An Australian soldier has been posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross – the Commonwealth's highest military honor – for his bravery during the Vietnam War.
Private Richard Norden, then 19, ran into enemy fire to reach a wounded comrade and recover the body of another during a battle northeast of the capital, then known as Saigon, in 1968.
He survived the battle but died aged 24 in a road accident while on duty as a police officer in Canberra.
More than 60,000 Australians – around a quarter of them conscripted – served in the controversial Vietnam War from 1962 to 1973, as part of a US-led allied force.
“Private Richard Norden is a true Australian hero… (He) demonstrated extraordinary courage and selflessness by putting his own life at risk to save and protect his comrades,” Prime Minister Anthony said Albanese after the announcement on Remembrance Day.
Pte Norden's company was ambushed by North Vietnamese Army soldiers on May 14, 1968, with one scout immediately killed and the section commander seriously injured.
Described as having “total disregard for his own personal safety”, he ran under heavy enemy fire to reach the two soldiers and carried the seriously injured section commander back to his group.
Himself seriously injured at the time, Pte Norden then returned to look for the scout. Finding him dead, he then returned to the group to collect grenades before entering the battlefield a third time, to clear the area so that the scout's body could be recovered.
Australia's Governor-General Sam Mostyn said it was a “historic” day for the country and an “important” moment for Pte Norden's family.
“We are honored that Her Majesty has approved the Victoria Cross for Australia for Richard, recognizing his acts of bravery while serving in Vietnam,” his widow, Robynn Freeman, said in a statement.
An official medal ceremony for Pte Norden's family will take place at a later date, which has not yet been announced.
As in many other allied countries, the war sowed discord in Australia and thousands of Australians protested against it.
By the end of the conflict in 1975, approximately three million Vietnamese had died, with the United States losing more than 58,000 and Australia 521.
