A Vietnam vet who lost a hand, three fingers and a leg in war reveals the true meaning of mateship

JOHN Thompson may only have an index finger and a thumb on his left hand and no right hand, but this didn’t stop him writing about his war experiences.

John Thompson is a Vietnam war veteran. Photograph; Renae Droop

IT TAKES a long time to type a manuscript with one finger.

John Thompson of the ­Stephens RSL Sub-branch in Annerley took three years to write a book about his experience in the Vietnam War, typing one key at a time.

But it was well worth it, the cathartic experience helping him come to terms with events he saw during the war.

Mr Thompson, who now lives in Wishart, was in the 1st Field Squadron of the Royal Australian Engineers in Nui Dat, Vietnam, in 1967.

After just four months in Vietnam, the then 21-year-old’s time was cut short when he was “distracted” placing a landmine in Dat Do.

The mine exploded and Mr Thompson’s left leg and right hand had to be amputated. It also left him with two fingers on his left hand.

To commemorate 100 years since the Anzac landing at Gallipoli, and the men and women who have served our country since WWI, Quest Community Newspapers is publishing one story each day in the lead-up to the anniversary.

At 69 years old and after having his book — A Vietnam Vet’s Remarkable Life, the True Meaning of Mateship — published in 2012, Mr Thompson said he had come to terms with what happened on that day in 1967.

“I have tried to live my life to honour those guys and to do things I know they would endorse,” he said.

This year, he will travel to Darwin for the Anzac Day centenary and march with the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment to honour his mates.

“My family all know that Anzac Day is my day and not to get in my road,” Mr Thompson said.

He said the most important thing about Anzac Day was that it strengthened the ­relationships of those people who had been touched by war.

“Most of my mates are from the army when I served in Borneo and Vietnam and we stick together like mud on a blanket,” Mr Thompson said.

“Mateship is the most wonderful thing a person can have outside of a close family.”

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]