STORY - "A chaplain in Vietnam."
By Chris Welbourne

Fr Lex Levey was a chaplain with the Australian armed forces in Vietnam from May 1970 to May 1971. He was based at Nui Dat and ministered to Australian units in the area. For twelve months his home was a tent fortified by sandbags on the edge of a logistics aid depot (LAD).

“The weather was stinking hot and humid. It was possible to wring out your clothes especially your vestments after Mass. Every day was different. Sometimes I would be on patrol in the jungle for two or three days because I thought it was important to have a spiritual presence. Other days I could be at a fire support base or the LAD. On Sunday I would say three or four Masses in different areas. Often I was involved with people in times of distress or need. It was important for them to ‘have an ear.’”

In the field, altars were constructed from materials such as jerry cans, tree stumps and ration boxes but Fr Levey refused to have an altar made of ammunition boxes, in keeping with his determination to keep his spiritual presence separate from the offensive side of the war. He never carried a weapon - except when the CO said that if he didn’t, he was not going out on patrol. Fr Lex objected but eventually gave in because he wanted to accompany the troops.

Fr Lex has a great sense of humour that he considers essential for an army chaplain. He relates many humorous stories from his time in Vietnam…

“On patrol we were required to dig shell scrapes which were shallow depressions where you could lie. The idea was that while you were in the scrape, shrapnel from exploding ordinance would go over you. Covering fi re would be arranged and I did not like the sound of the shells going overhead. I tried to analyse the sound to tell where they were going to hit. One of the more experienced troops said, ‘Don’t worry Father. If one is going to land here (a shortfall) you won’t hear a thing.’

“From time to time we would have a blackout when the whole camp would be put on alert. One night I was having a cup of tea with a doctor friend in another part of the camp. Spread around the camp were pits filled with barbed wire to trap intruders. While I was visiting my friend the camp was blacked out. I said, ‘I suppose I had better get back to my own quarters.’ As I left, the doctor said, ‘Be careful of that big tree out there. Make sure you don’t bump into it.’ I was very careful to avoid the tree but I fell into a pit of barbed wire! The barbs were painful and it was difficult to get out because the wire kept bouncing around like an over-sprung mattress. Eventually by keeping my composure and thinking clearly, I managed to get out of the pit and returned to the doctor’s tent. He said, ‘What on earth happened to you?’ He patched up my wounds and gave me a tetanus injection. Next morning in the mess there were many comments along the lines of ‘You must have had a big night in Vung Tau (the R & R base) last night’.”

About once a month, US and Australian Catholic chaplains would go on retreat and celebrate Mass at the Queen of Peace parish in Saigon. After Mass they would have a barbecue before returning to their respective bases. On one occasion Fr Lex overheard a Yank chaplain complaining that he had now had six ‘goddam iceboxes’ and did not know what to do with them. Fr Lex went over to him and enquired as to what the Yank meant by ‘ice box.’ The Yank replied ‘You know. Those white, metallic things about so big that you put things in to keep cool.’

Father showed some interest so the Yank said ‘Do you want one?’ The offer was eagerly accepted. Fr Lex returned to his base and wondered if anything would result. A week later he received a call saying there was a helicopter coming in with something for him. He hopped into a jeep and went down to the landing field. As the small helicopter came into view, the ground crew was perplexed. The helicopter landed and the object was unstrapped. It was indeed the promised refrigerator, bound up in duct tape. To his delight, Father found that it was full of cold beer, cheese and other goodies. The fridge was set up in the chaplain’s tent and became a big hit with the troops. The troops were allowed a ration of two cans of beer a day. Sometimes the cans were kept in their tents so soldiers would arrive at the chaplain’s tent and say, “Excuse me Father. Would you mind swapping this beer for a cold one?”

The Vietnamese personnel were quartered in separate lines outside the Australian lines. Each Sunday Fr Lex would go over there to say Mass. He would grab a jeep, go out through the gates of the Australian defensive perimeter and drive along the boundary to the Vietnamese lines. At Christmas the Chaplain General, Bishop Morgan visited and wanted to go to Mass with the Vietnamese. Fr Lex said, “OK, I will take him over.” When asked by a senior offi cer how he intended to do that, Father outlined the route he had been taking for some time. “No way. Too risky.” he was told. An opening was made in the fence around the Australian lines and another one directly opposite in the fence around the Vietnamese lines. The bishop was then escorted directly through this shorter and safer route. Fr Lex concluded, “I am expendable but the bishop isn’t.”

An American chaplain gave Fr Lex a box full of rosary beads, medals and chains. He decided to make them available to the Vietnamese so using a Vietnamese dictionary he made a notice to put up outside the Mass. It was greeted with imitations of a buffalo team pulling a heavy load. He called for an interpreter who informed him that he had offered the Vietnamese chains used for buffaloes.

One day Father was on patrol with troops in armoured personnel carriers (APCs). They encountered a minefield and the APCs in front and behind his were damaged. Fr Lex’s APC was unscathed. The troops attributed this to the presence of the chaplain in the APC and a rush of religious fervour ensued with declarations of faith and promises to attend Mass on Sunday. As usual, after the patrol and a few beers, the fervour subsided and good intentions were forgotten.

Fr Levey stayed away from the “Welcome Home” parade in Sydney in 1987. “I thought if they left it that long to welcome us back I wouldn’t bother going”. He is however a member of the RSL and the Vietnam Veterans’ Association and regularly attends reunions.

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