This book is about an Australian soldier killed at war in Vietnam. It is about the events surrounding his dying and the subsequent award to him of Australia s most distinguished medal for gallantry under fire, the Victoria Cross. And it is an examination, from a contemporary perspective, of the significance of those events for Australian life and Australian culture. At the time of writing, Dr Ian Walters was Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University).,
Table of contents
List of Tables -- List of Figures -- List of Plates -- Preface -- Chronology -- 1 Australia and the Vietnam War: Introduction; The years 1965-66; Implications of the 1965-66 events; Background to Australia in the early sixties; The American War in Vietnam; Australia in Vietnam -- 2. Analytical Devices: Introduction; Turning point: 1965-66; Culture and cultural studies; Semiotics, signs and texts; The media and culture; The war and Australian newspapers; Sampling newspapers: the big five -- 3. Death of a Legend: Introduction; Dasher Wheatley; Tra Bong: 13 November 1965; Reporting the tragedy: content; Reporting the tragedy: layout; Follow-up reports; Conclusion -- 4. The Victoria Cross: Introduction; The Victoria Cross; For what are Victoria Crosses awarded?; Speculation about a medial: content; Speculation about a medal: layout; Award of the medal: content; Award of the medal: layout; Content and layout compared; a VC's social life and significance ; The medal and its meaning -- 5. Two Other Tragedies: Introduction; The frist conscript dies; Long Tan; Conclusions -- 6. Reporting the War 1965-66: Introduction; Action reports; Killed in action reports; Award and honours; Politics and the media; The press and Vietnam; Against the war; The matter of peace; Not forgotten; Visits to Vietnam by luminaries; Walters & Wheatley: media figures of 1965; Reporting the war: conclusions -- 7. Dasher Wheatley and the Image of Australia; I; II; III; IV -- Endnotes -- References -- Index,