Some memories never die.
And for Cobram resident Robert Brown, many of his memories are about war.
Mr Brown was a 20-year-old Melburnian when, like many young Australians, he was conscripted in 1965 to serve in the Vietnam War.
Unlike many of his counterparts, he didn’t make much fuss about being called up, as military service was in his blood.
His grandfather fought at Gallipoli in World War I, and his father and mother saw military service during World War II.
Despite the family connection, the military lifestyle during training still somewhat shocked Mr Brown.
“We had a whole group of little corporals thinking they were God, and they were yelling and screaming at you,” he said.
Mr Brown recounts that during training, he and his fellow recruits would make their beds in the morning, only to see them messed up by the corporals when they returned for the day.
After initial training, Mr Brown was assigned to the engineer corps due to his civilian background as a plumber.
One day, he was brought in to see his commanding officer and informed he was being deployed to Vietnam.
“I went there (Vietnam) on April 19, 1967 and returned home February 1968,” Mr Brown said.
Mr Brown landed in the coastal city of Da Nang, then the second-biggest city in South Vietnam, before being stationed in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City).
He still remembers the force of the tropical heat, which shocked him and his fellow soldiers.
However, there were good moments for Mr Brown, and he fondly remembers the sense of comradeship.
“It was one of those things where you had all your mates, and they had your back,” he said.
Despite the good times, Mr Brown and his comrades were at war, and the Cobram resident recalls there was combat everywhere, and he and his fellow soldiers always had to carry their guns.
Occasionally, Mr Brown had to travel to the Australian army base at Nui Dat to deliver gas bottles and other supplies.
The trip to Nui Dat was perilous due the area teeming with Viet Cong fighters who, using guerilla tactics, would attack convoys and patrols before melting into the rainforest.
Thankfully, no-one in Mr Brown’s immediate circle was killed during his time deployed.
However, Mr Brown's return home to Australia was equally, if not harder, than the war itself.
In comparison to the reception that World War I and II veterans received, the Vietnam War veterans were treated appallingly, and for many, the adjustment back to civilian life was scarring.
“You just didn’t say too much,” Mr Brown said.
Mr Brown has endured his own battles with PTSD following his deployment, and seeing his fellow veterans pass away over the years has taken its toll.
Reflecting on the Vietnam War, Mr Brown said he did what he had to do.
“We were there to support the people of South Vietnam,” he said.
The now 79-year-old is still an active member of the community and, in 2020, received an OAM for his work with the Cobram-Barooga RSL sub-branch and other veteran groups, including Legacy.
Anzac Day will see Mr Brown, along with other veterans and locals, pay tribute to the fallen soldiers of Australia.
For him, April 25 is immensely important.
Mr Brown said veterans needed to be at the ceremonies to remind people of the importance of never forgetting the sacrifices made, both then and now.
“Everyone serving in the military should be very proud,” he said.