Victor 4 Company

Welcome home. Only two words, two of the most significant words to Kiwi soldiers.

– Lance Corporal Geoffrey Dixon on the significance of Kiwi Vietnam War veterans receiving an official welcome home

I remember going to Rotorua and I remember being asked by the staff Sergeant recruiter there. He said, "Why do you want to join the Army?" and I said, "Oh, it's in the blood".

– Lance Corporal Geoffrey Dixon follows a family tradition

We felt their service in New Zealand uniform hadn’t been valued ... regardless of what our personal views on the decision to send them were, it is time for reconciliation.

– Former PM Helen Clark on the 2008 Government apology to Kiwi Vietnam War veterans for the way they were treated, Stuff, 13 May 2021

We always thought Kiwis going to war, we'd get the backing of the entire population. That wasn't to be and when we come home ... we didn't ask for thanks, but the way we were treated was pretty rough.

– Lance Corporal Geoffrey Dixon on the cold reception Kiwi Vietnam War veterans received when they came home in the early 1970s

I do remember when we landed at Nui Dat, the first thing I did when I got out of the chopper is I yelled at the top of my voice, I yelled. I dunno what I yelled but I yelled, and what it was was the pent up emotion of whispering for a whole month ... you try that, whispering for a whole month, you go bloody crazy.

– Lance Corporal Geoffrey Dixon on arriving at the NZ and Australian base camp Nui Dat after a month on operations

Remember those things but don't dwell on it too much ... or don't dwell on it. It's only going to jeopardise the rest of your time there; you've got to think about now.

– Private Andrew Peters on blocking out the shock of losing mates in conflict in Vietnam

It was a case of try to get people to calm down and realise that this is part of what's going to happen here, and that was the big problem, you did not know who your enemy was ... or who were friends.

– Captain Quinton Rodda on the volatile mood among the company when one of them was killed in an often murky war

[Protesters] were smearing themselves in ox blood and had signs saying "murderers" and "child killers", and our people had to endure that. We were told before the beginning of the parade if anyone gets off the vehicle they will be court-martialled. We had to sit in the vehicle and take the abuse. It was a very, very dramatic time for all.

– Former president of the NZ Vietnam Veterans’ Association Bill Godfrey remembers the chaotic 1971 "welcome home" parade in Auckland, Stuff, 13 May 2021