NO VEHICLE By Stephen Norton, 2/4 RAR
B Coy 2/4 RAR PNG in West New Britain were left at a grass airfield dropped off by C130. I was there for six weeks and had this local come and see me every night with chicken and French whisky. Week Three he didn’t turn up. I asked around and found he had been arrested for murder. LOL. I thought he seemed like a nice guy. Then Week 4, the CO and RSM came to visit us, but we’d all forgotten what day he was coming. Having all the vehicles out and left on my own, I had to walk to the main road and stop a ute loaded with about 10 locals. I jumped in the back with them and went to the airfield where the CO took one look at me pulling up in this ute full of locals and shat himself. I can still see the RSM almost in tears laughing in the background. As the CO came to me and asked if we would return in this ute, I said yes. However, some white missionaries were there in a mini van and they offered to take us back. The look of relief on the CO’s face was priceless.
During Week 5 we were to play the local police at rugby and the first to turn up was the riot squad in full riot gear. We won but there was no riot. LOL. Week 6, we did a demonstration for the locals, a full-out assault with an air resupply, dropping boxes out with the box lids open in a fan shape so they would act like helicopters on the way down. One went straight into the crowd. The riot police followed us to the bar that day.
Quote!
A retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping.
