Wagga man Ralph Todd feels like he lived a lifetime in two years.
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Called to National Service in 1967, the former 20-year-old Deniliquin boy came back from the Vietnam War older, wiser and experienced beyond his years.
Mr Todd shared his memories of the little-known Battle of Coral-Balmoral, ahead of its 50th anniversary this weekend.
It was arguably one of the most significant battles during the decade-long conflict in Vietnam, but many Wagga residents may know nothing about it.
While the Battle of Long Tan has long overshadowed the Battle of Coral-Balmoral, it accounted for even greater loss of Australian life across a longer period of time.
The 26 days of the battle from May 12 in ‘68 resulted in the loss of 26 Australian lives, with a further 109 wounded as the diggers pushed back the North Vietnamese Army.
But for Mr Todd, the battle was about more than numbers and figures.
For former soldier, those “nerve-wracking”, “hectic” and “hair-raising” few weeks were filled with mortar and rocket fire, gunfire and the drumming of aircraft overhead.
“You had to dig a shell scrape so your head was below ground level and you didn’t cop it,” Mr Todd said.
"I didn’t have mine to 18 inches for quite a few days.”
The former corporal of the Royal Australian Engineers joined Coral – one of the established fire support bases – shortly after the First Royal Australian Regiment was hit, triggering the battle.
It became a defence line and firing point to cover the battalions’ foot patrols, as did Balmoral in the days that followed.
“Over that time, the weather was quite dramatic,” Mr Todd said.
“We went when it was dry and dusty and within a week or two, the rains came and that made shockingly muddy.”
The 50th anniversary of the battle will not only be marked by 1200 gunners in Canberra this weekend, it may also be marked with recognition that was “a long time coming”.
It comes after the Defence Honours and Awards Tribunal unanimously recommended those who served in the battle receive the gallantry award.
If approved by Minister for Veterans' Affairs Darren Chester, Vietnam Veterans like Mr Todd will be among the recipients.
Mr Todd said it made him happy to know the battle and those who fought in it would finally be recognised.
“I’m pretty happy,” he said. “But I’m more happy that I came home. A lot of others didn’t.”
