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Battle of Long Tan: Mandurah veterans to commemorate 50th anniversary

Jill BurgessMandurah Coastal Times

It is a significant anniversary for Vietnam veterans.

The service will start at 10.30am with a parade of veterans from the eastern foreshore to the Mandurah War Memorial, escorted by a naval guard and accompanied by Scotch College Pipes and Drums Band.

The parade will be led by 63 local high school students carrying National Flags of Honour to WA personnel who lost their lives in the war.

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More than 200 family members will remember and honour their loved ones and during the service, families will receive a National flag inscribed with their serviceman’s details.

Although the service falls on the 50th anniversary of Long Tan, there were many operations that suffered loss of life and casualties.

One was Operation Bribie in which seven lives were lost on February 17, 1967.

Privates David Webster, Brian Waters and Wayne Riley were killed in the action.

Private Webster will be remembered at the service by his sisters Julia Watts of Vasse and Moyra Jones of Falcon, while Private Walters will be remembers by childhood friend Margret Long of Merriwa.

The service honours 60,000 Australians who served in Vietnam, 521 who were killed and 3000 injured.