ABSTRACT
After the end of World War II, Australia was involved in a series of wars across South-East Asia. By the 1960's Australian culture had shifted to reflect the impact of youth culture, television and changing social mores. Australia supported the fight in Vietnam out of fear of communism and its perceived threat to Australian security, and to shore up Australia's alliance with the United States. Beyond this, education was only considered a military priority in terms of preparing troops for the environment and society of Vietnam and for explaining what the conflict was about. Other soldiers were given numerous lectures on Vietnam as part of their training before leaving for the war. Training and propaganda films constituted part of what soldiers heading to Vietnam might experience as part of their education. More commonly, however, soldiers watched films for entertainment and, as in World War II, film was significant in the cultural experiences of Australian soldier-audiences in Vietnam.
