Top honour for gunner
Govenor-General awards Stan rare unit citation
GEELONG Vietnam veteran Stan Jaruga has received one of the country’s top service honours for his time as a helicopter door gunner.
The 72-year-old was recently awarded a rare unit citation by Australian Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove for his outstanding service 50 years ago.
He has previously received a similar unit citation for gallantry from the South Vietnam government and is the only person in the region, possibly in Victoria, to receive the dual honours.
On night flights, Private Jaruga would be wearing a helmet wired to his pilot, with no safety harness, brandishing a M60 machine gun at the open door of the helicopter scanning the Vietnamese jungle.
Already in combat on the ground with the 2 Royal Australian Regiment, Mr Jaruga and eight others “jumped at the chance” for the volunteer flying secondment.
“It sure beat being in the jungle with a 30kg pack on your back,” he said. “It was cool up there, beautiful weather, but the assaults we did, a couple of them were disastrous. We lost a few guys.
“We were called the EMUs which stood for experimental military units. One of the guys even painted a red emu on the front of the chopper.
“It was very hectic … we got into quite a few hairy situa- tions with combat assaults wondering if we would ever make it back with holes in our choppers.”
The Bell Park grandfather, and former Alcoa worker, said you don’t go into war for the accolades but it was “humbling” to get the recognition at a ceremony in Canberra.
“I think of (that time) every so often. It doesn’t leave you. The memories stay,” he said.
“I think of (that time) every so often. It doesn’t leave you. The memories stay.” STAN JARUGA