Remembering and fighting for their own: Vietnam veterans and the Long Tan Cross

Journal article

Cramer, Lorinda and Witcomb, Andrea. (2018). Remembering and fighting for their own: Vietnam veterans and the Long Tan Cross. Australian Historical Studies. 49(1), pp. 83 - 102. https://doi.org/10.1080/1031461X.2017.1394887
AuthorsCramer, Lorinda and Witcomb, Andrea
Abstract

On the third anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1969, a simple but distinctive concrete cross was planted on the site of the battle to remember the eighteen Australian lives lost. The memorial cross was later toppled, lost and recovered but its physical form was never forgotten. In Australia, veterans made it a focus for their commemoration of all who served and died in the Vietnam War, replicating it across the country. This article analyses the complex motivations behind this process, revealing the Long Tan cross as a deeply personal symbol for Vietnam veterans and part of their fight for recognition in the aftermath of the war.

Year2018
JournalAustralian Historical Studies
Journal citation49 (1), pp. 83 - 102
PublisherRoutledge
ISSN1031-461X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/1031461X.2017.1394887
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85042412403
Page range83 - 102
Research GroupSchool of Arts
Publisher's version
File Access Level
Controlled
Place of publicationAustralia
Permalink -

https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/88qq4/remembering-and-fighting-for-their-own-vietnam-veterans-and-the-long-tan-cross

Log in to edit

Restricted files

Publisher's version

  • 102
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month
These values are for the period from 19th October 2020, when this repository was created.

Export as

Related outputs

The comfort of things in White Australia : Male immigrants, race and the three-piece suit, c.1901–39
Bellanta, Melissa and Cramer, Lorinda. (2023). The comfort of things in White Australia : Male immigrants, race and the three-piece suit, c.1901–39. Australian Historical Studies. 54(3), pp. 483-510. https://doi.org/10.1080/1031461X.2022.2161587
In “the Finest Australian Wool” : Foy & Gibson’s healthy, comfortable, wool-clad bodies, 1900–1939
Cramer, Lorinda. (2023). In “the Finest Australian Wool” : Foy & Gibson’s healthy, comfortable, wool-clad bodies, 1900–1939. Journal of Australian Studies. pp. 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2023.2250800
“Well-dressed” in suits of Australian wool : The global fiber wars and masculine material literacy, 1950–1965
Bellanta, Melissa and Cramer, Lorinda. (2023). “Well-dressed” in suits of Australian wool : The global fiber wars and masculine material literacy, 1950–1965. Fashion Theory. pp. 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704X.2023.2228009
Tropical whites : Hegemonic masculinity and menswear at the crossroads of Australia and Asia, 1900–1939
Bellanta, Melissa and Cramer, Lorinda. (2022). Tropical whites : Hegemonic masculinity and menswear at the crossroads of Australia and Asia, 1900–1939. Gender and History. pp. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0424.12640
‘Clothes shall mark the man’ : Wearing suits in wartime Australia, 1939–1945
Cramer, Lorinda and Bellanta, Melissa. (2022). ‘Clothes shall mark the man’ : Wearing suits in wartime Australia, 1939–1945. Cultural and Social History. 19(1), pp. 57-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780038.2022.2031424
Relaxed bodies and comfortable clothes : Reframing masculinity in post-war Australia
Cramer, Lorinda. (2021). Relaxed bodies and comfortable clothes : Reframing masculinity in post-war Australia. Gender and History. 33(2), pp. 390-407. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0424.12515
Needlework and women's identity in colonial Australia
Cramer, Lorinda. (2020). Needlework and women's identity in colonial Australia Bloomsbury Publishing plc.
‘Busy, without thimbles, at the needlework’ : Men’s sewing and masculinity on the Victorian goldfields, 1851–1861
Cramer, Lorinda. (2020). ‘Busy, without thimbles, at the needlework’ : Men’s sewing and masculinity on the Victorian goldfields, 1851–1861. Journal of Victorian Culture. 25(2), pp. 153-170. https://doi.org/10.1093/jvcult/vcz063
Rethinking men’s dress through material sources : The case study of a singlet
Cramer, Lorinda. (2020). Rethinking men’s dress through material sources : The case study of a singlet. Australian Historical Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/1031461X.2020.1772328
‘Hidden from view’?: An analysis of the integration of women’s history and women’s voices into Australia’s social history exhibitions
Cramer, Lorinda and Witcomb, Andrea. (2019). ‘Hidden from view’?: An analysis of the integration of women’s history and women’s voices into Australia’s social history exhibitions. International Journal of Heritage Studies. 25(2), pp. 128 - 142. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2018.1475409
Diggers’ dress and identity on the Victorian Goldfields, Australia, 1851‒1870
Cramer, Lorinda. (2018). Diggers’ dress and identity on the Victorian Goldfields, Australia, 1851‒1870. Fashion Theory. 22(1), pp. 85 - 108. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704X.2016.1266833
Making ‘everything they want but boots’ : Clothing children in Victoria, Australia, 1840–1870
Lorinda Cramer. (2017). Making ‘everything they want but boots’ : Clothing children in Victoria, Australia, 1840–1870. Costume. 51(2), pp. 190-209. https://doi.org/10.3366/cost.2017.0024
Making a home in gold-rush Victoria: Plain sewing and the Genteel Woman
Cramer, Lorinda. (2017). Making a home in gold-rush Victoria: Plain sewing and the Genteel Woman. Australian Historical Studies. 48(2), pp. 213 - 226. https://doi.org/10.1080/1031461X.2017.1293705
Keeping up appearances: Genteel Women, dress and refurbishing in gold-rush Victoria, Australia, 1851‒1870
Cramer, Lorinda. (2017). Keeping up appearances: Genteel Women, dress and refurbishing in gold-rush Victoria, Australia, 1851‒1870. Textile. 15(1), pp. 48 - 67. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759756.2016.1209876