Many books have been published about Australia's involvement in the Vietnam conflict. Each, in its own way, has considerable merit but most have focused on particular actions, especially the Battle of Long Tan. The author of "Mentions in Despatches" (Dave Sabben MG) has set out to provide a more panoramic account of the lives and experiences of our Diggers in a typical Infantry Platoon, over a period of a year "in country". The reader will come to better appreciate what our young Aussie soldiers went through, from a fresh perspective. Dave Sabben writes from a position of personal knowledge and involvement and I look forward, with keen anticipation, to reading his latest record of the exploits of both our National Service and Regular Army troops in Vietnam.
David Gulliver - Tue 24 Jan 2023
Hello David, I was a member of 1 Platoon A Coy 2 RAR when we took over from your Battalion when you returned to Australia. I am impressed by the detail of your account in the proposed book and would like to order one copy when it is published. I look forward to receiving the book when it has been published Terry C - Thu 26 Jan 2023
Fantastic, Brilliant. and Thankyou. I can't wait to have the read, and send copies to another couple of great soldiers and my son. Will they be, or can they be autographed by yourself ? [Yes!] Please put me down for 4 copies, and I challenge every Scheyville Graduate to buy at least 4 copies each. Well done for your magnificent service and incredible efforts with your book. My life is immersed in the 4 Aussie Heroes Foundation, founded by my wife and I, which has developed and conducts holistic, short term live-in Programs for Veterans suffering and struggling with PTSD and related mental health issues. I appreciate Smithy's comment in the Intro. Similiar injustices continue, especially by DVA and ADF JHC relevant to what the Foundation is doing. A massive CONGRATULATIONS to you. Gerry G - Fri 27 Jan 2023
T C - Sat 22 April 2023 I am truly looking forward to owning and reading your book. Thank you for taking the time and effort to write and have published your recollections. As a M60 Machine gunner in 1Platoon A Coy 2 RAR I am sure what you have written will record the life of the diggers during their tour of Vietnam. All the best on your venture, Kindest regards, L M - Mon 24 Apr 2023 . Congratulations on a superb book. Only had a very rapid scan [so far] but it has an immediacy about [it] due to the detailed, unvarnished letters and incredibly well illustrated with maps, pics and contemporaneous media reports.Will indulge myself with a slow, thorough read following ANZAC Day.
R W – 27 Apr - Hi Dave; The book arrived today and it looks GREAT! I’m looking forward to a read. M W - 27 Apr - Wow, I had no idea it was a coffee table sized book and the quality is terrific! Well done! I look forward to reading it. M T - 28 Apr - Your amazing book arrived this afternoon. Thank you so much. My initial reaction is -- just wow!!!! I am just blown away. It has such a depth and richness unlike any other, and I look forward to reading it from cover to cover! …congratulations on your very monumental and important book.
R W - 29 Apr - From my quick scan through I think it will become the definitive work on Australian infantry warfare in the Vietnam war. L C – 1 May - You have produced a great book, one of, if not the best, book about our time in Vietnam and I agree entirely with the comments made by Peter Cosgrove and Harry Smith in the front matter of the book. I have only leafed through it at this stage but I know that it is going to a be great read. Congratulations on a great book… N L – 2 May - Your ‘War and Peace’ arrived today. Brilliant!
M P – 3 May - Books arrived ten minutes ago. Most impressed with the quality and content (and the prompt delivery). No sleep for me tonight. Can't wait to show the gang. P W – 4 May - Congratulations on a magnificent achievement … It’s a remarkable personal memoir which deserves a wide readership. Your book is a unique contemporary account of one man’s war and a gripping read. Australia owes you a big debt … for going to the trouble of recording that extraordinary time for posterity. A P - 4 May - At last... a military book I can read as a non-military person... and understand every detail ... Thank you.
M A – 4 May - Mentions In Despatches arrived this morning. I can’t thank you enough … for the gift that will be reading it. I am now in a bit of a quandary – like with a fine bottle of wine. Do I pop the cork, throw it away and get stuck in, or decant it, and drink it slowly. I promise to savour every word, map, letter and photograph. My heartfelt appreciation for a story well told… D G - 4 May - I finished your book, cover to cover, in 4 days, much to the detriment of all my household chores. It was an amazing read and it now takes pride of place in my library. I've written a review for your consideration and would be delighted if you saw fit to publish it[Done: see below!] S G – 5 May - Congratulations on an excellent book!
J & L – 5 May - Congratulations on the launch of “Mentions in Despatches” - it is a gem! D P – 6 May - OMG, it's going to be a fantastic read! I'll be rationing my reading to savour the experience longer. I echo the comments of Sir Peter Cosgrove in his Foreword, and I am sure MID will become a "Classic” and treasured by all who own a copy. P S - 26 May - I can’t imagine the amount of work you’ve put into MID. Nothing comes close to it for illuminating the detail of life in an 1966 inf platoon. Not just what we did but the who’s, how’s, where’s, when’s and whys.Thankfully you’ve produced it just in time. The lights will go out on our generation of soldiers soon enough.
M N – 27 May - By the way, your book is excellent.
P M – 28 May - … if some of Sir Peter [Cosgrove]’s comments, especially his second last paragraph, were widely published I believe that your book would be bought by thousands! Congratulations David!
L T – 29 May - It is a very impressive feat to have put together such a detailed account!
S P – 30 May - Really grateful you have prepared the book in this format, it’s a great way to engage in happy conversations with [a Vet] without trying to pry into times best left alone.
J H – 1 Jun – I gave [my father] the book today. I hadn’t opened it and as soon as he did and he turned the pages he found a photo of himself. … He is keen to read it and says it looks like one of the best he has seen. M D – 3 Jun - Thanks very much for the copy of your excellent book. It will give me many hours of pleasure reading a snippet each day. J S – 9 Jun - visiting our friends … started reading your book. The style, content and presentation of your book is fantastic and fills a lot of gaps in for me. I look forward to reading the whole book.
K McC – 17 Jun – WOW!! Dave, this is just brilliant. A bit lost for words myself but I think Sir Peter Cosgrove's and Dr Brendan Nelson's [words] are spot on. Congratulations! K T - 18 Jun - They're right. This book is a "must-read" for ANYONE aiming for junior leadership, military or not. W P – 23 June - It’s a remarkable book, even at first pass. How you ever found the time and commitment to write all those letters is beyond me. The result of your efforts is a significant piece of work of lasting historical value.
N P - 4 Jul - I have for a long time felt that the Australian infantry soldier’s experiences at the platoon/section level on a day to day basis was yet to be extensively told. It certainly needed to be! To get that story from a platoon commander and an OTU graduate made it even more relevant.Well done Dave on putting together another really important chapter on Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War focusing on the pointy end at platoon level. A USA Military Industry daily magazine "Soldier Systems" has published a notification of the book: https://soldiersystems.net/2023/05/16/mentions-in-dispatches-an-infantry-platoon-in-viet-nam-june-1966-june-1967/
W T [from NZ] – 11 July - Kia Ora, Dave, I got your book yesterday - hard to put it down. My memories of stuff I've forgotten after all these years came flooding back. I am grateful for the time [&] effort … you invested for the readers… [stand by for] a short review in the next edition of our VANZ Newsletter. Meantime all the best to you and … the brothers in Oz. B P – 11 July – Received my book today. Everyone [here] is blown away by the quality and stories. Thanks again. Great value, a [G-rated war] book also [suitable] for children and grandchildren to read one day.
B G [Author & Historian] – 14 Jul - Due to yesterday's 7-hour electricity outage in our street, I've had a chance to grasp the general idea of the book... Your concept -- so well developed and put together, and most effectively published -- is clearly a distinct contribution to Australian military and general history. It's also a lot more than that, because it can give a broad range of readers a really fresh, lively and authentic experience. There's a strong blend of work and skill here, of which you may certainly be proud.
R W – 20 July – I am [only] … part way through reading I and am thoroughly enjoying it. Well done on capturing so well the day[s] in the life of an Australian soldier in Vietnam. P S-S – 7 Aug – Your “Mentions In Despatches” [book] has no equal…With MID you are now well ensconced in the history books. J E - 14 Aug - It’s a beautiful book, and a great read.
G A – 23 Aug - Congrats on a mind-boggling effort… I’m really enjoying the book. the detail you’ve included in your [book] will be THE reference for future historians.a bloody great read. G J – 2 Sept - Truly an amazing story. I really enjoyed it. The standard History tends to skate over the digging, building, wiring and tents of the Task Force as well as the gritty slush and grime of the place. You nailed it well! I rationed my reading of the book - I usually rip through a good book but this one deserved to be rationed so I allocated myself a certain time to read and absorb. I could almost smell the place! Brendan Nelson is a wise man and spotted a good History from a primary source. The book sits on my shelf with the best of them. Thanks for a story well told.
A C – 9 Sept – Thank you for putting this together – enjoying the ‘read’
J D – 10 Sept – Congratulations on your book. Thank you for writing it.
A A – 12 Sept – Fantastic book R T – 28 Sept - I have just finished reading your book. I will go as far as suggesting that no book I have ever read has had such an effect on me. Your story brings back so many feelings, images and memories both good and not so good. It also filled in a few gaps I had on Army procedures and protocols. ... Thank you.
T K - 23 Oct - It's a beautiful and important book. Congratulations J H – 28 Oct – Fabulous. So many memories… C M – 2 Nov - Congratulations on a unique publication. It is a well written “warts and all” account of your experience which is accompanied, as I expected, with excellent maps, diagrams and photographs. You have left a remarkable legacy for future generations of young Infantry men and Australians that you should be justly proud of… and it’s a fitting tribute to [the late] Harry Smith.
J S - 13 Nov - ...the grand children were impressed! Although I have only been able to have a quick look through so far, I think your book is a great contribution to the literature on our ... Vietnam experience. Well done. R D - 21 Nov - Many thanks for MID. It is an extraordinary book and I couldn't agree more with the comments made by Peter Cosgrove and Harry Smith about it. The amount of background detail and information is enthralling. Your ability to diarise events and maintain interest was amazing. The book will be on my coffee table for a long time to come.
A McC - 27 Dec - . If you've got anything left in your wallets after Christmas, I'd highly recommend a copy of MENTIONS IN DESPATCHES. This is Dave Sabben's site and you'll save a few bob buying direct. He very kindly signed the inside fly sheet with a message on mine. He wrote very comprehensive letters home back then, which form the body of the book. It's a solid coffee table book, with a good balance of text and pictures/illustrations etc. I was just a kid during the War... as I grew older, I was fascinated by accounts I'd hear working in pubs, when Vets would gather over a few beers. I was 18-19 then....my world was vastly different to theirs. Anyway, a cracking good read.
G A - 25 Apr 24 - I finished "Mentions In Despatches" minutes ago. What can I say? I feel like I have lived every moment with you even though I was never there. The day to day narrative was engrossing. I felt the heat the damp and the effort of each day. I second the remarks of Peter Gosgrove and Harry Smith in regards to leadership at the platoon level, I think you nailed it.Your writing style is easy to read and informative with the day to day detail that readers like myself search for.I read "Through Enemy Eyes" first and found it eminently plausible and if nothing else, a bloody good read and well written. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks again for two great books: you should be very proud of them. M O'M - 7 May 24 - Sensational.
R.B. - 13 Sep - ...it is almost 17 months since I ordered “Mentions in Despatches ” but after many delays I have finished your exceptional book. I especially liked your favourable mentions of we sappers. [I was] part of an engineers “splinter team “ on every operation performed by 5RAR and 6 RAR... In some respects being attached to very closely bonded infantry companies is a little bit like being a third person on a honeymoon . Tolerated , especially when the call went down the line for “engineers up”, but still outsiders . Not a complaint , as the infantry certainly need to be a “tight knit” group. I , too , was very annoyed about the refusal of APC crew to share their usually abundant water with the soldiers protecting them . (Note I did not say ‘grunts” ) I also enjoyed your much earlier book “Through Enemy Eyes”. I certainly send all best wishes . Regards, R. B. , First Intake National Service 1965-67, 1 Troop , I Field Squadron R.A.E.
🙏🏼 I'd like to thank all who have taken the time and effort to send me their considered 'feedback'. Your views and opinions are so valuable because they show not so much what the author put into the book, but what the readers got out of it.

COMMENTS and ENDORSEMENTS

REVIEWS