Interesting thread, and I have to agree with Lang that 'Frankie', at 19, could not have been a Nasho (National Serviceman - NS). NS were men who had turned 20 years of age and were ordinarily resident in Australia at the time of their registration for NS.
Of those actually called up, about 70% of NS were aged 20 years, and 18% were already 21 years at the time of their enlistment. 8% were 22 years old at enlistment. A small number - around 4% - were 19 years at enlistment, having volunteered for NS, rather than being conscripted. These men, after a year of training, were at least 20 years of age before being sent to SVN.
As the majority of NS then underwent a full year of training before posting to SVN, it can be seen that most NS had turned 21 years of age before heading to SVN. Indeed, the commonly held view that Aust troops in SVN were 'awash' with 21st birthday celebrations is incorrect: 95% of NS and 80% of regular Army soldiers were 21 (and older) before leaving for SVN.
Across the whole Aust force in SVN, about 63% were regular army, and 37% NS. The figures fluctuate a little in both directions as a result of postings in and out of country. For the RAAC, the proportion was about 56% regular to 44% NS.
(extracted from my article 'Posted to Vietnam: A Profile of RAAC Personnel', published in Ironsides 2007 edition)
Mike
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