KEY POINTS:
Yesterday retired Colonel John Masters finally heard the words he had waited for so long.
Colonel Masters _ the last commander of 161 Battery Royal NZ Artillery in the Vietnam War _ was one of about 50 veterans present as Prime Minister Helen Clark formally apologised for the
lack of recognition afforded to New Zealand's Vietnam servicemen.
The apology included acknowledgment of the poor treatment meted out to many soldiers on their return to New Zealand, and included further apologies for the refusal of successive Governments, over 40 years, to acknowledge the veterans' claims.
The veterans, many of whom were in tears, watched as MPs from across the political spectrum stood to endorse the apology.
Many of those MPs had, in younger years, protested against the war.
There was, too, a formal acknowledgment of the folly of reports which suggested New Zealand forces were never exposed to Agent Orange, and a vow from both Labour and National to repudiate those reports.
Colonel Masters played a pivotal part in the Government's ultimate rejection of the Agent Orange denials.
Maps he owned showing Agent Orange spray zones disproved the 1999 Reeves Report and 2003 McLeod Report research, which said New Zealand troops were not in areas where Agent Orange was sprayed.
The formal Crown apology is part of a 2006 agreement between the Government and veterans, which includes grants of up to $40,000 for those with a small range of specific health issues _ including cancers and skin disorders _ known to result from Agent Orange exposure.
It also set up a trust for veterans and their families, which can give out about $500,000 a year in grants.
Of around 3300 New Zealanders who saw active service in Vietnam, 38 were killed in action; 616 (nearly 20 per cent) have died since returning home.
For Colonel Masters _ now deaf in one ear, battling cancer and depending on a walking frame to move around _ it had been a long wait.
``Many people would say that it came far too late.
``I would say, yes, I agree, I think it came too late. But it came. It was said.
``For me it was a great moment.'
Yesterday's apology also acknowledged the war's effect on Vietnam, and the damage inflicted on its people, cities, ports and countryside.
National leader John Key said the war had been a period of ``bitter sentiment' against those who served.
``But the New Zealanders who were asked to serve in this war were not responsible for the decisions taken by politicians at the time and they should not have been treated as if they were.'
Returned Services Association president Robin Klitscher _ an Iroquois helicopter pilot in Vietnam _ acknowledged not all former servicemen would be happy with help now given to veterans, but it was an important and ``appropriate' moment.
``The controversy that surrounded our participation in that war took a blender to the normal standards and values that normal soldiers would have expected and those soldiers expected when they came home, and didn't get.'
Margaret Jubb _ a nurse in the war from 1967 and 1968 _ said the unanimous voice with which the politicians spoke made it mean more.
``I think most of the veterans here felt the same way. I think it's given people ... who have problems [an opportunity] to know they will be heard and their request dignified and given consideration.'
