Oppression Of Indigenous Australians During The Vietnam War

The topic of ‘the contribution of Indigenous people, unwanted, used and then forgotten’ explores the idea that Indigenous people were not firstly wanted by the Australian Government to participate in conflicts as soldiers, then, were desperately needed and used, only to get forgotten, receiving little to no recognition for their incredible efforts in the wars they served in. At the time of World Wars I and II, Aboriginal Australians were subject to oppression and discrimination under regulations such as the Protection and Assimilation policies. Although, despite the harsh treatment, sufficient numbers of Aboriginal men and women volunteered to participate in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during both wars. Volunteering to fight for a country
Because of this, it is impossible to determine the exact number of Indigenous individuals who participated in each conflict. Indigenous Australians have served undoubtedly in every conflict and peace keeping mission that Australia has participated in since the start of the 1900s. This includes the Boer War, East Timor, and most likely Afghanistan also.

The similarities between the contribution from Indigenous people towards World Wars I and II can be summarised to the overall attitude from the government and European soldiers towards Aboriginals and how that affected their willingness to participate. This strongly relates to the quote of, 'unwanted, used and then forgotten.’ The treatment of Aboriginal Australians during World War One and Two remained negative throughout the wars, although, the government treated the Indigenous soldiers quite equally, it was the their fellow solders who didn’t. The Indigenous soldiers came from a part of society with very few rights, poor living conditions and low wages. Despite being prepared to fight and risk there lives’ for their country, war service still failed to give Indigenous Australians access into full citizenship or any recognition for their
But, in WWII, Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were allowed to enlist and many did so. In WWI, sometimes their skin was deemed ‘white enough,' therefore allowing some Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders to enlist in the Army. "Half-castes may be enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force provided that the examining Medical Officers are satisfied that one of the parents is of European origin.” At other times, recruiting officers didn’t care much about the colour of a soldiers skin, they just needed people to enlist quickly, this was especially prevalent when the Western Front war broke out. Despite the disappointing treatment of Indigenous veterans after World War I, Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders made a greater contribution to the AIF in World War II. As previously stated, compared to WWI, Australians and Torres Strait Islanders found it surprisingly easy to enlist in the first year of the war. In all, an estimated 3000 Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders served in the armed forces in World War II, contrasted to 1000 Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders who participated in WWI. In World War Two, the experience of troops was different in the way that Indigenous people had their own units differently marked from those serving in non-Indigenous units. For