On 3 June we moved back to Nui Dat.

Hot showers, then the normal booze up and barbeque.We wondered what the hell we were doing back at theDat, but it sure was nice to be clean and to sleep in a bed and to eat something that you hadn't cooked yourself. Lots of little luxuries in the Dat ... cold goffers (soft drink), going shopping at the PX, getting newspapers to find out what was going on in the world, relaxing at the end of the day rather than being on picket duty, and not having to lug that bloody pack around.

We didn't have long to enjoy it though.

On 5 June we climbed aboard our APC's for the long trek north. Alpha & Bravo company's were inserted into their AO (Area of Operations) by chopper, with Bravo Company being inserted into a hot L Z (Landing Zone). It was later found out that 3/33rd NVA Regt were on the edge of Bravo Company's L Z and would have been engaged by the gunships during the insertion. Delta Company had left at 4:00 in the morning travelling with the Centurion Tanks (C Squadron 1st Armoured Regiment) to form a blocking force inside Long Khan Province itself. Alpha & Bravo company's then started pushing south into the enemy territory. Bravo Company found one new bunker on that first day, but nothing else.

So what we were doing during all this excitement? Oh wow ... we got to sit on top of some very smelly and hard APC's and drive through the scrub to secure the area for the new fire support base. The official report notes that the Fires Support Base was established without incident, although a mine was detonated the next day. We couldn't wait to get away from the bloody Fire Support Base ... we were bush soldiers and we belonged in the bush, where the action was. Wait one Uk Da Loi, wait one ... the action was coming.

On 5 June 1971 Operation Overlord commenced. We were told the name but it meant nothing to us. Mike English, in his book The Battle of Long Khan, describes Operation Overlord as the biggest operation that 3 RAR (second tour) had been involved in. I don't know about that, 'cause I could only see the little bit of it that was around me, but shit that seemed big.