Vietnam Badge

Australia's longest and most controversial war. The Vietnam conflict evolved from a widely supported ideological battleground where we worked with the United States to support South Vietnam against the communist North, into the symbolic start of the modern peace movement. It is a defining moment in history when citizens rose and opposed war in numbers never seen before. Initially popular, public support waned when the war dragged on with no end in sight. The brave men of the Australian Forces were heavily involved in the more than decade-long war and military and civilian nurses did wonderful work. It was many years after Australian troops returned home from the conflict that social division and deep wounds could start being healed.