Khe Sanh - Intellectual

A sapper is an Australian engineer in the Defence Force who disarms mines, he had sorrow for the sappers as there were so many explosives in Khe Sanh, A Vietnamese combat base.

The narrator used the services of prostitutes during “R&R” while serving in the military, and he’s headed back to Hong Kong to partake again.

Symptoms of anxiety and PTSD are described here, continuing the description of the aftermath of war on the mental wellbeing of veterans.

Despite not finding the peace the narrator desired on previous trips to Asia, they once again board a red-eye flight out of Australia, bound for Hong Kong, to either seek solace or merely numb the sense of confusion that they are experiencing when attempting to reintegrate into civilian life in Australia

Many returned servicemen and women developed a dependency on drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with their mental illness. In this case, the mental instability of the veteran is displayed in the previous two lines, and as a result, they have a “growing need” for the drugs “speed” and “novacaine” to dull their otherwise constant suffering.

Walker is painting the picture of the white collar work that veterans would often have to return to after war.

The yellow legal pad was a staple of an office enviroment in the 70’s whilst Telex was a system that allowed the transmission of typed text messages. The ‘telex writers’ will have been office clerks, with Walker relating the constant tapping of their keyboards to the sounds made by distant gunfire.

This is a perfect example of how the writer shows the vast contrast between conflict and mundane civilian life, whilst also showing how even the smallest daily tasks can bring back memories of Vietnam.

These lines detail the challenges often experienced by returning servicepeople in reintegrating into civilian life. The narrator yearns for a stable job and place to call home to provide the bedrock for this transition.

refers to the fact that he had not have time to adjust to life after the war, and that he was so used to war that normal civilian life was difficult to adjust to.

A dockside guarantee was a promise made by a conscripted soldier’s girlfriend that they would remain faithful to them, and be waiting for them at the dockside when they returned.

As young love often is, these promises were usually overly optimistic, and after years apart surviving veterans would often return home to find their girlfriends had forgotten their guarantees, and sometimes had even married someone else.

A position working on an offshore drilling site would have been a natural fit for somebody with the capabilities of the narrator. As the first line of the song mentions, in the military he was a sapper, so has engineering expertise. This would make him perfect for a specialised drilling role.

The rig may well have been found on the Western Coast of Australia, where the largest majority of the oil basins can be found

The horrors of war have lasting impacts on veterans, often greatly disrupting the rest of their lives. Only “other vets” who have experienced the scourge of war can truly identify with the opening recount of the song.

When the fighters returned home to Australia, they were not treated as heroes but instead as villains. In the years following the war, some Vietnam veterans experienced social exclusion and problems readjusting to society.

“Silver City” is a reference to Kapooka Army base, just outside Wagga Wagga, NSW. It was there that drafted recruits from New South Wales did their basic before heading over to ‘Nam.

It was referred to as “The Silver City” by incoming troops because of the silver tin roofs of the sleeping halls.

This is referencing a strange phenomena experienced by many soldiers returning from war – where they almost miss the action of the frontline.

Here this is embodied through his desire to fly helicopters, a way to throw back to a time where it seemed his life had some direction, as opposed to the wandering he does for much of the song.

In order to find solace and sense of meaning to life after the war, many veterans travelled and sought to begin new lives in new environments. For this persona, the travels weren’t helpful in rebuilding a sense of purpose or aim in life. Even returning to South East Asia, where the persona fought in the Vietnam War was unable to satisfy their needs. Irrespective of this, they will continue to travel, often back “north” to the Indochina region in hope of regaining mental clarity.

He uses alliteration to connect his soul showing the fact that it was sold to the black market. He is referring to his soul as something with value that has been detached from his body.

Lined refers to the linear track marks up the arms of a heroin injector, usually caused by the talcum powder in cut heroin. It’s hard to kiss a junkie.

Upon return from service in the Vietnam War, veterans were largely shunned and mistreated by the Australian public who viewed them as failures, and not to the same standard as the ANZAC soldiers who fought and won in the 2 World Wars. Regardless, the women the servicemen returned to were willing to engage with them physically, but could not open their minds to the gravity and scale of the service and sacrifice of these men. Furthermore, their “minds were…closed” to understanding the mental illnesses of the returned men such as PTSD.

Vietnam veterans experience major trauma in the short war and many came back with mental health issues such as PTSD as well as new physical disabilities. He has come back to a country that doesn’t accept him and reprimands him; either for his participation in the war or not winning. Australia has nothing left for him. He is holding onto all baggage from the war but everybody else has moved forward and doesn’t care about him.