Vietnam veteran Norm Davis talks about the bond between returned diggers ahead of Anzac Day

VIETNAM veteran Norm Davis talks about the bond between returned diggers ahead of next month’s Anzac Day ceremonies.

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ANZAC Day holds a special significance for Norm Davis of Edens Landing.

Mr Davis toured Vietnam with the first battalion in 1965 and returned with the infantry in 1971.

He said Anzac Day made him recall the special bond he felt with those who served with him overseas.

Quest Community Newspapers is running 100 stories in 100 days leading up to Anzac Day

“It s a day we all get together and commemorate,” Mr Davis said.

“I think of my mates who didn’t come back — those in the infantry in particular,” he said.

“In the infantry our lives depended on each other — most of us ended up with post traumatic stress disorder but we were unaffected at the time because we had each other.

“It’s a bond you can always recall — at a reunion in Sydney in 1987 a lot of us hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

“Our wives commented they hadn’t seen us ever talk so much.”

His father, grandfather and uncle all served in the military too — something he said gave him a great sense of pride.

“They’ve all happily served. It’s a great source of pride.”

THIS story is part of Quest Community Newspaper’s 100 Years, 100 Days, 100 Stories project, which will profile Queensland World War I heroes and families as the nation builds up to the centenary of the Allied landing on Gallipoli on April 25, 1915.

If you have the details and war record of a family member who served during World War I, let us know on our Facebook page or email [e-mail]