A young soldier went into the vietname war and lost in jungle in 1969. Thirty-nine years later, his country finally brought him home.
For 39 years, Australia did not know where Davio Fisher was. Then, in 2008, investigators finally found the missing SAS soldier in the Vietnamese jungle.
Private David John Elkington Fisher was 23 when he went missing in Vietnam on September 27, 1969.
A national serviceman from Balgowlah Heights, Sydney, Fisher served with 3 Squadron, Special Air Service Regiment.
During a patrol near Nui May Tao, his five-man SAS team came under enemy contact and called for a
"hot extraction."
A helicopter arrived and lowered ropes so the soldiers could escape the jungle. As the aircraft moved away, Fisher fell from a rope into the dense torest below.
Search teams began looking for him almost immediately. Aircraft searched from above, while soldiers searched the ground for six days.
But David was never found.
He was listed as missing in action and presumed dead.
For nearly four decades, his family and former comrades had no final resting place to visit.
In 2008, the Australian Army reopened the investigation. New information helped investigators identify an area far from where the original searches had focused.
Fisher's remains were finally located in August 2008.
His identity was confirmed, and his remains were returned to Australia.
On October 10, 2008, David Fisher finally came home to RAAF Base Richmond.
He had been missing for 39 years.
The Australian Army now records Fisher as the last missing Australian soldier from the Vietnam War to be recovered and repatriated.
His name is on Panel 6 of the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour.
A young soldier went into the jungle in 1969. Thirty-nine years later, his country finally brought him home.
Lest we forget.
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