Awardee reflection - Chloe Hammat

My trip to Vietnam was an eye opening and unforgettable experience. When I had started to research my soldier Les, I never thought it would lead to the most amazing two weeks. I learnt so much about not only the Vietnam War, but about their culture and people. Even though we have completed study projects on it before, being there to retrace the steps on the ANZACs made it very meaningful.

We visited important Australian Battlefield sites and memorials such as Long Tan, Nui Dat, and Binh Bah. It really stuck with me that the memorial at Long Tan was one of two non-Vietnamese memorials, really proving the significance in that battle. 

Researching and presenting our Vietnamese soldiers helped me have a lot more of a personal connection to the battlefield and really try to understand what they went through for us. 

One of my favourite parts was the Dawn Service. Dennis had a very moving speech, and it was an honour to get to read the Veterans Covenant.

Hearing about the war from both the Australian and Vietnamese sides show how painful and complicated it was for everyone involved, including civilians. Another thing that has really changed my perspective was visiting the orphanage, after learning about the effects that agent orange still has on Vietnamese children today. It made me realise how grateful I am for my health and how privileged I am in Australia. Even though their lives were far from perfect, the children always seemed to have a smile and were full of energy. I realised we could learn a lot from them. 

The Vietnamese were some of the nicest people I had met, and our tour guide Martin really made the trip go smoothly and shared so much of his culture with us. 

The best part of the trip was getting to meet new people and make lifelong connections to people I never would have known otherwise. Sharing the sometime confronting experiences on the trip brought us closer and is something we will never forget. 

It was a very powerful and emotional trip, and I really learnt a lot and grew as a person.