Yes, it's true! But not to me. And (as far as I know) not to any of the 13,000 or so petitioners to date. No...he responded to a 'Bomber' Bob Gibson. Which is very, very interesting when one learns about who and what 'Gibson really is. I'll come to that....... But first, let's look at Gibson's letter (which he spread around) and Nelson's response (equally spread around): THE GIBSON LETTER On 12 Oct 2015, at 16:56, Bob Gibson wrote: Dear Brendan This is being  sent around the world today. How can he demand that this so called 2nd D&E platoon  be formally recognized  by you and the AWM. Where is his proof , he claims Minister Stuart Robert minister for DVA has been one of his loyal  supporters when in fact Minister Robert knows nothing about Don Tates claims and a 2nd D&E platoon. Don Tate joined the army he was not conscripted and he has never  stopped whinging ever since. Most of these people who have signed his petition wouldn’t have a clue about any 2nd D&E platoon and most would not be returned people, just every Tom, Dick, and Harry for the sake of numbers. Don tate should in these last years we have left make a bucket list and go have some fun before we all march Out, because every day is  Australia Day for Us ole Veterans and my time is taken up with my beautiful grand-kids . Keep up the great work you both do down there.. C/c Ashley Ekins. Cheers  Bob Bomber Gibson Gold coast Australia. D&E  Platoon  "Rifleman" Vietnam 1967=1968. ( Firebase Coral 12th May 1968 ) ( The Only D&E Platoon At  1ATF Nui-Dat ) Okay......given it's poorly written, but he gets his point across, give or take. But now, let's examine the who and what about Gibson..... Let me be upfront, 'Bomber' Bob Gibson served in Vietnam. But not in the year that the 2nd D&E Platoon existed. More importantly, he was a failed infantryman. A quick check of the Nominal Roll of Vietnam veterans (available on-line at the AWM) shows that he served only two months in his battalion (2RAR) before being booted out to the generic D&E Platoon- widely regarded at that time as a place for men who were of a cowardly nature when it came to the hard yards, or who were found wanting in the jungle. His claim to be at the battle of Coral doesn't wash with other veterans. Anecdotal comment is that he spent one night in the fire support base, safely at the rear, crying in his weapon pit. In truth, he spent 11 months of his tour washing dishes. In the last decade, Gibson has made a name for himself vilifying me (and any other critic of the military) using the pseudonym, 'NUIDAT68' and giving himself the somewhat manly nickname, 'Bomber' to make up for his lack of ticker. Why a man needs to hide behind a pseudonym in the first place tells you a lot about him. Yet- for some reason, Dr Nelson feels that Gibson's barely decipherable letter is worthy of a response? THE NELSON RESPONSE From: Brendan Nelson  AWM Canberra
Sent: Monday, 12 October 2015 5:35 PM
To: Bob Gibson 
Subject: Re: Dr Brendan Nelson AWM.   Thank you Bob. It is sad and disappointing but thanks to you and your mates we are a free country and Mr Tate has every right to be wrong. We cannot declare something that is untrue. Thank you again Kindest regards   Brendan  Dr Nelson dares to declare that I am 'wrong' and that the existence of the 2nd D&E Platoon is 'untrue'? This reveals the naivety and/or lack of intelligence by Dr Nelson because it means he ignores these facts: - that Major George Pratt has stated publicly that he created the 2nd D&E Platoon (and he should know, since he was the Commanding Officer of Headquarter Company in which the 2nd D&E Platoon operated - that Major Barry Parkin has stated publicly that he was ordered in from the field to 'train up and lead the 2nd D&E Platoon and that it was always known by that name - that the Hon Mike Kelly MP (a fellow soldier and Legal officer, so he knows is way around the military) stated in 2008 that the 2nd D&E Platoon DID exist, was engaged in significant clashes with the Viet Cong, and would be '...forever enshrined in the histories of the war..' - that the men who fought in the platoon have stated publicly that they were placed into the platoon and given the title, '2nd D&E Platoon' You might ask how is it possible that Dr Nelson can ignore all those facts and cling to the proposition that it is a 'lie'? It is outrageous that Dr Nelson and the national historian maintain a stance given that neither man served in Vietnam, didn't spill blood, didn't put their bloody lives on the line- yet decades later, have the hide to make decisions about matters they didn't experience first-hand. But to some extent it explains the difficulty Senators Xenophon, Lambie and Sinodinis have in getting to the truth of the matter. These men at the AWM are practised masters at spin, and at ensuring that only their version of military history is served up to the general public. They still believe the public is too immature to handle the truth about military corruption and the falsification of historical accounts. The Anzac 'legend' must endure- and truth gets thrown out the window.