HICKEY

Mark Hickey of Chinchilla, Queensland likes the limelight. He claims that in 1970, he volunteered to join the Australian Army to fight in the Vietnam War. He states that he completed two tours of Vietnam during the 1970s. He informed a Newspaper Journalist that he was a third generation war veteran of the Hickey family.

Insert Chinchilla News article.

Hickey is a false pretender and a military imposter. His name does not appear on the Department of Veterans Affairs Nominal Roll for Vietnam Veterans.

ANZMI have received statements detailing that Hickey, over the past four or five years, informed associates that he attained the rank of Warrant Officer 2nd Class, whilst a member of the Australian Army Aviation Corps. When questioned though, he could not remember the names of any persons he served with or the name of his Commanding Officer. Hickey was subsequently reported to ANZMI.

Hickey was contacted by a Researcher and asked to provide details of his Army Service Number , Service details, and in particular, details regarding his claimed two Vietnam War deployments.

He stated that he could not remember his Army Service Number “ I have no idea if that’s my old number, Mum had all that stuff and when her and Dad passed I’m not sure what happened to it”

When asked about the Chinchilla News article he responded -;

He (The Journalist) was supposedly going to do a story about Dad and Grandad when he spoke to me that day and I gave him as much information as I could, he also interviewed a large number of others at the time

One of those was Mark (surname not known) a Vietnam Veteran who served with an Artillery unit, story was somehow his story got mixed into the story about Dad and Grandad”

The problems for Hickey though, are the statements received at ANZMI from former serving Australian Defence Force personnel. These statements include his claims that he is a Vietnam Veteran, a former Warrant Officer and Member of the Aviation Corps. He also did nothing to rectify the news article that describes him as a Vietnam Veteran on three occasions.

Also the headline -;

Mark marches for family
Vietnam veteran proudly reflects on war efforts of three generations of the Hickey family

- makes it difficult to believe Hickey’s assertions that it was all the Journalists fault.

Hickey was also observed at an earlier Anzac Day March in Chinchilla wearing Vietnam medals.

Hickey informed a Researcher that he enlisted in the Australian Army in 1970 and following Recruit Training, he was posted to the Ordnance Corps.

Due to family problems, he states that he was discharged in late 1971. He also denied ever claiming that he was a Vietnam Veteran to any other person.

Hickey was further contacted and asked if he was former Private Mark William Hickey Service number 1203933, who was Court Martialed and discharged by the Australian Army on the 25 July, 1972. He agreed that his name is Mark Hickey and after researching his " Army papers" confirmed that his service number was 1203933.

The below document is recorded at the National Australian Archives Canberra.

Insert Hickey NAA Doc.

We will leave it up to our readers to make up their own minds about Mr. Mark William Hickey.