Operation Cooparoo in Vietnam DPR/TV/645

In Vietnam troops of 7th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, started the nine-day mission "Operation Cooparoo" through familiar rubber plantations. The operation has just ended. Some were escorted by Armoured Personnel Carriers, the "work horses" of the Australians in Phuoc Tuy Province. They met some of the thickest and most tangled jungle growth they yet encountered. They are the first Australians to clear this area, north west of the Task Force Base at Nui Dat. To add to their difficulties, they were often forced to ford creeks which had been swollen by monsoonal rains, and the soldiers from "Bravo" Company also had to carry five days rations, because of the lack of suitable helicopter landing zones in the area they were patrolling. The helicopters are always ready for emergencies, and a smoke grenade gives the Company's location, when thick scrub prevents the "chopper " from landing. Two members of the patrol had fallen ill, and the first patient was winched up through the heavy jungle growth. This is not the easiest way of boarding a helicopter, but it is quick and efficent. The second patient had a slightly more comfortable trip aloft, and winched up to the "Dust Off" helicopter in a stretcher. "Dust Off" is the code name given to these evacuation aircraft. With the sick men safely on their way to an evacuation centre, two officers of "Bravo" Company check positions on a map before the patrol moves on. But first ther is another chore to be done. Trees are felled in the area to provide a landing zone for helicopters. As they fall, the trees don't look much different to Australian timber. The big difference is that in Australia there is no risk of someone shooting at you while you work. While the first "chopper" hovers above the newly cleared area, soldiers wait for the first landing. Their tree-felling efforts paid off when the first "chopper" landed - carrying a precious cargo of fresh rations and supplies. Unloading took only a few minutes. Later the supplies were stacked in piles before being distributed.