Vietnam soldier's remains on flight back home
Posted Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:45pm AEDT
Updated Tue Dec 18, 2007 1:05am AEDT
The remains of an Australian soldier killed in Vietnam in 1971 have begun their journey back to Melbourne.
Lance Corporal John Gillespie, a 24-year-old Army medic, died when an Iroquois helicopter was shot down during a medical evacuation in the Long Hai Hills in south Vietnam.
All human remains were believed to have been been consumed in the blaze.
But an excavation of the crash site discovered remains identified as those of Lance Corporal Gillespie.
His widow and daughter were at Hanoi Airport to watch his casket carried to a waiting RAAF C130 Hercules aircraft for the return flight home.
Lance Corporal Gillespie had been listed as missing in action until an Australian recovery team, tipped off by former Viet Cong guerrillas, excavated his remains last month.
"We have waited a long time since the war for an opportunity to come back and find these missing Australians, in this case, for someone who died more than 35 years ago," said the leader of the Australian recovery team, Brian Manns.
Lest we forget.
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Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka,
from the HD Committee and its decision.