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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

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Thua Tich, South Vietnam, 1969-06

by Christopher Bellis

Thua Tich, South Vietnam, 1969-06

Exhausted after a successful night ambush and an attempted Viet Cong (VC) ambush earlier that day, 235254 Captain (Capt) Tom Henry Arrowsmith of Campbelltown, NSW, rests on top of his armoured personnel carrier (APC) at the Government outpost of Xuyen Moc. Capt Arrowsmith is the Commander of 2 Troop, B Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment which, together with a force of infantry and engineers killed sixteen (eleven and later five) enemy in the two contacts and captured seven AK47 assault rifles, two RPG2 (rocket propelled grenade) rocket launchers, and a pistol, together with drugs, surgical instruments, and equipment. The armoured force, from the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) base at Nui Dat, was sweeping the area of north eastern Phuoc Tuy Province.

Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial

The jungle look
(More information, View all 10 images)

Vung Tau, Vietnam, 1966-08
Vietnam, 1966-06
An Nhut, South Vietnam, 1969-08
Vietnam, 1970-07

Related information

Thua Tich, South Vietnam, 1969-06 by Christopher Bellis
Thua Tich, South Vietnam, 1969-06 by Christopher Bellis
Thua Tich, South Vietnam, 1969-06 by Christopher Bellis
Thua Tich, South Vietnam, 1969-06 by Christopher Bellis

The jungle look

Magazine article by David Gist, 2019

David Gist steps beyond the public relations veneer of Australia’s official Vietnam War portrait photographs.
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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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