Behind the Wire is an exhibition about Vietnam veterans, their jobs and their experiences, in their words.
For three years I photographed and interviewed Vietnam vets from all over Australia. I asked them about their training prior to Vietnam, daily tasks on tour and life since their return to Australia. I spoke with national servicemen and regulars, soldiers of all ranks and with a variety of jobs such as: cooks, dental assistants, truck drivers, tank drivers, forward scouts, riflemen, training team members, civilian nurses and more. Much has been written about the politics and military battles and strategy but I was interested in finding out about day-to-day life, how our guys coped with the situations they were put in and how they settled into life on their return to Australia.Support from the Sky is a companion exhibition to Behind the Wire and both are in the book that is now for sale. The book can be purchased from the link above and also at the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne.
The Behind the Wire book is full colour, paperback, 210mmx 210mm, 124 pages, with the complete stories as they appear in the exhibitions, along with a map and glossary.
There are also two introductory essays. One by Alan Attwood, journalist and editor of the Big Issue and another by Bruce Davies, author and Vietnam veteran.
