Major gets pat on the back from a Vietnam era idol

New friends: Little Pattie with Maj Rudi Poldoja

By Cpl Simone Liebelt

THE only Vietnam veteran serving with AMTG2 got a special gift at Christmas when he met 1960s teenage idol Little Pattie nearly 40 years after she entertained the troops in Vietnam.

Maj Rudi Poldoja, head of the CIMIC team, was a fan of Little Pattie as a young soldier back in the 1960s.

“In our generation, there wasn’t a red-blooded man in Australia who wasn’t in love with Little Pattie; she was as cute as a button,” he said. “She represented the face of the surf culture in Australia and was a very popular icon, particularly with the boys who served in Vietnam.”

Little Pattie was part of the Tour de Force concert held at Camp Smitty on Christmas Eve, which also featured singers Angry Anderson, Beccy Cole and Hayley Jensen.

“When I saw Little Pattie in the mess, I thought what a fantastic coincidence; we’d have to be the last two Vietnam vets sitting here at AMTG, 35 years after the war,” Maj Poldoja said.

“Of course, we got along famously because we’re from a generation removed that nobody else here could really understand.”
Little Pattie said she was pleased to meet Maj Poldoja.

“It was a very moving moment for me to meet Rudi over here [at Camp Smitty], he’s a delightful man and a very proud Vietnam veteran,” Little Pattie said.

“It’s amazing that he served in Vietnam and is now serving here in the Middle East. I was quite moved to talk to him because he really is a hero for me.”

She said while it was a long time ago, she would never forget what she experienced in Vietnam.

“During one of our shows at Nui Dat, the artillery noise became very loud and more frequent and I could see the officers moving around nervously, so it was obvious that something serious was happening,” she recalled.

“In actual fact it was the start of the battle of Long Tan, we should have never won it because of the amount of troops on the other side. In winning that battle, we lost 18 Australians that day. I was evacuated and had a dreadful night worrying about everyone. The next day I visited the troops in hospital.”

Maj Poldoja said it was special to meet Little Pattie on another deployment so many years later.

“I really admire her for coming out here to entertain the guys at this stage in her life. It was a wonderful Christmas present.”