With Remembrance Day set to be commemorated next Monday, a pair of noteworthy Bathurst veterans are calling for the efforts of recent servicemen and women to be held in the same regard.
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Remembrance Day is observed each year among Commonwealth states at 11am on November 11 to mark the anniversary of the end of World War I.
While the day is notable for honoring the services of men and women in both world wars, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Bathurst veterans Andrew Fletcher and David Mills feel more needs to be done to honour modern servicemen and women.
Mr Fletcher, a notable Bathurst military historian, said the efforts of modern defence personnel are often understated due to the changing perceptions of war and conflict.
"Our modern military personnel can be serving anywhere between six and 12 months overseas only to return after the tour and resume their normal lives without any acknowledgement," he said.
"The Bathurst Historical Society is currently working with the RSL Sub Branch to create a register for men and women who have enlisted in the Australian Defence Force [ADF] post-Vietnam."
Alongside the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, ADF personnel have been involved in 37 separate peacekeeping operations worldwide since 1947.
Mr Mills, who is president of the Bathurst RSL Sub Branch, said all past and present military personnel, regardless of their type of service, deserve the same recognition as those who fought in larger wars.
"As soon as an individual puts on the uniform, they are serving Australia," he said.
"These people are establishing themselves in an organisation that expects 101 per cent commitment and as they're preparing for war zones, their training involves a significant degree of danger."
According the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the top causes of death among ADF personnel between 2002 and 2015 were suicide, land transport accidents and accidental poisonings.
Mr Fletcher said modern ex-servicemen and women are essential to the future of the RSL as an organisation.
"The RSL could disappear in two decades time if we cease to recruit younger veterans, which is why it's important to connect with the next generation," he said.
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"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
