presence. To every combat veteran, I extend my thanks, my pride for you, and a hearty WELCOME HOME!
In Greece where my family is at, I did my national service 20 years ago at 19. 18 months I was drafted and given a uniform and rifle and stationed at various army bases, no money, no freedom and very little time off or mental outlet for support as I would see other young men bash their heads up against brick walls when their leave for a night out was revoked cause they forgot to get a paper signed on time. I never saw combat, but 9/11 took place 4 months before I was promised to go home. I cried and was so scared of WW III. Now, I have a nephew who is going to be 19 real soon, and on our borders, Turkey is mounting an offensive to claim our islands and Russia and Ukraine are close to starting another global war. Although since I am single and still fit enough at 41 to pick up arms, I fear not for me, but my nephew. I pray a war does not take place cause the last thing I wanna see is a government under its own lies and self gain wants rich old men to stay richer and poor men like us to give up our lives and minds and bodies so they can stay rich and we become poorer. I will only go to fight on one condition, that I may be placed along side him so I can watch his back. Anything to make sure he comes home in one piece.
I’ve heard this song so many times in Australia especially around ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day and it never fails to bring a tear to my eyes. You’re right, every country’s soldiers around the world can relate to this incredible song.
I teach it as part of Year 10 History on the Vietnam War. It’s pretty powerful. I’ve also used the Battle of Long Tan doco narrated by Sam Worthington and I’ve never had a more quiet and attentive class.
This came out when I was in primary school. It was all over the radio and some of my friends had uncles and fathers who had served. Our Year 6 teacher used it as a teaching lesson.
My Dad was a Vietnam veteran. I can remember the kids at school telling me (5yr old) that my Dad killed babies. I went home and asked my Dad. He comforted me and said they were wrong, but I could tell even then that it affected and upset him. He had many health problems directly relating to his service. He really didn't like to talk about it. This song really meant a lot to him. RIP DAD.
"It's a song about two mates of mine who went to Vietnam, came back Agent Orange victims. The title "A Walk in the Light Green" stems from the fact that when the Australian soldiers in Vietnam were given their missions, they looked at the areas where they'd be working in on the map and if it was dark green on the map, then there was cause for some consolation, because dark green meant thick jungle, lots of cover, and there were no mines. If they were working in areas that were light green on the map, that meant light jungle, not much cover, and heaps of mines. This is a song for Mick and Frankie. It's called "A walk in the light green". John Schumann
the songs about 30yrs old and still gives me goose bumps. my old bloke lives nxt to a vet from Nam who is suffering PTSD and agent orange poisoning. poor Barstads crook as
Thanks for the great review. It certainly is one of the most powerful songs we have here in Australia. We’re a small country but have a rich military history down through the years. Most of us have family members in the military, past or present. In WW1, every Australian soldier was a volunteer, and we lost more per head of population than any other country. We punch well above our weight. Thanks again. 👍
Dad is a Vietnam veteran of the 5th Royal Australian Regiment. At least he was. He passed away on July 19 2022. This song is my life long “understanding” song. Understanding of my fathers life and experience. Hence why he was the way he was. He was my best friend. I respect and view Mr John Schumann in a certain light that I would consider family. John knows of me through Facebook. But. His music and personal point of view of all veterans of our great country Australia. Brings my pain into pride. Bless my father. Private Barry Pemberton. And bless Mr Schumann for relating a soldiers heart and emotion to the public over the years. John Schumann for prime minister 👍🏻
It took 20 years for Australia’s Vietnam veterans to finally get a proper welcome home parade, which started in Sydney in 1987, and moved on to other cities in subsequent years. My dad, who was in Vietnam 67-68, was able to attend the first welcome home, and told that, at the entertainment put on after the parade, John Schumann sang this song with his mate present, and there wasn’t a dry eye there by the end.
As someone who lives with C-PTSD this song always makes me cry like a baby. I remember with crystalline clarity the first time I heard it, where I was, who was there; I was 6 years old, and I understood it, even then, in my childish way. This will always be one of the most important songs ever written.
This reference threw me off a little. Frankie stepped on a mine the same day we landed on the moon. The date of the first landing was July 16, 1969, but Frankie was scheduled to go home in June, a month prior. So, did he miss his departure date and stayed longer than he was scheduled? Was that common?
@@jackattack2608 John Schumann goofed. Nobody minds too much - he needed a rhyme for "June", and it's easy enough to rationalise a one-month delay for Frankie.
I shed tears every time I hear this song. It wasn't Vietnam but my grandfather took his life not long after returning from fighting on the Kokoda track, PNG.
Sorry about your grandpa. We're beginning to take PTSD seriously, thanks to those, like John Schumann and Redgum, who have pushed for giving Vets the support and safety they deserve. I've never been a soldier, but met Vietnam Vets in rehab, next door to where "the Channel Seven chopper" had its helipad. It's shocking and moving to see up close, even if I could never know exactly what they were living through.
Quick story, in the early 80's when I had just joined the Australian Navy, I got to know a guy that was a Vietnam vet, a really nice person, he was divorced from his wife, he had two kids (two girls) both with disabilities. He was himself often very ill, he had trouble holding down a job (I met him when he was trying to sell insurance). Vietnam destroyed his life, and his family. Also, for everyone, you do not need to be a vet or have been in war to have PTSD.
This video should be played to all veterans and their families as it applies to all soldiers in all wars. Americans would relate to it in the same way as Australians as they went through the same experiences. Thanks for this reaction. Really appreciate it.
We need to look after our veterans plain & simple. This is an amazing song by a great story teller. All I can say as as a proud Australian is Thank you for your service.
I find it impossible to listent to this song without getting emotional and seeing in my minds eye the 60s and 70s. Every night we sat down at 7pm to watch the news and latest from Vietnam....we were the first generation to actually watch a war on TV and it was a sobering thing. As for the pacifists who forgot that the returned serviceman were every bit as much victims and the people they killed at the behest of our government, I know a lot of them who have lived to regret the way they treated our blokes when they came home. Our serviceman lived through hell in Vietnam and came home to a section of the public who somehow blamed them for the war. Schumann's song is so powerful it's a song for every returned serviceman these days. Thank you so much for playing it and reminding us. Cheers mate
OMG.... I remember going to see John Schumann back in the mid 80's in Renmark South Australia. It's the only concert I ever went to...and was front row...I think I cried through the whole concert
Mate, the emotion you give to this song, and the respect you pay to it, almost makes you an Honourary Aussie. If your eyes ain't welling up when Frankie kicks the mine, you ain't got a heart.
Not A Truer Word Said ! John Schumann an absolute Inspiration to All that thought they didn't have a Voice ! Legendary Song for Our Vets that Served for Our Fredom 👏
I can tell you that PTSD is one of the most difficult psychological conditions to recognise, diagnose and most of all to treat - and virtually impossible to cure 😢
I was diagnosed with ptsd in 2015. Suddenly it all made sense. The self medication , the nightmares, anxiety, the bad decisions and everything else that goes with it. In a way being diagnosed helped me realise I was not a bad person or a stupid bastard ,but just a bloke that had seen and experienced severe trauma. That's made me come to terms with fact that ptsd was never going to go away and I worked out how to manage it,(with help from a good psychologist) . I can now say that I still have PTS, but not the D. Once you identify your problem or condition, then you can equip yourself to fight the beast.
@@lancehanrahan562 lots of new research and approaches to PTSD with many looking hopeful- including MDMA assisted therapy, ketamine infusions, Riluzole, even Propranolol (to block memory reconsolidation).. we’ve come a long way but a long way to go x
@@lancehanrahan562 I feel your pain brother, I deal with it daily. There's times I can't even be around anyone., But my wife will not leave my side when I'm fighting with it. She has been my saving grace and my best therapy. Without her I'd probably have already ended it myself. The images that pop in my mind are the hardest on me. I can still hear it all in my head as well. Stay strong brother, we are soldiers, we fight and we win.
@dr_KAP C’mon doc, it seems many people were able to self-diagnose from listening to a song. And bringing the truth into the light always helps. That’s the recognise, diagnose and a bit of the treat part - let’s work on the rest of the treat. The cure is never to go to war again, definitely something to aspire to and consider greatly when considering sending soldiers to war (on either side).
Thanks for taking a closer look at this. Our Veterans faced hell, and deserve our respect, understanding and support. This song is so powerful and sadly will continue to be as wars continue
"This song is a worldwide song". Indeed. My father fought the Portuguese colonial war in Africa (Angola) for two and a half years. When he came back he was different. Still a loving and great father but a silent one. He never told us, his children, any war story, never mentioned the subject, or shared his experiences. He took it to the grave. It dealt with it alone. PTSD back then was an unknown phenomenon.
@@brucespanner6756 He served in the NW of Angola in a shithole called Bessa Monteiro. I had the opportunity to see some pictures from the place back then (not from him). It was not a base, just a bunch of trenches and a couple of decrepit houses that served as admin support and kitchen/dinner, and a warehouse where they kept I don't know what. Man, those guys must have suffered from a lack of comfort and distractions. On top of that, they ran 2/3 patrols a day "hunting" as they called it. Apparently, the relief came at night, with no fighting or mortar fire.
RIP to your father, mate... All soldiers sacrifice so much and your father no less than any other. As a side-note... PTSD wasn't an unknown phenomenon back then... It was just called something different. After WW one it was known as "shell shock"... In WW2 it was known as "battle fatigue"... World governments have known about the long-lasting effects of PTSD for a LONG time... They've just always refused to do anything meaningful about it... More vets have died from PTSD-related suicide around the world in over 100 years of war than the death toll from active service of all nations in that same period. As proof that they've always known about it, the US government first classified their veterans as potential "domestic terrorists" after they pulled out of 'Nam. They knew then that having a large number of highly trained soldiers who had a grievance with their own government's role in destroying their lives would eventually become a domestic public relations nightmare. Since then, the FBI has had highly trained and active domestic counter-terrorist and intelligence programs and units in place BECAUSE of the existential threat to public safety and the continuance of government from the very servicemen that they gave no choice to when they were conscripted. Having a whole lot of pissed off soldiers wandering around the country with no jobs and poor mental health with no real resources to help them was never going to be acceptable to the powers that be but rather than fix the problem they've always sought to merely contain it.
I can't listen to this song without tearing up. From the first time I heard it as a younger man right through until this time. It touches the soul. Well done John Schumann
I am one of the youngest first born of a WWII vet. My father entered WWII very late around 17 yo in the Navy and was on HMAS Australia, the first ship hit by Kamikazes. After repairs, they returned with the American 5th Fleet as part of the liberation of the Philippines. They were then hit by 5 Kamikazes in 3 days and my Dad was injured. He and I didn’t have a great relationship growing up. They didn’t know about PTDS in the 50s, 60s, 70s. When I was around 14/15 visiting him hospital with my Mum the Dr too us aside and said if we didn’t stop walking on eggshell around him we would be the ones dying of stress first. The PTSD transferred to generations but that is not recognised.
I've seen John perform this live. In Canberra, at a Vietnam Veteran day, surrounded by vets. I was a child. It never fails to bring tears to my eyes. And that day, that performance, is written in my memory in stone.
Thank you for this , I have ptsd from being attacked in my shower by two carers. This song made everyone cry because they were treated so disgustingly . We need to wrap our soldiers in our arms and thank them for our freedom . My grand father was he,d prisoner of war in Changi . He came back broken . Thank you for sharing this . It means the world xoxox
Mate , I Am Australian , and Thank you very much for the commentary and viewing this video ' I was only 19` , your viiews and thoughts are well received, i had been in the Australian Army from 1969 till 1995 I am 72 years of age now. , but i joined the Army Reserveis, due to medical reasons i did not go overseas , , and i always ( till this day ) Think of My Fallen Soldiers Friends who went over to Vietnam, every single day. .This Video is So very True , God Bless all of the fallen , May they Rest in Peace.
There was a quote that for a lot of us spelled out part of the thought process we went through in combat and it was “the only hope you have is to accept the fact that your already dead, the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function”
Thanks for your sensitive care for this song & recognizing its worth! Thanks also for bring so many Aussie Icons to the eyes of the World through your channel! I was thinking - Put this song together with John Farnham's Voice & Delta's Bridge Over Troubled Dreams & there are three powerful songs for Today, Hey! Song the Whole World needs to hear! Cheers Debbie
I served for 18 years in the Australian Army.Trained in Malaysia where we lost a bloke to a grenade accident, Deployed to Bougainville, Twice to East Timor, Iraq, Afghanistan and Padang The Army doesn't send you to nice places and even in training it can be risky. I grew up listening to I was only 19 but in recent years have heard the songs from Fred Smith who wrote songs about our time in Bougainville and the Middle East. I really liked the song "Coming Home". it doesn't hit you in the feels like Redgum but it helped me figure out some peace of mind concerning Afghanistan.
Thank you for your service. I am the daughter of a British Paratrooper who served from 8 months before D Day till 1963. He landed in Normandy on D Day and he was part of the mission to take out the Merville Battery. It's an amazing story of courage but sadly also of great personal sacrifice. My respect to you and the sacrifices you made.
Yes Nick. Mate it's a legendary song about the ANZACS and all men and woman who went to war worldwide. Touches a nerve with me anytime I hear it. I never went to an actual war so to speak, but you know my story. Mine was a different War as you know.
massive kudos to you do doing this bro.... you've won yourself a big fan of your work! as you know many avenues of research and therefore many medications that may be available to brothers and sisters are available. I'm sure you'll do your best to help supporters and subscribers to connect with help. love, light and peace ✌️
I’m an Aussie who a the son of a Vietnam Veteran. He was 19 when his number was called up and served at Nui Dat in the Phuoc Tuy province in 67/68. He was always quick to anger, drank heavily, and apparently had terrible nightmares occasionally. I don’t hold any resentment or grudges against my father for my childhood as he himself was a child and sent to war, then upon return he and his mates were wiped like a dirty arse by the government. This song always brings a tear to my eye.
Thank you for highlighting this. Many of my mates went to Vietnam, and have or are drunk/drinking themselves into an early grave. You feel so helpless, but all you can do is be there to talk (I'm an '86-'00) British vet. But never experienced the hell these guys did.
It truly is a wake up call - to all the politicians and politics of the world that think war is a good idea. - To those in power: Where's the support and help for those you send off to war and forget once they get home - that's IF they get home.
I worked with a guy once who was a Vietnam vet. Whenever a helicopter flew over, he would have a meltdown. It was so sad to see. My Dad was a Navy veteran who had PTSD. His Dad was lost when HMAS Sydney sank off the coast of Western Australia with no survivors. Dad was only little. Not knowing what really happened to the ship his Dad was lost on, and not knowing exactly where the ship was until late in his life, was a terrible reality and heartache he lived with every day. He followed his fathers footsteps and joined the Navy when he was 16. He served in both the Vietnam and Korean wars. When two Australian Navy ships collided, the Melbourne and the Voyager, he was on one of those ships and was tasked with collecting the bodies of those who lost their lives, including his own captain. Only later in life did I realise why he was like he was, but back then PTSD wasn't a 'thing'. You were expected to just suck it up.
My old man was on leave from the Melbourne that February when they collided , I was conceived that week. Broke the old boy as he knew and went through junior recruits with a lot of them.
As a very young man, 17. I was a professional lifeguard in Victoria. We had a special guy named "Rat" who would come down to the beach a try to swim to Tasmania. He thought his brother was there. It was a busy beach, and hundreds of people. We would catch him most of the time as he came to the beach, he had a very special walk. We did a rescue once for "Rat" half a KM off the shore one day. He was a strange guy, but he always thanked us for getting him out of the water. I knew he was a Vietnam Vet, but that didn't mean a lot at the time. One very busy day we found "Rat" floating 500m out to sea. He had won his fight with his demons. As a Vet my self, i served 8 years in the Australian Army, did my time in War zones, i really wish i had the chance to talk to him. It wasn't until he died that and we knew who he was. Two of my Uncles fought in Vietnam, my Father was in training when the war ended. Its 0230hrs as i write this, i find that i am more like "Rat" than i care to admit. I just know that when i go for a swim, i am sure i haven't got a brother in Tasmania to swim to.
I was at the Vietnam vets return March in SYD 1987 (?) I was in the RAAF but I cried & cried as I watched our troops walk past. An uncle was seconded to the USA 135th airborne helicopters. It is beautiful to know the background. I have a mate that has PTSD from the Gulf Wars. Seeing mates blown apart has damaged him forever. I have visited the graves of relatives on the Western Front. I cried for 2 days. A 19 yr old was a volunteer. Conscription was from age 20 in Australia
Great appreciation to an amazing song that gets an awful lot of us Aussies tearful !! Much respect to those who have served , and hopefully we can support our veterans better :-)
Thanks for your very kind comments on the special PTSD recording of I was only 19. Very much appreciated. Kind regards, John Schumann
Thank you Mr Schumann, for writing such a powerful and important song.
Great video on PTSD John, as many others, I have relo’s that have served, 19 helps.
Absolutely sir thank you for making a song like this and let me pin you to the top you're a legend and definitely shouldn't be mixed up in the comments lol I had no idea you commented until I was told. This song is probably one of the greatest songs I've heard ❤️
Thank you John for such a well written and important song. This particular video is especially powerful.
Thanks John for this song. A dear friend was a clearance diver in the first Gulf war & saw mates blown to bits. His brain injuries are severe & it's heartbreaking
I was born with a deformity in my hand (it was later diagnosed as Agent Orange) from Vietnam from the insecticides and pesticides as he mentioned that was passed thru to me from my father. I was very lucky as many children born with Agent Orange were born with very severe disabilities. We love our ANZACS🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
It doesn’t matter how many times you hear this song. It still has the same impact !😢
This is probably the best written song I've ever heard soooooo Important
The thing about this song is that whilst it did change the attitude of Australians to the Vietnam war, its applicability to the USA veterans is immense.
I live near Puckapunyal and hear training exercises all the time. I always think of this song. Brings a tear to my eye.
@@bertiemagoo8826 actually I'm not getting paid a dime for it. It's demonetized. Secondly it's a patreon request Not sure where the ad money goes but definitely not to me if it's demonetized. And if somebody didn't recommend it I wouldn't have known it exist THATS why I have paypal and cash app. Know what you talking about before you start having trash judgments of people
It’s a timeless song. John is by no means pro war, if anything he’s a pacifist which makes his points about needing to respect and support the soldiers who come home from wars politicians choose to send them to all the more poignant. We’re a young nation, with only about 25 million people but we do whatever we can to help people the world over. John mostly did light hearted comedic songs before this, it was a step away from his normal repertoire in a time when Vietnam vets still were being stigmatised, and ever since he’s been doing anything he can to help veterans. He really deserves a knighthood I might drop Queen Elizabeth a note…
@@bertiemagoo8826
Perhaps you need to go away champ and not come back
Aussie Vet here. This song breaks me every time I hear it . I’m 55 now every day seems to get harder than the last. I KEEP losing my mates. There are very few of us left now and the shame is we are not what I would consider old men yet …. The price was a heavy one. Wife, kids and now friends…. Just my dogs now.
Thank you for your service. It just doesn't seem enough. But for what it's worth, thank you, to you your comrades and families for all you have sacrificed. If not for anything else, it was for freedom. ❤
as an Aussie who never served, this song still brings tears to my eyes...Thank you Diggers
It's Australians writing songs like this, that make me proud to be an Aussie. Lest we forget.
We shall NEVER forget!
Lest We Forget.
We will remember them
Redgum Lest we forget!
also the HERD does a hiphop version which is brilliant
We will remember them.
I sent a copy of this to an American friend of mine who fought in the Vietnam jungle, the ‘dark green’ on the map as opposed to this “walk in the light green”. My friend was driving when he played the tape in his car. He said he pulled over to the side of the road and cried like a baby.
oh, just reading your comment made me cry :(
I was working in a chemist aged about 19. When a vet came in. His hands were peeling like a glove. We got him some salve but i asked about his story. I cried for the rest of the day..just quietly to myself. But i hope he was okay.
I worked with an SAS Vietnam Vet...... never said much..... not a big guy, wiry tough, steely eyes, indecently capable, a dangerous gentleman....... on his return, he ended up living with the Pintubi mob in the Great Sandy Desert in WA.... he did tell me when I asked, that when he was in Nam he couldn’t see 2 ft in front of him, but in the desert he could see to the horizon in every direction....... says it all... every time I hear your song JS I think of him, the mates he lost and the sacrifices they ALL made.. for us......... THANK YOU 🙏
God bless our diggers past and present. 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Amen
I served in the Australian infantry and I'm currently in vietnam and visited the Long Tan memorial last week. Most emotional I have been in years
Lest we forget
Thank you.
Hey mate, l hope you are well and know that individuals like you are our heart and soul. Best wishes and respect.
Thank you for your service digger.
As an Aussie with a family history of ancestors that fought through WW1 & 2 "I Was Only 19" & "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" give me goose bumps as i try to understand what these men & women went thru day to day during their service... the most important songs ever written for any conflict that involves personel in the military worldwide only to return home mentally shattered without much help...
Also like to pay tribute to "The Singer Reactions" for the best reaction vid i have seen on this subject... kudos to you sir...
This is an awesome Aussie song. So heartfelt. ❤
This song is such a powerful song for all Aussies whether we served or not we all know someone that has fought for Australia. It hits us hard everytime this song is played, listened and reacted to.
This was a song for all vets, regardless of who they served with, even the 'enemy'.
The days when Redgum began, playing pubs. They were the best, & my favourite band. Never missed them playing the Eureka Hotel in Geelong. They have a number of outstanding songs, from Fabulon for a laugh, to the beautiful Diamantina Drover, written & sung by the late Hugh McDonald, to this outstanding song. Redgum are the most underrated Aussie band ever. John Schumann is an absolute star.
Thank you for having respect for my Australian dad in Vietnam. Im now 53 and its still extremely hard for what us kids went through after the yrs. We took the pain 😢 12:36
I'm an an American vet, but this touches me because after 91 and Desert Storm alot of us developed serious neurological issues. Gulf War syndrome. We were told it was in our minds, or from burning the latrine pits. It took the government 20 years to admit it was real and the reason why.
Typical govt denial. My dad died of prostate cancer and the lady from the RSL (returned service league) told us that the govt know agent Orange causes cancer but they will never admit to it due to all the legal cases it would open. He was 69 so I can't complain too much, but we will never know.
george double ya was a prick.
Here are some words in the song that I think you, or other non Australian viewers, might need explaining:
Puckapunyal - Army training camp in Victoria
Long march from cadets - Australia use to have a school based military training program called "cadets." Something like ROTC but in high school and not for officer training but exposure to military discipline.
Canungra and Shoalwater are Queensland tropical warfare training bases.
Townsville is a northern Queensland city and the staging base for the conflict in Vietnam and the Pacific Conflict of World War 2
Slouch hat - traditional Australian military hat dating back to the Boer War and the First Word War.
SLR - Self Loading Rifle, standard issue military weapon of the time.
VB - Victorian Bitter beer.
Asian Orange sunset - I think this is a reference to "Agent Orange," a defoliation chemical used to reduce the capacity of rainforest to hide the enemy but had devastating long term effects on anyone the came into significant contact with it - it did not discriminate between friend or foe.
Bloke - man
Tinnies - cans of beer (it can also mean a small boat but not in this case.)
ANZAC legend - the heroic story of the exploits of Australian and New Zealand Army corps beginning in 1915 at Gallipoli - probably the only line that misrepresents the truth - "mud and blood and tears" is a huge part of the ANZAC legend. But I think he is saying it has become so "glorified" in the culture that the pain and suffering are overlooked.
The "rash that comes and goes" is the impact of Agent Orange.
A bit more context - One significance of "I was only 19" was that the voting age was still 21, so that those who were conscripted at 19 had no say in government policy. Not so easy nowadays when 18-year-olds can vote.
SLR - officially the L1A1 rifle. A locally made (Government Small Arms Factory Lithgow) version of the FN FAL rifle, pretty much identical to the British L1A1 and similar to the Canadian C1A1, among others.
Channel 7 Chopper, the Australian 7 Network news helicopter. There is more than one, every Australian State capital has at least one.
Cadets - I was an Air Training Corps (RAAF) cadet. We were envious of the Army cadets because they had SLRs, while we still had No1MkIII* bolt-action .303s. It was more like a junior version of the CMF (Citizens Military Forces, now the Army Reserve) than the US ROTC. (Boy Scouts with guns.)
Conscription was by lottery. Birthdays were nominally drawn from a barrel. It was supposed to be impartial, but it was completely corrupt. If you shared a birthday with a prominent entertainer, especially a pop singer, you were definitely in. That's how my number came up. Fortunately the Army rejected me on medical grounds - I never objected or tried to find out why, but it couldn't have been too serious as I'm still here 50+ years later.
@@allenjenkins7947 I worked the Melbourne Museum back in the early 90's for 1 12 hour night shift & had the master key, I checked out the storage areas in the basement, I come across what I thought was an early Lotto tumbler with all the numbered balls in it, it had a plaque attached to it & I read it was the machine your talking about, the Mummies on the table next to it seemed less horrifying.
@@allenjenkins7947 No one was conscripted at 19. The age to register was 20. The 19 in the song comes from Francis Hunt's (Frankie) age, he being 19 when he went to Vietnam as a regular soldier not a conscript.
That you shared a birth date with Normie Rowe is irrelevant.
My dad was conscripted to go Vietnam. He drew the unlucky birth date. He was coloured blind and had flat feet but still had to go. He is now 75. More than 50 years later he still suffers rashes, nightmares and ptsd. This song is so real. War is evil. 💗
My eldest brother died 6 weeks before he was due to come home, from standing on a landmine. It forever changed our lives. My mother never got over his death, his then fiance grieved for him until the day she died. My second eldest brother enlisted after his death and served two tours in Vietnam. He spent the next 4 decades destoying his life and those around him because he couldn't come to terms with what he had seen and done over there. He has now, in his 70's, finally found some measure of peace, but too late to save his relationship with many of his children. All this for what? War answers nothing.
You & your family have suffered terribly. Dad didn't realise what his baby brother went thru in Vietnam. For Grandma, born in 1903, & had a husband that served on the western Front in WW1 it must have been scary
Chrissy, I have mentioned before that my youthful mate 471836 L/Cpl Roger Fisher was KIA Vietnam on April 26, 1968. He too was a victim of a land mine and just under 3 weeks from coming home from his second tour and marrying my Late boss's niece. Aged 23, he was the only Aussie KIA that day. Hailing from Mintaro, a small rural town in the mid north of Sth Australia, he was a national Serviceman and at the time of his call up, was a Police Cadet, with the Sth Australian Police Force. RIP Roger, even though it has been 54 years, I have never forgotten you, nor will I ever, cobber. RIP and LEST WE FORGET.
@@Afrodizyak47 my brother Ron Bell was in 2nd Battalion RAR, Service No 5714249. Killed in Sth Vietnam 30 November 1967. Lest we forget.
@@ChrisL4034 Sure am proud of of your brother's sacrifice. He was certainly an Aussie HERO. Lest we forget.🇦🇺
Such a waste . No more please. We can not forget 🌄
My dad served in The Vietnam War and suffered terribly for 25 years after until he’d finally drunk himself to death. I loved my dad and he tried to do the right thing but the demons he carried after the war were too strong and alcohol was the only thing to numb it and the only way he could sleep. I remember waking up to my Dad screaming in his sleep only to wake up and then cry like a child wanting his mother, it scared me and my siblings but we weren’t scared for ourselves because he was always so gentle with us but we were terrified for him.
This song makes me reflect and understand my Dad a bit better so thank you for reacting and to John for writing it!
Thank you for sharing that. 🇦🇺
So sorry to hear this.
@@briangill4000 the more people who hear about it the more people it will help hopefully 🙏🏼
@@Dr_KAP thanks Dr Kapp 💞
My heart goes out to you Holly & I completely understand as my father was a vet & he was the same! I miss him so much & how open he was with me as a child. I was to young to understand at the time but he was honest and open with me I think because he knew I wouldn’t judge or think less of him for what he had to do. My mother on the other hand was & still is a particularly nasty piece of work & still tries to make everyone feel sorry for her lose. She lost nothing, she got his pension what more does she want!? She never had any sympathy for his post traumatic stress or mine & seems to think it’s a joke for her personal pleasure to make fun of. I really don’t know how dad stayed with such an evil woman.
Luv you all those beautiful young men that died. in Vietnam how many young Americans so sad awful and for what god help them
Thank you ThatSinger. As a 75 year old Aussie I appreciate how you want to know about our history. You're a good bloke.
Even after listening to this song for 40 years, it still gives me chills, one thing I learnt after serving in the Australian Army, governments do not care about those that have served in combat,
Ain't that the damn truth brother
This hits hard for every Aussie out there, love you all🇦🇺🦘
The Viet Vets thought so much of John Schumann's (Redgum) and the work he has carried out for the Veteran Community and the
Spotlight he shone onPTSD, that words from I was only 19, are included on the Viet Vets Memorial in Canberra and as you said in your review of the song, a song for the world.
Thank you
Harry Watson a 38 year veteran.
I'm Australian. I've never served, never had too thankfully. This song holds a special place in Australia's heart that just the respect you give it would have me standing beside you at the gates of hell.
My brother was a sapper on the Mekong Delta. He died in his sixties as a result of being sprayed with heavy duty insecticide during the Vietnam War. My brother in law was Divisions Locations, which meant going behind enemy lines. He was sprayed with agent orange twice. He witnessed absolute horror, they both did and they both suffered from PTSD. When my brother in-law came home, people thought it was hilarious to burst balloons behind his head because he would fling himself flat on the floor. He became very involved in the RSL ( Returned Soldiers League). He passed away recently. His funeral was held at his local RSL branch. The President said that my brother in law saved his life by getting him to march on Anzac Day and become involved in the RSL. Other members got up and said he saved their lives and countless others as well. They were still lost and suicidal for so many years after Vietnam. They now have a monument to him sitting on the bar of the RSL and the Australian Army presented the family with the flag - which they usually only do for someone killed in combat. He was a pretty special guy. He wanted to connect with the young ones of today. He was so worried about them. For some, the RSL is better than a Doctor because they have ALL been through it and they all understand.
Thank you for sharing.
Thankyou for this story and I thank your brother for his service. Times have changed but problems still exist and with a son in the Services I do worry for him and others. Bless you.
Respect.
Thank you so much for sharing that. It's an important story of many that needs to be heard...
@@NeilBlanco Thanks for saying so. The veterans really do understand and I was kinda hoping that anyone suffering from what happened to them during their time in the armed forces and who reads what I wrote, particularly about my brother in law, and the benefits of the RSL will maybe reach out to the veterans. They really do "get it".
Combat changes a human. You are NEVER what you were before the experience. PTSD is the mind reliving what the eyes saw…and beyond. The best one can do is to connect with others who know how it is. One cannot heal. One can only learn to adapt to the present reality, and occasionally go meet with brothers and attend reunions and just be in their presence. To every combat veteran, I extend my thanks, my pride for you, and a hearty WELCOME HOME!
Thank you John from a US Marine Iraq best song ive heard i listen to it alot
In Greece where my family is at, I did my national service 20 years ago at 19. 18 months I was drafted and given a uniform and rifle and stationed at various army bases, no money, no freedom and very little time off or mental outlet for support as I would see other young men bash their heads up against brick walls when their leave for a night out was revoked cause they forgot to get a paper signed on time. I never saw combat, but 9/11 took place 4 months before I was promised to go home. I cried and was so scared of WW III. Now, I have a nephew who is going to be 19 real soon, and on our borders, Turkey is mounting an offensive to claim our islands and Russia and Ukraine are close to starting another global war. Although since I am single and still fit enough at 41 to pick up arms, I fear not for me, but my nephew. I pray a war does not take place cause the last thing I wanna see is a government under its own lies and self gain wants rich old men to stay richer and poor men like us to give up our lives and minds and bodies so they can stay rich and we become poorer. I will only go to fight on one condition, that I may be placed along side him so I can watch his back. Anything to make sure he comes home in one piece.
Oh my god. Were you sincere about this? Cause what a mind blowing and beautiful comment. I’m so sorry.
I need to prepare myself for this. I know I’m about to bawl my eyes out!
Damn same here. Absolutely guaranteed to get the water works flowing like a tap. Every damn time
Yep me too 😭
I cry every time I hear this song. Its engrained into our blood as Aussies, but it is a song that transcends nationality.
I agree 😢
I’ve heard this song so many times in Australia especially around ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day and it never fails to bring a tear to my eyes.
You’re right, every country’s soldiers around the world can relate to this incredible song.
I think this song should be played in History Classes in school.
You will learn more in 4 minutes with this song than a year of books
I teach it as part of Year 10 History on the Vietnam War. It’s pretty powerful. I’ve also used the Battle of Long Tan doco narrated by Sam Worthington and I’ve never had a more quiet and attentive class.
This came out when I was in primary school. It was all over the radio and some of my friends had uncles and fathers who had served. Our Year 6 teacher used it as a teaching lesson.
@@cafra11972 you should show them the movie Danger Close. It's a good movie about Long Tan
I think you'd learn far more from books, but this song makes you feel it.
Agreed, this & the Band Played Waltzing Matilda.
This song brings me tears and on ANZAC when they play The Last Post 😢😢😢
John wrote this. He was lead singer of Redgum. I’m so proud of John. I grew up with him. Love him to bits.
I'M not crying. YOU'RE crying!!
Every damned time.
My Dad was a Vietnam veteran. I can remember the kids at school telling me (5yr old) that my Dad killed babies. I went home and asked my Dad. He comforted me and said they were wrong, but I could tell even then that it affected and upset him. He had many health problems directly relating to his service. He really didn't like to talk about it. This song really meant a lot to him. RIP DAD.
"It's a song about two mates of mine who went to Vietnam, came back Agent Orange victims. The title "A Walk in the Light Green" stems from the fact that when the Australian soldiers in Vietnam were given their missions, they looked at the areas where they'd be working in on the map and if it was dark green on the map, then there was cause for some consolation, because dark green meant thick jungle, lots of cover, and there were no mines. If they were working in areas that were light green on the map, that meant light jungle, not much cover, and heaps of mines. This is a song for Mick and Frankie. It's called "A walk in the light green". John Schumann
the songs about 30yrs old and still gives me goose bumps. my old bloke lives nxt to a vet from Nam who is suffering PTSD and agent orange poisoning. poor Barstads crook as
Thanks for the great review. It certainly is one of the most powerful songs we have here in Australia. We’re a small country but have a rich military history down through the years. Most of us have family members in the military, past or present. In WW1, every Australian soldier was a volunteer, and we lost more per head of population than any other country. We punch well above our weight.
Thanks again. 👍
Dad is a Vietnam veteran of the 5th Royal Australian Regiment. At least he was. He passed away on July 19 2022.
This song is my life long “understanding” song. Understanding of my fathers life and experience. Hence why he was the way he was.
He was my best friend.
I respect and view Mr John Schumann in a certain light that I would consider family.
John knows of me through Facebook. But. His music and personal point of view of all veterans of our great country Australia. Brings my pain into pride.
Bless my father. Private Barry Pemberton. And bless Mr Schumann for relating a soldiers heart and emotion to the public over the years.
John Schumann for prime minister 👍🏻
Man I'm crying at work watching this , up the diggers🙏👍
I get to ..."why the Channel 7 chopper chills me to my feet"..and bawl EVERY SINGLE TIME.
As a teacher in Australia, this song is still central to teaching our students about the absolute tragedy that is war. Lest we forget.
It took 20 years for Australia’s Vietnam veterans to finally get a proper welcome home parade, which started in Sydney in 1987, and moved on to other cities in subsequent years. My dad, who was in Vietnam 67-68, was able to attend the first welcome home, and told that, at the entertainment put on after the parade, John Schumann sang this song with his mate present, and there wasn’t a dry eye there by the end.
As someone who lives with C-PTSD this song always makes me cry like a baby.
I remember with crystalline clarity the first time I heard it, where I was, who was there; I was 6 years old, and I understood it, even then, in my childish way.
This will always be one of the most important songs ever written.
This is an Aussie classic. Pretty much everyone from my generation (gen x) in Australia, knows every word to this song. ‘He was going home in June’!
This reference threw me off a little. Frankie stepped on a mine the same day we landed on the moon. The date of the first landing was July 16, 1969, but Frankie was scheduled to go home in June, a month prior. So, did he miss his departure date and stayed longer than he was scheduled? Was that common?
@@jackattack2608 John Schumann goofed. Nobody minds too much - he needed a rhyme for "June", and it's easy enough to rationalise a one-month delay for Frankie.
@@jackattack2608 the original line 'he was going home in August' was changed at the first edit to be more lyrical. 😁
By the way, this is more Boomers (my generation) than Gen-X. I was 19 in 1967 and 21 when Armstrong made his "one small step".
I’m Gen Z and I know every word to this aswell, my parents raised me right and I appreciate them for it!
I shed tears every time I hear this song. It wasn't Vietnam but my grandfather took his life not long after returning from fighting on the Kokoda track, PNG.
Sorry about your grandpa.
We're beginning to take PTSD seriously, thanks to those, like John Schumann and Redgum, who have pushed for giving Vets the support and safety they deserve.
I've never been a soldier, but met Vietnam Vets in rehab, next door to where "the Channel Seven chopper" had its helipad.
It's shocking and moving to see up close, even if I could never know exactly what they were living through.
Quick story, in the early 80's when I had just joined the Australian Navy, I got to know a guy that was a Vietnam vet, a really nice person, he was divorced from his wife, he had two kids (two girls) both with disabilities. He was himself often very ill, he had trouble holding down a job (I met him when he was trying to sell insurance).
Vietnam destroyed his life, and his family.
Also, for everyone, you do not need to be a vet or have been in war to have PTSD.
Dead true
This video should be played to all veterans and their families as it applies to all soldiers in all wars. Americans would relate to it in the same way as Australians as they went through the same experiences. Thanks for this reaction. Really appreciate it.
It doesn't matter how many times I hear this song there's tears every damn time. It's so brilliantly written
We need to look after our veterans plain & simple. This is an amazing song by a great story teller.
All I can say as as a proud Australian is Thank you for your service.
Compulsory Hero by 1927 is also another brilliant song discussing war
I find it impossible to listent to this song without getting emotional and seeing in my minds eye the 60s and 70s. Every night we sat down at 7pm to watch the news and latest from Vietnam....we were the first generation to actually watch a war on TV and it was a sobering thing. As for the pacifists who forgot that the returned serviceman were every bit as much victims and the people they killed at the behest of our government, I know a lot of them who have lived to regret the way they treated our blokes when they came home. Our serviceman lived through hell in Vietnam and came home to a section of the public who somehow blamed them for the war. Schumann's song is so powerful it's a song for every returned serviceman these days. Thank you so much for playing it and reminding us. Cheers mate
Thank you for your respect & homage to our brave warriors. As an Australian, this means so much to us over here. Lest We Forget.
As an Aussie vet this vid and your reaction talked to me. Keep going mate. Love your work.
OMG.... I remember going to see John Schumann back in the mid 80's in Renmark South Australia. It's the only concert I ever went to...and was front row...I think I cried through the whole concert
Mate, the emotion you give to this song, and the respect you pay to it, almost makes you an Honourary Aussie. If your eyes ain't welling up when Frankie kicks the mine, you ain't got a heart.
You've said "thI s is a world wide song" that is true of alot of Australian songs
When the war is over
Thats freedom
Your the Voice
To name but a few
I met John Schumann in a pub once and got to thank me for this song. I told him my dad served in Vietnam in 1968 .
Probably one of the most moving songs ever written. After all these years it's impact hasn't waned.
This and "the band played waltzing matilda" are the greatest anti war songs ever. Both so emotional and heartbreaking.
Proud to be Australian and will never forget the sacrifice made by our servicemen so we can live in this beautiful country. Lest we forget 🇦🇺🙏❤️
Not A Truer Word Said ! John Schumann an absolute Inspiration to All that thought they didn't have a Voice !
Legendary Song for Our Vets that Served for Our Fredom 👏
can anyone explain how "our" (US or Oz") freedom was enhanced by that war?
Redgum were one of the most authentic bands with a grasp of life in its messiest streams of Australia 🇦🇺
They still are
Made Midnight Oil look like amateurs hey.
I can tell you that PTSD is one of the most difficult psychological conditions to recognise, diagnose and most of all to treat - and virtually impossible to cure 😢
I was diagnosed with ptsd in 2015. Suddenly it all made sense. The self medication , the nightmares, anxiety, the bad decisions and everything else that goes with it. In a way being diagnosed helped me realise I was not a bad person or a stupid bastard ,but just a bloke that had seen and experienced severe trauma. That's made me come to terms with fact that ptsd was never going to go away and I worked out how to manage it,(with help from a good psychologist) . I can now say that I still have PTS, but not the D. Once you identify your problem or condition, then you can equip yourself to fight the beast.
@@lancehanrahan562 lots of new research and approaches to PTSD with many looking hopeful- including MDMA assisted therapy, ketamine infusions, Riluzole, even Propranolol (to block memory reconsolidation).. we’ve come a long way but a long way to go x
I got a few friends with it and yeah they go through hell
@@lancehanrahan562 I feel your pain brother, I deal with it daily. There's times I can't even be around anyone., But my wife will not leave my side when I'm fighting with it. She has been my saving grace and my best therapy. Without her I'd probably have already ended it myself. The images that pop in my mind are the hardest on me. I can still hear it all in my head as well. Stay strong brother, we are soldiers, we fight and we win.
@dr_KAP C’mon doc, it seems many people were able to self-diagnose from listening to a song. And bringing the truth into the light always helps. That’s the recognise, diagnose and a bit of the treat part - let’s work on the rest of the treat. The cure is never to go to war again, definitely something to aspire to and consider greatly when considering sending soldiers to war (on either side).
Thanks for taking a closer look at this. Our Veterans faced hell, and deserve our respect, understanding and support. This song is so powerful and sadly will continue to be as wars continue
"This song is a worldwide song". Indeed. My father fought the Portuguese colonial war in Africa (Angola) for two and a half years. When he came back he was different. Still a loving and great father but a silent one. He never told us, his children, any war story, never mentioned the subject, or shared his experiences. He took it to the grave. It dealt with it alone. PTSD back then was an unknown phenomenon.
Hi we're did your dad serve in what country .as a young kid I met few Portuguese Mozambique
@@brucespanner6756 He served in the NW of Angola in a shithole called Bessa Monteiro. I had the opportunity to see some pictures from the place back then (not from him). It was not a base, just a bunch of trenches and a couple of decrepit houses that served as admin support and kitchen/dinner, and a warehouse where they kept I don't know what. Man, those guys must have suffered from a lack of comfort and distractions. On top of that, they ran 2/3 patrols a day "hunting" as they called it. Apparently, the relief came at night, with no fighting or mortar fire.
RIP to your father, mate... All soldiers sacrifice so much and your father no less than any other.
As a side-note... PTSD wasn't an unknown phenomenon back then... It was just called something different.
After WW one it was known as "shell shock"... In WW2 it was known as "battle fatigue"... World governments have known about the long-lasting effects of PTSD for a LONG time... They've just always refused to do anything meaningful about it... More vets have died from PTSD-related suicide around the world in over 100 years of war than the death toll from active service of all nations in that same period.
As proof that they've always known about it, the US government first classified their veterans as potential "domestic terrorists" after they pulled out of 'Nam. They knew then that having a large number of highly trained soldiers who had a grievance with their own government's role in destroying their lives would eventually become a domestic public relations nightmare. Since then, the FBI has had highly trained and active domestic counter-terrorist and intelligence programs and units in place BECAUSE of the existential threat to public safety and the continuance of government from the very servicemen that they gave no choice to when they were conscripted.
Having a whole lot of pissed off soldiers wandering around the country with no jobs and poor mental health with no real resources to help them was never going to be acceptable to the powers that be but rather than fix the problem they've always sought to merely contain it.
@@consciousbeing1188 Thank you so much.
I can't listen to this song without tearing up. From the first time I heard it as a younger man right through until this time. It touches the soul. Well done John Schumann
This song along with I still call Australia home bring up some sort of feeling for all Australians.
Brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.
I am one of the youngest first born of a WWII vet. My father entered WWII very late around 17 yo in the Navy and was on HMAS Australia, the first ship hit by Kamikazes. After repairs, they returned with the American 5th Fleet as part of the liberation of the Philippines. They were then hit by 5 Kamikazes in 3 days and my Dad was injured. He and I didn’t have a great relationship growing up. They didn’t know about PTDS in the 50s, 60s, 70s. When I was around 14/15 visiting him hospital with my Mum the Dr too us aside and said if we didn’t stop walking on eggshell around him we would be the ones dying of stress first. The PTSD transferred to generations but that is not recognised.
Beautiful words John Schumann ❤️❤️🇦🇺 Thank you 🙏
I've seen John perform this live. In Canberra, at a Vietnam Veteran day, surrounded by vets. I was a child. It never fails to bring tears to my eyes. And that day, that performance, is written in my memory in stone.
Thank you for this, Now I know what our soldiers go through in war time, God bless to all our service men and women. 🐨💙
One of redgums best.
Thank you for your most respectful reaction to this song twice.
Thank you for this , I have ptsd from being attacked in my shower by two carers. This song made everyone cry because they were treated so disgustingly . We need to wrap our soldiers in our arms and thank them for our freedom . My grand father was he,d prisoner of war in Changi . He came back broken . Thank you for sharing this . It means the world xoxox
Both my Grandfathers fought . One in WW1 and the other in WW2. Both were deeply affected mentally from the experiences.
As an Australian navy veteran, that song is so ingrained in our culture and identity in tha Australian Defences force
Mate , I Am Australian , and Thank you very much for the commentary and viewing this video ' I was only 19` , your viiews and thoughts are well received, i had been in the Australian Army from 1969 till 1995 I am 72 years of age now. , but i joined the Army Reserveis, due to medical reasons i did not go overseas , , and i always ( till this day ) Think of My Fallen Soldiers Friends who went over to Vietnam, every single day. .This Video is So very True , God Bless all of the fallen , May they Rest in Peace.
You'll never let your mates down, untill they have you dusted off. The epitome of the Australian sprit
There was a quote that for a lot of us spelled out part of the thought process we went through in combat and it was “the only hope you have is to accept the fact that your already dead, the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function”
Thanks for your sensitive care for this song & recognizing its worth! Thanks also for bring so many Aussie Icons to the eyes of the World through your channel! I was thinking - Put this song together with John Farnham's Voice & Delta's Bridge Over Troubled Dreams & there are three powerful songs for Today, Hey! Song the Whole World needs to hear! Cheers Debbie
I cry listening to this song.
I served for 18 years in the Australian Army.Trained in Malaysia where we lost a bloke to a grenade accident, Deployed to Bougainville, Twice to East Timor, Iraq, Afghanistan and Padang The Army doesn't send you to nice places and even in training it can be risky. I grew up listening to I was only 19 but in recent years have heard the songs from Fred Smith who wrote songs about our time in Bougainville and the Middle East. I really liked the song "Coming Home". it doesn't hit you in the feels like Redgum but it helped me figure out some peace of mind concerning Afghanistan.
Thank you for your service. I am the daughter of a British Paratrooper who served from 8 months before D Day till 1963. He landed in Normandy on D Day and he was part of the mission to take out the Merville Battery. It's an amazing story of courage but sadly also of great personal sacrifice. My respect to you and the sacrifices you made.
Yes Nick.
Mate it's a legendary song about the ANZACS and all men and woman who went to war worldwide.
Touches a nerve with me anytime I hear it.
I never went to an actual war so to speak, but you know my story.
Mine was a different War as you know.
massive kudos to you do doing this bro.... you've won yourself a big fan of your work!
as you know many avenues of research and therefore many medications that may be available to brothers and sisters are available.
I'm sure you'll do your best to help supporters and subscribers to connect with help.
love, light and peace ✌️
I’m an Aussie who a the son of a Vietnam Veteran. He was 19 when his number was called up and served at Nui Dat in the Phuoc Tuy province in 67/68. He was always quick to anger, drank heavily, and apparently had terrible nightmares occasionally. I don’t hold any resentment or grudges against my father for my childhood as he himself was a child and sent to war, then upon return he and his mates were wiped like a dirty arse by the government. This song always brings a tear to my eye.
He would not have been called up at 19, registration age was 20.
Thank you for highlighting this. Many of my mates went to Vietnam, and have or are drunk/drinking themselves into an early grave. You feel so helpless, but all you can do is be there to talk (I'm an '86-'00) British vet. But never experienced the hell these guys did.
It truly is a wake up call - to all the politicians and politics of the world that think war is a good idea. - To those in power: Where's the support and help for those you send off to war and forget once they get home - that's IF they get home.
I worked with a guy once who was a Vietnam vet. Whenever a helicopter flew over, he would have a meltdown. It was so sad to see. My Dad was a Navy veteran who had PTSD. His Dad was lost when HMAS Sydney sank off the coast of Western Australia with no survivors. Dad was only little. Not knowing what really happened to the ship his Dad was lost on, and not knowing exactly where the ship was until late in his life, was a terrible reality and heartache he lived with every day. He followed his fathers footsteps and joined the Navy when he was 16. He served in both the Vietnam and Korean wars. When two Australian Navy ships collided, the Melbourne and the Voyager, he was on one of those ships and was tasked with collecting the bodies of those who lost their lives, including his own captain. Only later in life did I realise why he was like he was, but back then PTSD wasn't a 'thing'. You were expected to just suck it up.
My old man was on leave from the Melbourne that February when they collided , I was conceived that week. Broke the old boy as he knew and went through junior recruits with a lot of them.
As a very young man, 17. I was a professional lifeguard in Victoria. We had a special guy named "Rat" who would come down to the beach a try to swim to Tasmania. He thought his brother was there. It was a busy beach, and hundreds of people. We would catch him most of the time as he came to the beach, he had a very special walk. We did a rescue once for "Rat" half a KM off the shore one day. He was a strange guy, but he always thanked us for getting him out of the water. I knew he was a Vietnam Vet, but that didn't mean a lot at the time. One very busy day we found "Rat" floating 500m out to sea. He had won his fight with his demons. As a Vet my self, i served 8 years in the Australian Army, did my time in War zones, i really wish i had the chance to talk to him. It wasn't until he died that and we knew who he was. Two of my Uncles fought in Vietnam, my Father was in training when the war ended. Its 0230hrs as i write this, i find that i am more like "Rat" than i care to admit. I just know that when i go for a swim, i am sure i haven't got a brother in Tasmania to swim to.
My dad is a Vietnam Veteran from Melbourne, this song has always held special meaning to me.
I was at the Vietnam vets return March in SYD 1987 (?) I was in the RAAF but I cried & cried as I watched our troops walk past. An uncle was seconded to the USA 135th airborne helicopters.
It is beautiful to know the background. I have a mate that has PTSD from the Gulf Wars. Seeing mates blown apart has damaged him forever.
I have visited the graves of relatives on the Western Front. I cried for 2 days.
A 19 yr old was a volunteer.
Conscription was from age 20 in Australia
POWERFUL SONG! thanks for playing his intro it gives soo much context.
Great appreciation to an amazing song that gets an awful lot of us Aussies tearful !! Much respect to those who have served , and hopefully we can support our veterans better :-)