Kurt Hiete, a member of Pacific Palisades American Legion Post 283, was invited to march with the “Yanks Down Under” from American Legion Post 1 in Sydney, Australia for the annual ANZAC Day March on April 25.
ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) Day honors Australian veterans of the 1915 landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey, and all those who have served since then and have fought for Australia.
Australia virtually shuts down on ANZAC Day. In every town and city there is a Dawn Service attended by huge numbers and later in the day there is a March of Veterans in Sydney.
Amid signs posted that read “Lest we Forget,” close to 20,000 veterans marched and viewers numbered about 100,000.
Most of the Sydney American Legion members were Vietnam veterans like Hiete.
“It was so wonderful to hear all about where in Vietnam they served and what they did,” Hiete said. “A four-member color guard of Australian Army soldiers carried the American flag in front of us and we were fondly cheered by the viewers as we marched by.”
In Australia, by tradition, all the veterans are encouraged to wear their medals and anyone wearing a medal gets a free train ride for him/herself and their families.
Hiete and his daughter also attended a sunrise service in Cronulla attended by about half of the town’s population.
“This was a very solemn ceremony and I was very moved by it all,” Hiete added.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
