Australia's Vietnam

Why everything you think you know about Australia’s Vietnam War is wrong.

When Mark Dapin first interviewed Vietnam veterans and wrote about the war, he swallowed (and regurgitated) every misconception. He wasn’t alone. In Australia’s Vietnam, Dapin reveals that every stage of Australia’s commitment to the Vietnam War has been misunderstood, misinterpreted and shrouded in myth. From army claims that every national serviceman was a volunteer; and the level of atrocities committed by Australian troops; to the belief there no welcome home parades until the late 1980s and returned soldiers were met by angry protesters. Australia’s Vietnam is a major contribution to the understanding of Australia’s experience of the war and will change the way we think about memory and military history.

• Acclaimed journalist and bestselling military historian Mark Dapin busts long-held and highly charged myths about the Vietnam War
• Dapin reveals his own mistakes and regrets as a journalist and military historian and his growing realisation that the stereotypes of the Vietnam War are far from the truth
• This book will change the way military history is researched and written