'Mary in the Morning' is a unique story of a Vietnam soldier who was killed in action on his wedding anniversary. It is a true story based on the life of Pte C W Roost. The book tackles the horrors of war and in particular the supreme sacrifice of losing a loved one in the duty of service to his country. It is an exceptional love story written from a woman’s perspective. The purpose of this book is to put a human face to the controversial War in Vietnam.
Chris Roost was a typical young Australian man who loved life. He had a passion for sport and was involved in local football, cricket and tennis. He was a loved and active member of IOOF (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) lodge.
At the young age of twenty years Chris, like so many Australian young men was conscripted into the army as a National Serviceman. He was enlisted into the Infantry Corp, Fourth Australian Regiment (4RAR).
Chris married his childhood sweetheart, Mary on December 23rd 1967. After intense training in jungle warfare, he was posted to Vietnam in June 1968. He enjoyed army life, particularly the mate ship he developed with other soldiers. He was appointed Batman to Lt Tom Cootes; a position he held with great pride. This book follows Chris’s adventures through training, marriage and eventually war. It gives you the unique opportunity to share his thoughts through his precious letters to his family. It tells the incredible story of the impact of war on our young Aussies. Chris was killed in action on December 23rd 1968 — his first wedding anniversary.
When Cheryl Roost asked me for some technical advice on military aspects for the first chapter of “Mary in the Morning”, I was intrigued by the theme of her story. I had written a history of 4RAR’s first tour in Vietnam and I was aware of the circumstances of the death of Private Christopher Roost, although I had never met the soldier. Having read a completed draft, I now find myself a part of his story, a feeling of personal involvement in Chris Roost’s war.
As a historian, I have written a number of articles and accounts of Australian infantry operations in South East Asia during the 1960s, a time when international conflict washed across and into the very fabric of Australian society. There were many books written about the war in Vietnam, some like mine official or unofficial histories. Some were political analyses on a war which to this day divides public opinion, perhaps even more than the current conflict in Iraq. Others were personal accounts, generally written by officers or soldiers who served there. I am unaware of any book which tackles the subject from the perspective of one who has lost a loved one in the campaign. It is this perspective which makes the story unique and yet one which has at one time or another affected the families of the approximately 1,000 Australian servicemen who died on Asian soil since the beginning of the Korean War.
In the 1960s, there arose an instability in our society which affected us as a nation, but none were as affected as those who served in Vietnam, especially those who paid the supreme sacrifice on the altar of international struggle. One of those was Chris Roost, but this story is not just about the life and death of one Australian soldier. Rather, it provides the reader with a love story, the loss of a loved one and the deep impact his death has on those close to him, particularly his very young widow. I was moved by Cheryl’s story, written in simple, unaffected terms which bring home the deep love for Chris held by Mary Roost and the devastating impact the loss of a young soldier has on his family at home.
A historian must strive to achieve an emotional detachment when writing if the truth is to be uncovered. I could not read this story without feeling a deep emotion, one that has made me realise the impact that my own service in South East Asia would have had on my family. The sight of a military vehicle in the street must have set many hearts beating. Was this the harbinger of doom, telling a woman that her husband, son, brother, father, would not be coming home?
I thank Cheryl for giving me the privilege of assisting her in a small way with her story and her kind invitation to me to write the Foreword to this moving story.
Brian Avery
Cashmere, Queensland
May 2006
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Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia
Fourth Battalion Royal Australian Regiment
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