Vietnam War Veterans honoured with commemorative medallion
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Veterans' Affairs Matt Keogh have announced the launch of a special medallion to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of the end of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
The medallion serves as a small but meaningful way to commemorate the service, sacrifice, and courage of veterans and the impact on family members and loved ones.
In a statement published on the last week of March, Mr Albanese shared that the medallions are available for every veteran who served in the Vietnam War.
‘Some 60,000 Australians served in the Vietnam War, more than 3,000 were wounded, and 523 tragically lost their lives. We must honour those who served and the families that support them,’ he said.
He added that the launch of the medallions would continue throughout the year, culminating in a national commemorative service on Vietnam Veterans’ Day on 18 August 2023.
Aside from the commemorative medallion, Vietnam War veterans will also receive a Certificate of Commemoration.
One medallion is available per Vietnam War veteran. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), it is ‘advisable’ to make an agreement with the family of a deceased veteran to determine who will receive the medallion and certificate.
‘The registration system prevents multiple people applying on behalf of the same veteran,’ they added.
Additionally, a widow or a family member of a veteran who served is also eligible to apply. Although the family member doesn’t need to be the immediate family of the deceased veteran, it should be assumed that the immediate family members would have priority.
The medallion is free, so be wary of people selling commemorative medallions online.
The medallion’s design will feature the Commonwealth Coat of Arms with ‘Vietnam War’ inscribed at the top and ‘Australia remembers’ at the bottom.
The other side of the medallion will feature words of thanks at the bottom, with the years 1962-73 inscribed at the top. This represents the years that Australia was involved in the Vietnam War.
The medallion will also feature a UH-1 Iroquois ‘Huey’ Helicopter, a depiction of HMAS Sydney (III) ‘Vung Tau Ferry’ and an Australian soldier holding an SLR.
It will be presented in a display case and will include a card that explains the design with a brief expression of thanks.
The design of the commemorative certificate will complement the medallion. The design includes the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and ‘Australia Remembers’ wording and includes the signature of both the Governor-General and the Prime Minister.
The certificate will come in its own folder that allows independent display, framing, and mounting. Only one physical copy of the certificate will be made available and will accompany the medallion. However, PDF versions of the certificate will be available and can be obtained through the normal application process.
‘You will notice that the option to receive the medallion is not available if someone has already applied,’ DVA stated.
Based on the FAQs from the DVA website, the medallions and certificates are ‘expected to be distributed in June for those who have applied prior to or in June’.
‘Any subsequent applications are expected to be distributed within three weeks of submitting an application,’ they explained.
Medallions and certificates can even be sent overseas. However, DVA said to expect the delivery times to be delayed.
‘Your experiences during and after the war are a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by those who have served our country and the debt of gratitude we owe each and every one of you,’ Prime Minister Albanese stated.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh also issued a statement, saying that the Vietnam War was ‘at times’ contentious. ‘For some veterans, their service was not recognised as it should have been,’ he added.
‘To each and every one of our Vietnam veterans: We honour you. We thank you,’ Mr Keogh continued.
Applications can be made online at National Mail & Marketing through this link. If you are having difficulties with your application and require assistance, please phone 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) between 9 am and 5 pm AEST Monday to Friday, and when prompted, say the word ‘medallions’.
If you are unsure if a veteran served in Vietnam and is eligible for a medallion and certificate, you can check the DVA Nominal Roll. If you believe a name is missing from the Nominal Roll please contact the Department via email at [email protected].
Thank you to all the courageous veterans who served in the Vietnam War. Are you a war veteran? Will you be applying for the medallion? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
The medallion serves as a small but meaningful way to commemorate the service, sacrifice, and courage of veterans and the impact on family members and loved ones.
In a statement published on the last week of March, Mr Albanese shared that the medallions are available for every veteran who served in the Vietnam War.
‘Some 60,000 Australians served in the Vietnam War, more than 3,000 were wounded, and 523 tragically lost their lives. We must honour those who served and the families that support them,’ he said.
He added that the launch of the medallions would continue throughout the year, culminating in a national commemorative service on Vietnam Veterans’ Day on 18 August 2023.
Aside from the commemorative medallion, Vietnam War veterans will also receive a Certificate of Commemoration.
Vietnam War veterans are eligible to receive a commemorative medallion. Credit: Shutterstock
One medallion is available per Vietnam War veteran. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), it is ‘advisable’ to make an agreement with the family of a deceased veteran to determine who will receive the medallion and certificate.
‘The registration system prevents multiple people applying on behalf of the same veteran,’ they added.
Additionally, a widow or a family member of a veteran who served is also eligible to apply. Although the family member doesn’t need to be the immediate family of the deceased veteran, it should be assumed that the immediate family members would have priority.
The medallion is free, so be wary of people selling commemorative medallions online.
The medallion’s design will feature the Commonwealth Coat of Arms with ‘Vietnam War’ inscribed at the top and ‘Australia remembers’ at the bottom.
The other side of the medallion will feature words of thanks at the bottom, with the years 1962-73 inscribed at the top. This represents the years that Australia was involved in the Vietnam War.
The medallion will also feature a UH-1 Iroquois ‘Huey’ Helicopter, a depiction of HMAS Sydney (III) ‘Vung Tau Ferry’ and an Australian soldier holding an SLR.
It will be presented in a display case and will include a card that explains the design with a brief expression of thanks.
The design will feature the Commonwealth Coat of Arms with ‘Vietnam War’ inscribed at the top. Credit: DVA
The design of the commemorative certificate will complement the medallion. The design includes the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and ‘Australia Remembers’ wording and includes the signature of both the Governor-General and the Prime Minister.
The certificate will come in its own folder that allows independent display, framing, and mounting. Only one physical copy of the certificate will be made available and will accompany the medallion. However, PDF versions of the certificate will be available and can be obtained through the normal application process.
‘You will notice that the option to receive the medallion is not available if someone has already applied,’ DVA stated.
Based on the FAQs from the DVA website, the medallions and certificates are ‘expected to be distributed in June for those who have applied prior to or in June’.
‘Any subsequent applications are expected to be distributed within three weeks of submitting an application,’ they explained.
Medallions and certificates can even be sent overseas. However, DVA said to expect the delivery times to be delayed.
‘Your experiences during and after the war are a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by those who have served our country and the debt of gratitude we owe each and every one of you,’ Prime Minister Albanese stated.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh also issued a statement, saying that the Vietnam War was ‘at times’ contentious. ‘For some veterans, their service was not recognised as it should have been,’ he added.
‘To each and every one of our Vietnam veterans: We honour you. We thank you,’ Mr Keogh continued.
Applications can be made online at National Mail & Marketing through this link. If you are having difficulties with your application and require assistance, please phone 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) between 9 am and 5 pm AEST Monday to Friday, and when prompted, say the word ‘medallions’.
If you are unsure if a veteran served in Vietnam and is eligible for a medallion and certificate, you can check the DVA Nominal Roll. If you believe a name is missing from the Nominal Roll please contact the Department via email at [email protected].
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