Colin (Col Joye) Jacobson as a civilian entertainer interviewed by Greg Swanborough for 'The sharp end'

Civilian Entertainer. NSW Concert Party. 2/66 16 August 1966 to 25 August 1966. Scene 18, Take 1: Sponsored by Australian Government in response to requests from soldiers in Vietnam. Group was the same age as the soldiers and consisted of piano, bass, drums, guitar and saxophone and lead singer. Little Pattie was part of group. They wore army uniforms with civilian shirts. Played popular hits, old favourites and a large repertoire for requests. Scene 18, Take 2, roll 63: Talks about songs they sang, country music and a lot of requests, 50/50 dance music. Describes sequence of concerts before the Battle of Long Tan. 6RAR, Group A were ready to go and relieve patrol out in the field and saw first concert. Group B were patrolling the perimeter and saw second concert. Group C were coming back in and saw third concert. Group C passed Group A and told about activity in field. The soldiers could hear the music in the woods. The concerts had to finish before the daily onset of heavy rain at 1600 hours. The third show was cut short and band headed for the helipad to fly out. During a short delay waiting to take off, Sergeant Kevin (Tassie) Wass asked Joye to accompany him to talk to some men who had missed the show. He was then ‘kidnapped’ to 5RAR, and having missed the flight out, spent the night singing to the troops before returning to the command post and listened to reports of casualties of Long Tan. The next show was cancelled. Visited hospital to talk to Long Tan casualties and thrown out by stressed doctor. Scene 18, Take 4: Memory of young Vietnamese boy with one leg missing, supporting himself on a stick and accompanied by sister. They both had black burns to front of bodies where they’d been caught on the edge of a napalm attack. No-one laughed, no happiness. Talks about massage and steam bath. Scene 18, Take 5, roll 65: Talks about American soldiers, racial problems and meeting General Westmoreland, US military commander in Vietnam who gave Joye a signed photograph of himself. Describes visiting American evacuation hospital in Saigon and eventually getting help for injured thumb and ear infection from Australian doctors.