“I do wonder at it because back in the Vietnam days it was all protests,” he said.

“It seems the wheels have turned 180 degrees.

“I think it’s possibly because it (Vietnam) has become more a part of our history ... people have accepted that it is the task of the armed services to do the job the government asks of them.”

Mr Guymer, 76, of Wangaratta, served in the Army Reserve for 24 years before joining the army proper for another 20.

He commanded two troops of A-Squadron, Third Cavalry regiment in Vietnam between 1966-67; years that saw his team involved in the Battle of Long Tan.

“That was an interesting afternoon,” he said.

Jenny Crameri, who served in the Women’s Royal Australian Air Force from 1975-77, said she believes people now have a greater understanding of the sacrifices all servicemen and women made.

“I served with men that had been to Vietnam too, and I come (to Anzac Day) to honour them for what they went through, as well as those from World War I and II,” she said.