Tom Parry and Zoe Askew
A SOLEMN vigil was held at Sale Cemetery last Thursday, August 3 to acknowledge those killed in action during the Vietnam War.
Fifteen veterans gathered at the grave of Warrant Officer 2nd Class (WO2) John Garrigan to pay their respects.
WO2 Garrigan was born January 19, 1928 in England, but living in Maffra at the time of his deployment to Vietnam.
The soldier, known as “Garry” to his friends, drowned when his armoured personnel carrier struck a submerged object and overturned while crossing the Cua Viet River in Quang Tri on December 27, 1968.
He is one of 523 Australian servicemen to have lost their lives during the 11-year campaign.
WO2 Garrigan was initially buried in Malaysia, before being exhumed and repatriated to the Sale War Cemetery in June 2016 – the site’s first internment since WW2.
The event was conducted as part of the Vietnam Veterans Vigil, an annual nationwide observance that focuses on individual loss during the Vietnam War rather than national, collective loss.
Similar low-key ceremonies were conducted at the graves of other servicemen across the country.
Those involved in the conflict will be honoured again as part of Vietnam Veterans Day, taking place next Friday, August 18.
The event will be recognised locally with a memorial service, to be held at Sale RSL on York St at 11am.
