In 1965 the Menzies government brought in a national service scheme, as a direct result of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

In order to train selected national servicemen (nashos) as officers, a new unit was raised at Scheyville known as the Officer Training Unit (OUT). Betwen 1965 and 1973, 1800 officer cadets graduated from OUT as second lieutenants, 1600 of which were national servicemen. This book looks at what went on during the intensive high-pressure course that turned civilians into officers of the Australian army.