Alwyn Craig's Vietnam War mates remember a digger nicknamed 'Shorty'

But here they were, as pictured below, fresh conscripts fighting for their country.

Situated between his 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment mates is Private Alwyn "Shorty" Craig.

The blond-haired stocky lad from Wollongong was among 19,000 young Australians whose names were drawn in the National Service 'birthday ballot' and sent to the war.

After infantry training with A Company in Townsville, Mr Craig became a driver with Support Company (Transport) soon after deployment in Vietnam.

"I was with Shorty for the 12 months and two days we were over there. He used to sleep in the bed next to me," Allan Potter, a driver from Adelaide who probably took the photo inside the tent, said.

"He was a terrific guy, but always very quiet and unassuming. He was very good at his job and loved a beer."

It's been more than half a century since Mr Craig saw his mates from Vietnam.

Most of them have gathered annually on Anzac Day and at other special times, to remember their fallen comrades.

But not Mr Craig. He has spent the past three decades carrying the mental scars inflicted by the war while living rough on the streets of Newcastle.

The Newcastle Herald and the 6RAR Association, located several of Mr Craig's comrades around Australia.

Many had asked "what happened to Shorty" over the years.

"We've been looking for him just to catch up. But no one could find him," Steve Smith, a driver from Swan Hill, Victoria said.

Alf Lamb from Caboolture, Queensland was reassigned from 3 Platoon to Transport after being wounded in a minefield blast on July 21, 1969.

It was the same blast that killed Lieutenant Peter Hines from Wangi.

That blast and another one on the same day, wounded 23 Australians and killed two. It was also the inspiration for the 1983 Redgum song I was only 19 (A walk in the light green).

The last time Mr Lamb saw Mr Craig was the night they arrived back in Sydney in May 1970.

There was no fanfare or dignitaries waiting to greet them. They were forgotten soldiers returning from fighting in a war most Australians wanted nothing to do with.

"There was Barry Davis, myself and Alwyn," Mr Lamb recalled.

"After we touched down at Mascot, we had a few beers from the dispensing cabinets. Then we got in a cab and went into Kings Cross. I had fingerprints in the seat because I reckoned the cab driver was going too fast. It was just that he was driving on the wrong side of the road to what we were used to."

"We got to the Cross, had a cup of coffee and went back to the airport because everyone was catching different flights home."

"I have often wondered what happened to Alwyn."

A driver's duty

From transporting working parties and civil affairs (propaganda) teams to conducting night patrols, drivers played a critical role in allowing their battalions to function effectively.

They were required to master a wide range of mechanical skills and drive vehicles ranging from jeeps to troop carriers at times under enemy fire.

"We did all sorts of sorties. You never did the same job two days running," Mr Lamb recalled.

"Even though we weren't on the front line it was still hairy. You never knew when the next bullet was coming through your cab."

"Smith and myself were coming back from Fire Support Base Discovery one day and something opened up on us. We didn't hang around, we went flat out into Dat Do."

Mr Craig's skills and commitment were as good as driver.

But it seemed the war was starting to take a toll after several months.

His mates recalled an infamous episode in late 1969 when he went missing with a truck load of washing machines he had been assigned to deliver to 1ALSG (the main base) in Vung Tau about 15 kilometres away.

"We don't know if he delivered them or what; he just disappeared for a while. It was the talk of Transport from what I remember," Mr Smith recalled with a laugh.

"They eventually found him, I don't know where. His service record shows he had one day AWOL (Absent Without Leave) but we all reckon it was a bit longer than that."

For his service Mr Craig was awarded or is eligible to receive the Vietnam Medal, the Vietnamese Campaign Medal, the Anniversary of National Service Medal, the Australian Defence Medal, the Australian Active Service Medal, the Infantry Combat Badge and the Return from Active Service Badge.

But, like many veterans, his records also show he struggled to adjust to civilian life after returning from the war.

It's a story backed up by his family who say he had hoped to bring his Vietnamese girlfriend back to Australia with him. Tragically she was shot before they could be reunited.

His response was to enlist in the regular army for another three years.

He again served with 6RAR battalion in Singapore between August 1970 and July 1974.

Then he again faced the challenge of adjusting to life outside the military.

He mostly drifted between jobs in Queensland, Sydney and Wollongong for years.

Unbeknown to his family, he turned up on streets of inner Newcastle in about 1993.

He became an enduring mystery as he silently trudged along the city streets for three decades, shunning anyone who tried to approach.

Homeless outreach worker John Cross finally broke through last year. He managed to get enough information from Mr Craig, who recently turned 76, to apply for his birth certificate and a pension.

A Newcastle Herald story highlighting his campaign to find Alwyn a permanent home was posted by local blogger Greg Ray.

In an extraordinary twist of fate, it was read by Alwyn's niece Felicity Patrick in Florida USA, who boomeranged the news back to Craig relatives in Wollongong.

Within hours they were making their way north to reunite with their long-lost brother and uncle.

The last three months have been a whirlwind of reunions, meetings and appointments for the many people who are trying to make a positive impact on Alwyn's life.

He recently received a veteran's gold card, but finding suitable permanent accommodation remains a work in progress.

Mr Cross, along with Alwyn's brothers Harold and Ken, were last week appointed as his legal guardians.

Plans are in place for Mr Craig, supported by his brother Ron and Mr Cross, to attend Thursday's Newcastle Anzac Day service in Civic Park.

Mr Craig has shuffled along King Street thousands of times before, will travel the route in a taxi as part of the official parade between Perkins Street and the park.

Harold Craig, who was close to Alwyn growing up, said he hoped the experience would be the start of a process to help his brother reconnect with the world and those who love him.

"I don't see a veteran, I see Ally," he said.

"The bloke I grew up with is still there. But he is like a mouse in a hole. Hopefully we will find a way to get him out."

Newcastle RSL Sub-Branch President Ken Fayle said the local veteran community welcomed Mr Craig with open arms.

"We welcome the fact that Alwyn's friends have been able to rekindle their contact and friendship from over 50 years ago," he said.

"Now that we know of Alwyn we can always be here to help him should he require it.

"We will never push ourselves upon anybody but we are glad that Alwyn's carers know that we can be reached at a moment's notice to look after his needs."

Mr Lamb said he was delighted his long lost mate was receiving the recognition he deserved.

"Anyone who served in Vietnam needs a bit of recognition I reckon," he said.

"I'm extremely sad to hear about how his life has panned out. I hope I can catch up with him again."

For 6RAR Association NSW representative and former infantry soldier David Buckwalter, Mr Craig's experience after the military embodies the mental health battles of thousands of veterans up to the present day.

"Sixty thousand Australians were killed in WW1 and about 300,000 were wounded in action. In the next decade after the Armistice another 60,000 Australian soldiers died without a bullet being fired," Mr Buckwalter, who plans to meet Alwyn in the near future, he said.

"The same thing happened in WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War and now we are seeing it in Afghanistan."