Why he missed the battle
Where Diggers outnumbered
Fought above their weight
In the rubber trees of Long Tan.

D Company against a Regiment
Surprise turns to heroism
As they fought the odds
And reinforcements summoned.

Old classmate Frank one
Of the first to die there
In the rain and mud – and blood –
And young lives aged in a flash.

Sorry Frank, not in country
Kept back home by wounds
Before the battle, barbecue
Burns while on 'pre-em' leave.

Frank was one of eighteen
Who died defying the odds
For a battle noted in history
Another of the Digger legend.

Months later we passed through
Where the battle had raged
Felt a breeze though it was calm
As sentry ghosts stirred, calling:
"Who Goes There?"