On Friday 8th March 1968, 20 year old Gary McKay lost the lottery - he was conscripted. From a comfortable and carefree life of surfing and rugby football, he was drafted into the deadly serious preparation for war in the jungles of South Vietnam. "In Good Company" is his story. It begins with induction and selection for the officer academy for national servicemen at Scheyville, a six-month "pressure cooker" course which produced second lieutenants ready to lead troops into action against the Viet Cong. It ends three and a half years later with a burst of NVA machine-gun fire during a battle among enemy-held bunkers in the hills of Nui Lae. This book is a grass-roots account of the blood, sweat and tears shared by a rifle platoon in jungle warfare, a story of the fears and the camaraderie which soldiers experience in combat. Gary McKay fashioned this account from his experience in action, leading his platoon. The detail is provided from the 80 letters he wrote to his wife while he served. He wrote his story for the reader who wants to know what the soldier on the ground went through - in the jungle and in battle.

In Good Company: One Man's War in Vietnam

Biographies & Memoirs

McKay, Gary

Community & Culture

Unwin Hyman

In Good Company

Allen& Unwin

Stet: Systematic Training for Effective Teaching (Teacher's Handbook)

DINKMEYER, DON

Ags Pub

On Patrol with the SAS: Sleeping with Your Ears Open

History

Australia & Oceania

ReadHowYouWant

Thirty years ago, on Christmas Day 1974, Australia woke up to the news that Darwin had been devastated by Cyclone Tracy...Only hours before, the town of Darwin was winding down for the holiday season. Like many people that day, Josephine Foreman spent the morning cooking a large turkey for Christmas lunch; Geoff Crane took the opportunity to finish some last-minute Christmas shopping. Reports of an approaching cyclone were taken lightly-after all, the last cyclone had been little more than a storm with a bit more wind. Besides, it was Christmas ...At midnight on Christmas Eve, Cyclone Tracy roared in from the Arafura Sea and in six hours wiped out Darwin. It was Australia's worst natural disaster-a night of fear and horror, a storm of unprecedented savagery and destruction...Winds of 300 kilometres per hour totally destroyed nearly all of Darwin's buildings and caused the deaths of more than fifty people. When Christmas Day finally dawned, many counted themselves lucky to still be alive...Thirty years later, some of those who lived through the cyclone's devastation recall their frightening experiences-from the sheer terror of the storm itself, to the heart-wrenching days that followed and the mass clean-up operation and evacuation of more than 20,000 people in six days. This is a compelling account of tragedy, survival and human courage.

Tracy: The Storm that Wiped Out Darwin on Christmas Day 1974

Historian and veteran Gary McKay details the experiences of Australian Vietnam War heroes as they journey back to the land where they once fought and lost their innocence in this highly personal collection of stories. With interviews and intimate recollections, this account records their strong and sometimes unexpected reactions to returning to a country that has in places changed beyond all recognition—and is elsewhere all too familiar. Bringing an enhanced sense of closure to the tragic effects of the war, this part-history, part-memoir also shares the harsh reality of returning to former battlefields.

Going Back: Australian Veterans Return to Viet Nam

Vietnam remains one of most controversial and difficult wars that has been fought. On the 50th anniversary of Australia's first involvement comes Vietnam: The Complete Story of the Australian War, for anyone who wishes to understand why Australia went to war, and wants to make sense of the intensely unrelenting warfare. For Bruce Davies and Gary McKay, the history of Vietnam—its wars, colonial domination, its search for freedom, and its subsequent loss—speaks to an Australian anxiety of a very small population far away from the center of an empire to which it was firmly committed. The rise of Japan, the War in the Pacific, and the postcolonial independence of the peoples of Southeast Asia, coupled with the mercurial influence of Ho Chi Minh and the rise of communism, form the background to the commitment of Australian forces. Vietnam takes the reader to the front line, describing the experiences of soldier, politician, villager, enemy; and into the war room to unpick the military and political strategies. We see the challenges the Australians faced against not only a dogged enemy, but also those by the allies in their quest to defeat a powerful counterinsurgency. The authors' new archival research in Australia and America raises questions about the operational performance of both sides, and recently discovered documents shed new light on the enemy's tactical thinking. Meticulously researched and marked with acute critical analysis and a deep understanding of the place and the war, Vietnam shows the experience of Australian soldiers as never before.

Vietnam: The Complete Story of the Australian War

Davies, Bruce

Early in the Vietnam War the South Vietnamese government appealed to the United States and its allies, including Australia, for desperately needed medical help. Most of the country's doctors had been conscripted into the army and the civilian population was facing a medical crisis. From October 1964 until the end of 1972 over 450 surgeons, nurses, and other medical specialists from Australian hospitals volunteered to work in South Vietnam. In the towns of Long Xuyen, Bien Hoa, Vung Tau, and Ba Ria they brought expert medical care, comfort and support to a war-weary and traumatized civilian population. The extraordinary story of the work of these Australian civilians at war is told here for the first time. Based on interviews with many of those who served in the teams, it tells of what they did, and how they stayed sane in a place which at times tested the limits of their endurance.

With Healing Hands: The Untold Story of Australian Civilian Surgical Teams in Vietnam

Stewart, Elizabeth

Asia

Offering a unique glimpse into the heart and soul of the military, this account explores the men of the Australian Army's Special Air Services regiment. The chapters provide a clear insight into the rigors of the SAS selection process and training. In raw and brutal detail, the narrative concludes with a graphic depiction of combat behind enemy lines in Borneo and South Vietnam.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by McKay, Gary. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by McKay, Gary

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by McKay, Gary. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

In Good Company: One Man's War in Vietnam

In Good Company

Stet: Systematic Training for Effective Teaching (Teacher's Handbook)

On Patrol with the SAS: Sleeping with Your Ears Open

Tracy: The Storm that Wiped Out Darwin on Christmas Day 1974

Going Back: Australian Veterans Return to Viet Nam

Vietnam: The Complete Story of the Australian War

With Healing Hands: The Untold Story of Australian Civilian Surgical Teams in Vietnam

On Patrol with the SAS: Sleeping with Your Ears Open

Vietnam: The Complete Story of the Australian War