More Defence news: 27 July 2009 - 02 August 2009
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Last Vietnam ADF servicemen found | Private Ranaudo arrives home |
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Last Vietnam ADF servicemen found
The remains of the last two Australian Defence Force members missing from the Vietnam War have been located. The crew of Royal Australian Air Force Canberra bomber A84-231 – callsign “Magpie 91” – Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver went missing in action while flying on a sortie, on 3 November 1970. The aircraft’s wreckage was located in April 2009 by an Australian-led recovery team, situated in dense jungle, in a remote part of Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, near the Laotian border. The recovery team returned to the site in July 2009, under the title Operation Magpies Return, to conduct a thorough archeological investigation, which resulted in the discovery of human remains. The remains were transported to Hanoi, where Vietnamese and Australian forensic scientists subsequently identified them as those of Herbert and Carver. A timetable for the return of these remains to Australia has yet to be agreed between the Australian and Vietnamese Governments. Details of the burial of the airmen are a private matter for the families. More: Media Release | Imagery | Images of FLGOFF Herbert and PLTOFF Carver |
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The body of Private Benjamin Ranaudo arrived back in Australia on Sunday, 26 July 2009. Private Ranaudo was welcomed home, at Avalon Airport in Victoria, by family members and comrades from his unit, Townsville-based 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR). A 1RAR bearer party carried Private Ranaudo’s coffin from the aircraft to his waiting family. Army Chaplain Steve Neuhaus said, “We meet here today to reverently bring the mortal remains of Benjamin James Ranaudo, who died in the course of his duties while on active service in the Australian Army in a foreign land, back to his homeland. “We give thanks for Ben’s devotion to duty; we pray for those who mourn.” Acting Chief of the Defence Force, Lieutenant General David Hurley, expressed his condolences to Private Ranaudo’s family, friends and colleagues, saying, “Ben will not be forgotten. “He gave his life to ensure the security of others and we will be forever grateful for his selflessness.” More: Media release | Imagery |Statement from family of soldier wounded in explosion |
