AATTV Conway, Kevin George

John Robertson

Administrator
Staff member
  • SURNAME
Conway
  • FORENAME
Kevin George
  • UNIT
Royal Australian Infantry
  • RANK
Sergeant and T/Warrant Officer Second Class
  • NUMBER
13097
  • DATE OF DEATH
6th July 1964
  • AGE
35​
  • GRAVESITE
buried Singapore
Kranji War Cemetery, Plot 14 Row B Grave 9
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
born 11.12.1928, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
hometown Wellington Point, Queensland
son of Mr J.J.Conway, mother Elaine
fisherman
enlisted 22.01.1947 Second AIF, served in Hong Kong. Discharged 18.02.1949
farming jobs
railway worker (bridge painter and labourer)
re-enlisted 19.11.1952
active service Korean War + Malaya with 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
deployed Vietnam mid-Nov 1963 with AATTV
attached Det A-726,Company C,7 SF Group,US Army
KIA Nam Dong,South Vietnam
QX501380 & 13097 Temporary Warrant Officer Class 2 Kevin George. Conway, Age 35.
Australian Army Training Team Vietnam

Kevin George Conway was born in 1928 and grew up in Wellington Point, Redlands, with his family including father, John, and mother, Eileen.

Shortly after his 18th birthday, Kevin enlisted in the Second AIF on 22 January 1947, giving up his precious occupation as a fisherman. During his first period of military service, he served in Hong Kong with the first Australian War Crimes Section, discharging from the Army on 18 February 1949.

In civilian life, Kevin turned his hand to various farming jobs and worked on the Queensland Railways as a bridge painter and labourer, before re-enlisting with the Australian Army on 19 November 1952.

Kevin saw active service in the Korean War and Malaya with the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and deployed to Vietnam in mid-November 1963 with the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV).

Kevin was the only Australian serviceman attached to a United States Special Forces team, A-726, stationed at Camp McBride, Nam Dong. The camp was made up of 372 personnel, 12 US Special Forces, a civilian anthropologist, South Vietnam soldiers, nurses and civilians.

An estimated force of between 700 to 900 Viet Cong attacked the camp at approximately 2:45am on 6 July 1964. The first indication that the camp was under attack came when one mess hall received a direct hit from an incoming mortar round.

Kevin, along with US Master Sergeant Gabriel Alamo, fought off the attackers from a mortar position just outside the main gate. They both came under heavy attack from both small arms rifle fire and hand grenades.

Kevin and Gabriel were found dead at their posts, killed by fragmentation wounds to their heads and bodies.

The Commanding Officer of Camp McBride – Nam Dong, Captain Roger Donlon, later described the following in his book: ‘Kevin…had been the most experienced guerrilla fighter at Nam Dong…he had only recently joined A-726 0 a welcome addition to our team. That night he seemed to be smiling as he descended the concrete steps of the mortar pit…his smile seemed to say, “not to worry, chaps!”…’

Kevin was awarded the US Silver Star and the Vietnamese Armed Forces Honour Medal, 2nd Class, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Gallantry Cross Palm Unit Citation, the National Order of Vietnam (South Vietnam’s highest Award) and the rare Campaign Service Medal with Clasp (South Vietnam) that was issued to only 68 Military personnel – and all within the AATTV. Kevin was recommended for the Victoria Cross, but this was denied at that time, because Australia was not at war.

Initially laid to rest in South Vietnam, Kevin’s body was exhumed after his mates and Commander raised concerns that his grave would not always be secured and respected.

Kevin’s remains were interred at the Ulu Pandan Cemetery in Singapore on 17 October 1964 and moved in 1975 to the Kranji War Cemetery when Ulu Pandan closed.

Source : https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23379993/kevin-george-conway
 
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