Doug Dupille, of Sandy Creek, Myrtleford’s Bryan Meehan and all those who fought alongside them in the Battles of Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral will receive a Unit Citation for Gallantry.

Early on May 13, 1968, north-east of Saigon, Fire Support Base Coral came under mortar and infantry attack.

Mr Meehan said the Australian soldiers hadn’t expected such enemy numbers.

“We’d been only in country for four months and we were becoming somewhat accustomed to contacts of ones and twos and fives and 10s, but to suddenly find yourself being overrun by 1400 all at once was fairly overwhelming,” he said.

“We didn’t have to look for them, they came looking for us, which was a shock,” Mr Dupille added.

“The battle went from then, with heavy contact, right through to June 6.”

The pair had been “sitting in the same hole” when the first attack occurred.

“All of a sudden they burst out of a creek bed, with bugles and rockets being fired,” Mr Meehan said.

The Defence honours and awards appeals tribunal recently announced after a year-long inquiry all men who fought in the action “displayed collective gallantry worthy of unit recognition”.

“Over the period of the deployment, (they) turned a desperate defensive battle into a battle of Australian domination,” the tribunal said.

The inquiry reported 26 Australian soldiers died during the battles and more than 100 were wounded.

An official presentation will be made at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville, as part of a four-day reunion.

“As the years have gone by, people were starting to say, ‘Well, I think we should put in for this’,” Mr Meehan said.

“We’re very proud to receive it, even if only on behalf of those who are not here.”