{"id":130040,"date":"2026-04-24T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/?p=130040"},"modified":"2026-04-23T15:59:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T05:59:13","slug":"vietnam-veteran-embracing-identity-after-decades-of-silence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/vietnam-veteran-embracing-identity-after-decades-of-silence\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnam veteran embracing identity after decades of silence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>WHEN John Pepperdine returned home from the Vietnam war in 1967, he was told to change out of his uniform amid fears of public backlash.<\/p>\n<p>That moment marked the beginning of more than three decades in which he avoided speaking about his 10 months of service.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When we came back, people were against the war, and they took it out on us,&#8221; Pepperdine said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There were terms like &#8216;child killer&#8217; and &#8216;rapist&#8217; given to us, which was very, very hurtful. For years, we never said we were Vietnam veterans.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Conscripted by ballot in 1966 in his early 20s, Pepperdine said many of his peers initially felt a sense of excitement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was going to be exciting. We knew there was a war in Vietnam, though we knew very little about it. So, it was to be a bit of an adventure,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30038\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30038\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-30038\" src=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/JohnVietnamVET09_62701.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30038\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pepperdine has spent the last 20 years collecting war memorabilia. Photo: Michael Chambers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But the reality, Pepperdine said, was nothing like they had imagined.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was the absolute opposite. It was a horrendous war, and it affected me and all my colleagues for the rest of our lives.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The reception many veterans faced on returning home only compounded that experience.<\/p>\n<p>The 1987 Welcome Home march marked a turning point, helping Pepperdine begin to reclaim both his experience and his identity.<\/p>\n<p>Today, he stands as a proud veteran, deeply connected to the community he once felt distanced from.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I had nothing to do with the military. I just wanted to forget about it,&#8221; Pepperdine said. &#8220;But I am an extremely proud veteran now and I will be marching on Anzac Day.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>After 24 years as the secretary of the Geelong TPI Welfare and Social Club \u2013 for totally and permanently incapacitated veterans \u2013 Pepperdine continues to give back to the veteran community.<\/p>\n<p>Despite keeping his service hidden for decades, he said his experience in Vietnam is central to his identity as an Australian.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Anzac Day meant nothing to me up to that time that I retired, and it is a very meaningful thing now,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>This Anzac Day, Pepperdine will march up Malop Street, a tradition he began in 2000 when he felt able to stand alongside his fellow veterans.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_185443\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-185443\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-185443\" src=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/20260421_1136081_98385-1-rotated.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"1065\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-185443\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pepperdine has a collection of war memorabilia, artworks and an olympic torch across his house. Photo: Michael Chambers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That first march remains a vivid memory.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was very, very meaningful. It brought tears to my eyes,&#8221; Pepperdine said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I remember marching up Malop Street, and the crowd \u2013 a very big crowd that year \u2013 just started applauding us, more so for us than any other group.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I just felt so proud to be an Australian, and I felt good that I did my bit for the country.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Over time, he has also come to reflect on the broader impact of national service.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I believe it brings character, mateship, and it takes people off the streets,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In the army, you learn to rely on people, as well as being independent, but you&#8217;re very much involved as a team.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For the last 20 years, Pepperdine has spent his spare time collecting war memorabilia from across history which he keeps on display in his Geelong home.<\/p>\n<p>He said the objects act as a reminder of his service and spark in him &#8220;a proud feeling about what we did in Vietnam&#8221;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WHEN John Pepperdine returned home from the Vietnam war in 1967, he was told to change out of his uniform amid fears of public backlash. That moment marked the beginning of more than three decades in which he avoided speaking about his 10 months of service. &#8220;When we came back, people were against the war, [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/vietnam-veteran-embracing-identity-after-decades-of-silence\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":247,"featured_media":130041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-130040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Vietnam veteran embracing identity after decades of silence - Geelong Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After decades of silence, a Vietnam veteran reclaims his identity and pride. 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