The Vietnam War was a brutal conflict that saw many soldiers from Australia lose their lives. The Australian government also sent two war artists to Vietnam to capture the horrors of war in their artwork. One of these war artists was Lt Bruce Fletcher, who was seriously wounded upon arrival in Vietnam by a round that went off when a soldier carrying a number of enemy rifles dropped one of them which unfortunately still had a round in the chamber which went off. On debarking from the ramp at the back of the plane where he had just landed, Lt Fletcher was struck by this stray round and suffered serious injuries to his leg. Despite this unfortunate accident, Lt Fletcher went on to complete several sketches and paintings of Australian soldiers during his time in Vietnam, documenting their bravery and sacrifice for future generations. In this video, Captain John Methven (Ret) shares Australian soldier experiences as a platoon commander and Regiment Signals Officer with the 2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment that was stationed at the Australian base at Nui Dat. John has dedicated his life to fighting for the recognition of Vietnam Veterans and assisting veterans dealing with PTSD and the impacts of agent orange. John is the founder and curator of the National Vietnam Veterans Museum at Philip Island in Victoria Australia.

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