The Australian author, Max Speedy, is a highly decorated Huey pilot who served with the Australian Navy during the Vietnam War. His exceptional leadership and bravery under fire earned him numerous highly prestigious American and Australian military decorations.
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC): Awarded by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for his gallantry and outstanding leadership leading helicopter elements into battle.
US Army Air Medal: Awarded to him 12 times (with each medal representing 25 hours of direct combat flight time).
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry: Awarded twice by the Republic of Vietnam (one Silver Star, one Bronze Star).
Honorary US Army Aviator's Wings: Formally presented to him on 4 July 1969.
Extensive Combat Flight Record
- The EMU Assignment: In 1968, as a Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), he was posted to South Vietnam as part of the 2nd Contingent of the RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam (RANHFV). The book focuses on this small, experimental group of Australian Navy aviators embedded within the US Army's 135th Assault Helicopter Company, known as the "EMUs". Flying dangerous combat missions into heavily defended landing zones under relentless fire, these Australian aviators commanded American crews at the sharp, bloody end of helicopter warfare.
- The EMU Alliance: Details the intense operational collaboration between Australian sailors and the US Army over four volatile years, a union that remains one of the least-known stories in Australian military history.
- Platoon Commander: He integrated directly with the US Army’s 135th Assault Helicopter Company (the EMUs) at Bearcat Base. He rose to become the Commander of the First Lift Platoon, where he had 10 UH-1 "Huey" helicopters and 80 American personnel under his operational command.
- 1,250 Combat Hours: During his year-long deployment, he flew a staggering 1,250 hours on combat assault missions, routinely leading flights of lightly armed transport helicopters directly into heavily defended, hot enemy landing zones under fierce fire.
The "EMUs" flew within the Mekong Delta which was one of the most dangerous and fiercely contested theatres of the Vietnam War. Into this volatile arena came a small group of Australian Navy aviators. Flying daily into heavily defended landing zones, these Australian sailors led American helicopter crews through relentless fire, carried troops into battle, rescued the wounded and brought damaged aircraft home when they could. They were shot up and shot down. Some did not return.
Drawing on firsthand accounts, Just Another Day in the Delta brings to life the intensity, danger and camaraderie of helicopter warfare, told by the men who were there. It reveals a little-known chapter of the Vietnam War, the closest operational collaboration between Australian aviators and the US Army.
More than fifty years later, Max Speedy reflects on the missions, the men, the friendships and the cost of service.
Just Another Day in the Delta is a tribute to the Australian Naval Aircrew who flew another nation’s helicopters in another nation’s war. Over four bloody years, they forged an extraordinary alliance — and wrote one of the least-known stories — in Australia’s military history.
