Vets’ flags fly high

Great pride: Sgt Andrew Sutcliffe, Cpl David Mansfield and Cpl James Mitchell bear the memorial flags.

By Lt Jason Perrins

161 Recce Sqn has marked 40 years of Army Aviation service with Exercise Possum 40, an activity held in conjunction with Vietnam Veterans Day activities.

Ten members attended Possum Four Zero, organised by the Adelaide branch of 161 Recce Association.

At the association’s Annual General Meeting, Lt Mark Overton provided a briefing on the squadron’s current activities and the capabilities of the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, due to enter operational service in 2007.

The weekend’s events included the Vietnam Veterans Day march through the streets of Adelaide. The squadron conducted a two-ship fly past with the remainder of the visiting 161 Recce Sqn members participating in the march.

Three of those members, Sgt Andrew Sutcliffe, Cpl David Mansfield and Cpl James Mitchell, had the honour of being the flag bearers of the three Australian flags presented to the families of the three members of 161 who died in Vietnam.

The Veterans Day activities then concluded with a musical concert at the Torrens Parade Ground in the style of the Nui Dat dustbowl concerts.

161 Recce Flt was raised at RAAF Base Amberley in June 1965 and left Brisbane bound for Vietnam in September that year.
On arriving in country, the unit became an integral part of the 1RAR group, under operational control of US Army 173rd Airborne Bde. All units operating on the net were required to use pro-words to their callsigns beginning with the letter ‘P’. When 1RAR joined the brigade in mid-1965, it chose ‘Platypus’. In keeping with this tradition of Australian animals, 161 Recce Flt chose ‘Possum’, which the unit still uses as its mascot and callsign today.

The unit operated numerous aircraft throughout its time in Vietnam, including the Kiowa, and flew more than 72,000 hours before returning from service in 1972.