No Need for Heroes - book foreword
by Sandy MacGregor
The sixties was an exciting and adventurous decade for the Royal
Australian Engineers. A relatively small Corps, primarily engaged
in construction and works service activities at the beginning
of this period, it had doubled in size by 1970 and accumulated
a breadth and depth of operational experience which placed it
among the foremost western military engineering establishments.
Building on the base of experienced officers and warrant officers
with World War II and Korean service, the Corps made a leap forward
into a new era of professional endeavour. The deployment of 3
Field Troop to Vietnam under the command of my old friend Alec
(Sandy) MacGregor was part of a continuum of growing overseas
engagement by the Engineers. In 1965 sappers were on operations
in Malaysia and Vietnam and remained engaged in a major construction
program in Papa New Guinea. Clearly the Corps was well stretched
and there were plenty of experiences to be enjoyed by anyone with
a sense of adventure.
I imagine that some members of 3 Field Troop would find the use
of the term adventure to be not quite appropriate as a description
of their experiences. But their time with the 1RAR Battalion Group
was certainly adventurous in many ways. More than that however,
it was the most serious operational work, laying the base for
the much larger Australian engineer effort to follow. We watched
this field troop made up of all regular army soldiers approach
its dangerous challenges with professional determination. It was
a matter of some pride in the Corps that the combination of initiative
and mateship, seen as the hallmark of the sappers, was being so
overtly displayed. In this, they typified the Regular Army of
that time.
I am pleased to say that I have served with many members of 3
Field Troop during my military career. A number of them gave a
lot back to the Royal Australian Engineers over the years, drawing
on these early experiences. Justifiably proud of their achievements,
they were always ready to let anyone who would listen know that
they were part of Australia's first major commitment to Vietnam.
There was always the risk of course that their contribution would
be overshadowed by large scale Sapper effort which developed from
April 1966 onwards. I am pleased to find that Alec (Sandy) MacGregor
and his troops, with their typical good humour are not about to
let us forget that they were there first, and that it wasn't an
dangerous work -- there was some fun in it as well.
John M. Sanderson
Lieutenant General
Force Commander
United Nations
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
27 July 1993
Read short excerpt's from this
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