Re: Vets Search for Australia's 6 MIAs

Date: April 24, 2004

"Transcript

This is a transcript from The World Today. The program is broadcast around Australia at 12:10pm on ABC Local Radio.

You can also listen to the story in REAL AUDIO and WINDOWS MEDIA formats.


Vietnam vets campaign to find remains of missing soldiers

The World Today - Friday, 23 April , 2004  12:39:00

Reporter: Rachel Carbonell

TANYA NOLAN: As we prepare to remember those who served in the world's wars, this weekend, it'll be another especially painful ANZAC Day for the families and friends of six Australians still listed as missing since the Vietnam War.

Lance Corporal Parker is missing and presumed dead, and Private Gillson believed to have been killed in action in November 1965

Private Fisher is presumed dead after falling from a helicopter during an evacuation in 1969.

Flying Officer Herbert and Pilot Officer Carver never returned from a bombing mission in 1970.

Lance Corporal Gillespie was in a helicopter accident in 1971 and is presumed dead.

A campaign has been launched to have the men's body's recovered or for the Australian Defence Force to officially state that they're not recoverable.

Using their own resources, the group has been conducting its own investigation into where the bodies may be, and it's accused the Australian military of doing nothing to help them.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Jim Bourke was the commander of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment which Parker and Gillson served in, in 1965.

He spoke to Rachel Carbonell in Melbourne.

JIM BOURKE: Basically, at this stage, we've produced reports on four of the six cases and forward those reports to the Government. Unfortunately, the Government doesn't want to know about it.

RACHEL CARBONELL: What exactly is it that you want the Australian Defence Force or the Government to do?

JIM BOURKE: Basically what we're looking for is full accounting for these six men who were either killed in action, bodies not recovered, or missing in action, presumed dead, from the Vietnam War. By full accounting what we mean is that they either recover identifiable remains, or give us conclusive evidence, sustainable evidence that such remains are not available.

RACHEL CARBONELL: Why is that so important?

JIM BOURKE: It's just an ethic of a soldier that you don't leave your mates behind basically. Also, I think from the point of view of the families it would be nice to know that they fully accounted… that these men were fully accounted for. They may not even wish to recover the remains from wherever they are found. They may be prepared to leave them rest in peace. But I don't think it's the family's responsibility to push the Government for full accounting, it's simply a moral responsibility towards the soldier.

RACHEL CARBONELL: The six men are missing in action and presumed dead for a variety of reasons; one of them was swinging from helicopter after being rescued from a hostile situation. Is what you're asking for realistic?

JIM BOURKE: Oh yes, I do believe it's realistic. The Americans do exactly this for their people, and they've managed to recover approximately 20 per cent of those people who were missing at the end of the Vietnam War. You can do it. But if you haven't got the will, or the interest, or if you think it's impossible, forget it.

RACHEL CARBONELL: Is this something that the Australian Defence Force has done adequately in other situations, do you think?

JIM BOURKE: The Australian Defence Force has got a policy which I consider to be rather parochial and fitted better to the 18th Century. Their policy says that they will recover the remains of an Australian serviceman, provided that we can identify those remains as being those of an Australian serviceman. Now that's a little bit short-sighted in my humble opinion. You really need to investigate the cases, the loss incidents, the intervening years and find out where perhaps these remains might be, so that you can actually go and pick them up according to the current policy that the Defence Force has.

RACHEL CARBONELL: So do you think then that there also needs to be a change in the Australian Defence Force's policy on these issues?

JIM BOURKE: Undoubtedly, and that's what we're on about. We're asking for full accounting, not just picking up remains once they've been found by somebody else.

TANYA NOLAN: Retired Lieutenant Colonel Jim Bourke with Rachel Carbonell.

And in a statement to The World Today, the Defence Department says that it cannot begin to consider initiating action until the remains have been located, and there is strong circumstantial or definite evidence that they are the remains of ADF personnel.

The ADF says any action it takes then would depend on the circumstances, including the wishes of the family.


©2004 ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corp."