W3 Company - 3Pl Accident 10 October 1970

On 10 October 1970 3 Platoon [3Pl] suffered a 'blue on blue' [friendly] accident when one element fired on another element by mistake.  Friendly fire killed Pte Tom Cooper, crippled Pte Ian Herd and wounded LCpl 'Sammy' Samson and Pte Ross Dunlea.  The accident cast a pall over the otherwise successful W3 tour and left the company personnel traumatised, saddened and frustrated. 

In 2006 the W3 website began a project to research the 3Pl accident.  There were three reasons for this project:

·    There is among our veterans a feeling of anger over their treatment following the accident.  There are reports of a lack of counselling, no debrief, no period of mourning for our losses.  Several veterans spoken to said the project was the first attempt in 35-years to ask them details of the day and what led up to it.  Anger and grief bottled up like this can over time easily lead to health and wellness problems.

·    There is reason to believe that the sequence of events told veterans at the time does not match up with more current reporting.  There appears to be errors in the official record.  It seems that no-one really knows what actually happened that day; that all have a part of the whole but can’t make sense of it.

·    There is reason to believe that some of our veterans have been allowed to bear the blame for the accident.  These people should not have this burden.  Good people doing good things sometimes have a bad outcome.  Our veterans are still good people and need their respect restored and be released from guilt.

The research sought to make sense of this 'blue on blue' accident from a timeline and action/reaction point of view.  The research did not seek to attribute blame, just establish facts and draw conclusions.  It is hoped that knowing the full details might assist some veterans have closure. 

The project sought to discover the complete facts in a non-judgemental way and to publish this for the benefit of all veterans.  It should be a healing experience that gives back to all individuals the respect and mana they deserve for the way in which they willingly placed their lives in harm’s way in support of a common and legal cause.  The project is part of the wider move that at this time seeks to redress the sordid manner in which veterans were treated due to their service.  It is therefore dedicated to all who suffer physically or emotionally as a result of the accident.  [see this review of the research from a fellow veteran]

3Pl Nominal Roll.  The following are thought to have been present on 10 October 1970:  is the list correct..?
[names in bold were interviewed for the research, names in italics were deceased]

Otherwise Located.  These three soldiers were absent from 3Pl on other tasks:

Now Deceased.  These veterans were deceased when research started:

 3Platoon photo taken 4 November 1970 - Nui Dat

Researcher: 
Lt Col Bruce Young RNZIR, Cpl MFC 2Pl W3 Coy October 1970 bruceyoung@xtra.co.nz

Review Panel:
Colonel Robert Upton, Colonel of the Regiment RNZIR
Brigadier Evan Torrance, Honorary Colonel 1RNZIR 1989 - 1991
Colonel Baden Ewart, Honorary Colonel 2/1RNZIR - Col Ewart's comments on the research is here

The review panel were asked to assess the research for balance, fairness and accuracy using their own recollections of conditions in 1970 and the researcher is grateful to them for their careful analysis and comment.  The researcher is also indebted to Brigadier Torrance for his retention of W3 Coy records and his accurate comment based on these records.  Finally the researcher is indebted to Australian colleagues Bob Brumm and John Alcock for their efforts reviewing draft passages concerning the actions of Australian veterans involved with 3Pl in October 1970.

Part 1: Research, Environment and Forces Involved           Index to other parts of research        link to Glossary

© 2006 W3 Company website - www.w3vietnam.org.nz  - covers all six parts to this research

Published by the researcher as a private initiative.  A PDF copy of the full research including further detail and explanation is available on request.

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any other means without the prior written permission of the researcher.

The researcher gratefully acknowledges the contribution made to the research by fellow veterans in New Zealand and Australia and in many cases their families, by staff members of the New Zealand Defence Force and NZ Archives, and by many others who contributed their piece to the puzzle.

In offering their recollections many veterans confronted unpleasant memories which they had thought were well buried as having happened at another time and place.  It is hoped that they and their families can now better understand what happened on 10 October 1970, and that those affected by the accident can have closure and improved wellness.  Their contribution in 1970 and to this research is greatly appreciated.

Researcher

'I Was There' - add a comment

read the website Recording and Publishing protocol