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PEKKA MATIAS ANTERO AKSILA

Pekka, or Peter as he was called here in Australia, was the 5th of the 7 children of Kyosti and Eeva Aksila neé Kukkonen. The family, both parents and all 7 children, left London, England (after travelling there from Finland) to emmigrate to Australia on 26 Feb 1961 on board the "Orion". Pekka was just 11 years old. The family's arrival in Australia was first recorded in Fremantle, Western Australia on 25 Mar 1961. They were recorded as immigrants travelling through to Melboune, Victoria on the same ship. From there, they travelled to the Bonegilla Migrant Camp, also in Victoria, where they stayed for around 3 months. Here the family would have had their immigration status processed and have taken English classes and classes in the Australian way of life. The family then moved to the Villawood Migrant Hostel where jobs were found for Kyosti and possibly one or more of the older children. Lessons in English and the Australian way of life may well have continued. Later, the family moved to Canberra where Pekka attended high school. Here he made friends that lasted until he died. Pekka was still living in Canberra when his birthdate was drawn and he enlisted for National Service. Pekja wrote about his experiences as a driver in Vietnam for an Australian Suomi newspaper and mentioned a few very close calls.  He also provided a few photographs for the article with one showing him and a comrade happily interacting with local children. In another, he looks fierce as he poses with a machine gun. His great joy during the year he spent in South Vietnam was catching up with three of his Finnish friends over there. He said it was like winning the lottery. Pekka survived the war but his family believe his illness later in life was attribuable to his service in Vietnam. After he returned to Australia and in 1972, according to the Census of that year, he was back living in Canberra. By 1977, he had moved to Fraser in the Australian Capital Territory and by 1980, he was living in Moruya, New South Wales. Like a great many other Finns, Pekka was involved with sport, playing baseball for the Finnish Society in Canberra. He also played golf and was a member of the Catalina Club, Bateman's Bay. Pekka passed away on 13 Jul 2019 at Opal's Aged Care, Denham Beach, New South Wales. He was 69, and had 2 children to his wife, Paula neé Beckhause. 

KNOWN FINNISH FRIENDS WHO ALSO SERVED: 

Lauri Tapio Heiskanen (Army), Pekka Tapio Virvonen (Air Force) and Viekko Antero Siiankoski (Army). 

REFERENCES:

1. Aksila Family

2. AKSILA, Pekka, "My experiences in South Vietnam", Suomi Lehti, 19/14, p. 8. (Sep/Oct 2014). 

3. Ancestry.com

4. (The) Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre, National Archives of Australia

5. (The) History of Finns in Australia (Suomalaisten historia Australiassa) Facebook group

6. Leena Jokinen, Private messages with Marjorie Earl, 31 Oct 2023-03 Nov 2023

7. National Archives of Australia

8. Suomi Lehti (newspaper), Sep/Oct 2014

9. Villawood Migrant Centre, Villawood Migrant Detention Centre, Wikipedia

My experiences in South Vietnam by Pekka Aksila.

Receiving a letter from Mr Risto Soder asking me to write of my experiences in the Vietnam War, he thanked me beforehand so I cannot decline his request. So here goes..

Arriving in South Vietnam, walking off the plane, it was like stepping into a hot sauna. The heat and humidity was overwhelming. First few weeks I thought to myself wow! twelve months of this and it's going to be a long year ahead but I got used to it. 

Then came the wet season (monsoon) and the rain was unreal. One day when I was driving my truck with no doors the rain came through the passenger's side and went out through the driver's side with the help of the wind. 

I was stationed in Nui Dat when I recognised a familiar face I had known for years and it was Lauri Heiskanen. Then one day I met Veikko Silankoski and thought to myself we had all won a lottery ticket!

My experiences

1. Driving a tipper truck and picking up sand from the beach for concrete one morning we were delayed for morning start. We were told that a Vietnamese vehicle had hit a mine planted on the track we were using. Luck was on our side that morning.

2. During my travels around the area I was driving through a rubber plantation. As I came out of it a Vietnamese soldier was hitch-hiking and as we were not allowed to pick up hitchhikers I went past him. He shot a round (bulk) over my head and I decided not to stick around so I planted my foot to the floor. I don't think the truck has ever gone faster!

3. As we were doing a lot of road works around the area this happened in a place called Baria. The direct road to the main street was closed for repairs and we had to use a detour route. One morning we were told the enemy had planted a mine to a tree tripped wire across the road. We had a U.S.A. soldier having drinks with us and as he left that night to drive back to his base he got blown up by that mine. Thinking back now how lucky Lauri and I were. 

4. One morning driving the boys to work, we arrived to be told that a Viet Cong was caught on the site probably planting a surprise for us. He died a very painful death, barbed wire wrapped around his body causing him to loose blood and his life. 

Another incident

Driving through Dat Do the local market place next to the main road there were dead bodies of the enemy on display covered by sheets. Only their feet were exposed and their relatives could come and identify them for burial. This did not happen as the relatives would have been punished for being related to the enemy.  

Another incident that happened. Lance Corporal was demonstrating an armalite rifle (USA). He pulled it.apart showing us the moving parts. As he reassembled the rifle, cocked the rifle, he was facing towards my bed with me lying on it. 

He lifted the rifle upwards accidently pulling the trigger. Three rounds (bullets) went through the tin roof. All of a sudden there were officers running around to find out what was happening. By then we sprayed the whole hut with cans of fly spray.to cover the smell of gun powder. 

It was a few days later that an officer walked into the hut during the day finding three spots on the floor. He then looked up at the roof seeing three where the sun was shining through making three spots. 

The Lance Corporal was fined a small amount of money, lost the rifle and his one and only stripe on his shirt sleeve.

I was also charged with negligent driving and received a ten dollar fine and spent the next five evenings filling sand bags. 

Meeting in Canberra

I went (to) the Finnish Summer Games in Canberra and while talking to my son Mark I happened to spot Lauri Heiskanen. I yelled out "solitas Heiskanen"! He came over and after greeting a fellow digger he said that there was another Finn in Vietnam who served with the Royal Australian Air Force. His name P.T. Hirvonen from Melbourne and he served with No. 2 Squadron.  

My greetings to all Vietnam Veterans and their families. 

Written by Pekka Aksila and published in Suomi Lehti 19/14. Reproduced here with permission from Risto Soder, Editor, Suomi Newspaper Pty Ltd.