A Mother’s Worry: Young Bagzar

Author: Ian Stiles OAM, JP

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Ian Bagzar Stiles joined SAS as an 18-year-old in 1965.  After his Para and Medic’s Courses he was attached to 2 Sqn who were training in New Guinea before going to Borneo to fighter the Indonesians.  He was found too young at 18 for active service with 2 Sqn so when he arrived back in Australia he was posted to 3 Sqn.  He went to Vietnam with 3 Sqn 1966-67 and on return to Australia left the army.  In 1968 he rejoined the Regiment in time to go to New Guinea and then Vietnam with 3 Sqn for 1969-70.  He was promoted from Private to Sergeant in less than 12 months and was leading patrols at 22 years of age. On return to Australia he left the army went to Rhodesia and joined their SAS fighting in Mozambique and Zambia.

Laced with unfiltered humour and detailing the escapades of the SAS’s hard-living, harder-fighting men, this memoir utilizes Australian War Memorial records to shed light on the innovative tactics and extraordinary kill ratios the unit achieved in Vietnam, despite their primary mission of intelligence gathering.