Like many returned soldiers, Richard Norden didn’t like to talk about the war.
When he came home to Australia after being wounded twice in Vietnam, Private Norden quietly told his older brother Rodger he might be up for a medal.
“I said, ‘Oh yeah, what did you do?’ But he didn’t say anything,” Rodger Norden told AAP.
“He was just that type of bloke.”
Australians will now know Pte Norden for his immense bravery after he received the Victoria Cross for “conspicuous acts of gallantry” during the Battle of Fire Support Base Coral in May 1968.
He was posthumously awarded the nation’s highest military honour on Remembrance Day, recognised for running into enemy fire to aid his comrades.
When his platoon was ambushed by the North Vietnamese Army, the 19-year-old killed an enemy soldier before dragging an injured section commander to safety and retrieving the body of a forward scout.
A wounded Pte Norden killed another enemy soldier who had been using the scout as a shield, then returned again to collect grenades and clear the area for the body to be recovered.
Pte Norden survived the war but died in a motorcycle accident while on duty with the ACT police in 1972. He was just 24.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn said Pte Norden displayed extraordinary bravery befitting of the Victoria Cross.
“The awarding of it speaks to Private Norden’s courage and selflessness in the heat of battle, his ongoing legacy and the bravery of generations of our service personnel,” she said.
Pte Norden, who was raised in Gundagai, had been awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal but his friends long fought for the highest honour.
“His mates have been trying and trying and trying for all these years and they’ve finally done it,” Rodger Norden said, speaking from a commemoration ceremony in the southern NSW town.
Mr Norden said his family was brimming with pride for his brother, who they remember as a humble man.
“He was quiet, but he was a larrikin,” he said.
“No matter what he did he always excelled, but he didn’t make a big fuss of it either.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the actions of Pte Norden were more than worthy of the Victoria Cross.
“Today, in honouring Richard Norden and all he fought for, Australia also honours all those who fought for him. His fellow veterans, those who served alongside him and those who took up his cause when they learned of his story, everyone who kept alive the memory of his valour.”
Pte Norden’s name and his actions have long been known among Gundagai locals.
Retired RSL sub-branch secretary Keith Wood said the organisation wants to add to the recognition by naming a bridge after him.
“He was a kid and to do the things he did, it takes a special person,” Mr Wood said.
“He saved lives and we’re very, very proud.”
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