Australia's involvement in the war
Australian support for South Vietnam was influenced by the policy of other nations needing to stem the spread of communism throughout Europe and Asia, this occurred in the early 1960s. Through 1961 and 1962 Ngo Dinh Diem, South Vietnam’s leader, repeatedly requested security assistance. Australia responded with 30 military advisers. The decision to become involved in a conflict in Vietnam began one of the most controversial eras in Australia's history. It came at a time when the world was divided between nations that were communist and those that were not ; when communism was believed to be a real threat to capitalist societies such as the United States and Australia. In July 1962 they arrived in South Vietnam becoming officially involved with the Vietnam War. In the early 1970s, more than 200,000 people marched in the streets of Australia’s major cities in protest. By the end of the year it had committed 200,000 troops to the conflict. As part of the build up, the US government requested support from other countries. The Australian government dispatched the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment in June 1965 to serve alongside the US 173rd Airborne Brigade in Bien Hoa province. Involvement in the war cost more than 500 Australian servicemen their lives, while some 3,000 were wounded, otherwise injured or were victims of illness.