5 Platoon's Cairn 2nd Tour

Platoon lines were home — rough, muddy, uncomfortable, but home.
Marking a rock with your name was a way of saying:
- This is my spot.
- This is my platoon.
- These are my mates.
It reinforced the tight-knit identity that Australian infantry units rely on to function under stress.
From Gallipoli to Tobruk to Korea, Australians have a long tradition of leaving their names on rocks, walls, and dugouts.
Vietnam was no different. It’s part of the universal soldier’s instinct to leave a mark in the landscape of war.