In July 2021 I picked up a message left on my facebook page by the son of a guy I was close friends with during my two years' National Service, between 1968 and 1970. Vince and I both served as conscripted riflemen with the 8th Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment. We were good mates, and served in Malaya and Vietnam, sharing lots of good and bad times together. Vince got married within months of our discharge in April 1970 and I was best man at his wedding in Sydney. I returned to life in Adelaide and sadly we lost contact with each other. Over the years I tried repeatedly to find Vince, but always unsuccessfully. Eventually, Vince re-established our connection through his son. We have now exchanged emails and we two former brothers in arms are now eagerly looking forward to catching up in person when I return to Australia in early 2022. We will be blowing the froth off at least a couple of beers, exchanging stories and catching up on a good deal of lost time. Life is full of surprises—some good, some not so good. This is the best news I have had for a very long time. It has been my experience that friendships forged in the military, tempered in the heat of battle, cannot be duplicated in civilian life. The depth of that friendship runs deep and endures.
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