9th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment 9th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment ( 9 RAR ) was a Regular light infantry battalion of the Australian Army . The battalion was raised in November 1967 and deployed to South Vietnam as part of Australia ’ s commitment to the Vietnam War in November 1968 . 9 RAR served a yearlong tour of duty based out of Nui Dat conducting operations mainly in Phuoc Tuy province as part of the 1st Australian Task Force . The Battalion returned to Australia in November 1969 and was reformed at Enoggera , Queensland in January 1970 as part of the 6th Task Force , attached to the 1st Division . On 31 November 1973 , following the withdrawal of Australian forces from South Vietnam and subsequent reduction of the Australian Army , the battalion was linked with the 8th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment ( 8 RAR ) to form the 8th / 9th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment ( 8 / 9 RAR ) . History . Formation . 9 RAR was raised at Keswick Barracks in Adelaide , South Australia , on 13 November 1967 . Shortly after that they moved to Woodside Barracks , where they began lead - up training in anticipation for future deployment to South Vietnam . Over the course of the next few months the battalion was slowly brought up to full strength , and by April 1968 9 RAR had received its full complement of personnel . In order to achieve this more quickly , the battalion undertook the training of its complement of 140 national servicemen instead of putting them through the normal centralised training scheme . Vietnam War . After completing its training , an advance party of 150 men from the battalion arrived at the 1st Australian Task Force base at Nui Dat in Phuoc Tuy Province on 5 November 1968 . The rest of 9 RAR departed Adelaide on HMAS " Sydney " on 9 November 1968 and while en route at they celebrated the battalion ' s first birthday at sea , becoming the first battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment to do so . They were also the first battalion to deploy on active service without first having been presented with their colours . Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Albie Morrison , the main body arrived in country on 20 November 1968 and by early December , 9 RAR had commenced operations . Their first major operation , Operation Goodwood , was undertaken in Bien Hoa province and was a response to the increasing presence of Viet Cong ( VC ) forces in the province . Over the course of the tour , 9 RAR undertook eleven major operations that lasted roughly a month each , along with a number of other minor operations . To a large extent these operations were focused upon pacification , which attempted to isolate the VC from the local population and to create a more secure situation in order to allow stabilise the South Vietnamese government . Thus the main role for 9 RAR at this time was to carry out reconnaissance - in - force and cordon - and - search missions to locate the VC base locations , clear land and to protect the civilian population . The majority of these operations were carried out in Phuoc Tuy , Long Khanh , Bien Hoa and Binh Tuy provinces . 9 RAR remained in South Vietnam until 28 November 1969 when it was relieved by 8 RAR and returned to Australia . One DSO , two MCs , seven MMs and eleven MIDs were awarded to members of 9 RAR as result of their tour to Vietnam . Casualties included 35 killed , and another 150 wounded . Amalgamation . The battalion returned to Australia in November 1969 and were subsequently moved to Gallipoli Barracks at Enoggera in Queensland , where they were attached to the 6th Task Force . Early in 1970 , there was a change of command and Lieutenant Colonel E . R Phillip took over the role of commanding officer . On 29 April 1971 , the battalion finally received its colours at a ceremony at Enoggera presided over by the Governor - General of Australia , Sir Paul Hasluck . In August 1971 , Phillip subsequently handed over to Lieutenant Colonel John Essex - Clark . The battalion was scheduled to return to Vietnam for its second tour of duty , however , the Australian government ' s decision to end its commitment in late 1971 . This decision , coupled with the subsequent abolition of conscription following the election of the Whitlam government and a shift in Australian defence policy towards an emphasis on the defence of mainland Australia , resulted in the need to reduce the size of the Australian Army . In order to implement this changes it was decided to amalgamate a number of infantry battalions . 9 RAR was one of these , and on 31 October 1973 the battalion was linked with 8 RAR to form 8 / 9 RAR at a ceremony conducted at Gallipoli Barracks , Enoggera .