Unlike the loud, large-scale movements common in the conflict, 7 RAR patrols moved with "deliberate caution." They were often described as ghosts in the bush, moving so silently and slowly that they could identify enemy supply routes and strongpoints before the enemy ever knew they were there.
Their work wasn't just about firefights; it was about "dominating ground" and protecting local villages. This "unique Australian approach," refined in previous conflicts in Malaya and Borneo, focused on discipline and gathering local intelligence to disrupt Viet Cong supply lines. Fast Facts Raised: 1965 for the Vietnam War. Type: Mechanised Infantry. Current HQ: RAAF Base Edinburgh, Adelaide. Nickname: "Big Seven." PACK CP 7.rar
On November 23, 1967, a now-famous image captured Private Keith Craven—an M60 machine gunner—stepping through a wire barrier at the edge of a camp. This moment perfectly illustrates the transition from the relative safety of the base to the "unpredictable jungle" where young men, many barely in their twenties, shouldered the weight of their country's service. Unlike the loud, large-scale movements common in the