They didn’t choose to serve, but stood up for Australia
By Peter Tinley AM
Some 75 years ago, the first of thousands of young Australians had their futures interrupted by a demand from the Commonwealth to undertake military service. They did not enlist. They did not volunteer. But when Australia called, they answered.
As we approach the 75th anniversary of the commencement of the 1951 National Service Scheme, it is right, and long overdue, that our nation pauses to properly recognise the service and sacrifice of more than 280,000 Australians who were called up for national service across the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.
On National Servicemen’s Day, 14 February, the Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) will join a national commemoration to honour all those who served under the 1951–1959 and 1965–1972 national service schemes. For the RSL, this is not about reopening old political debates. It is about fairness, respect, and acknowledging service rendered in good faith to the nation.
The young men affectionately known as “Nashos” came from every corner of Australian life. Apprentices, students, farmhands and clerks, many barely out of school, were required to register, train, and serve. Under the original National Service Training Scheme, nearly all 18-year-old males undertook months of full-time military training followed by years of reserve commitment. Later, as the Vietnam War escalated, a ballot system determined which 20-year-olds would be sent into full-time service, including active deployments overseas.
National servicemen served Australia in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and at home. They stood watch, trained hard, and did the jobs asked of them by their country. They upheld the values of duty, loyalty and mateship that sit at the heart of military service, regardless of how they came to wear the uniform.
More than 200 national servicemen died on active service overseas. Others lost their lives while serving in Australia. Many more returned wounded or injured, physically, psychologically, or a combination of both. Their service often came at great personal, family and professional cost. Careers were delayed or derailed. Relationships were strained. Many returned from Vietnam to a community deeply divided about the conflict they had been sent to fight.
For too long, their service went under-recognised. That lack of recognition left scars of its own. Many Nashos felt they occupied an uncomfortable space in our national story, neither volunteers nor shirkers, but somewhere in between.
The RSL rejects that false distinction. Service is service. Risk is risk. Sacrifice is sacrifice. And the contribution of these young men did not end when they were discharged.
After service, Australia’s Nashos went on to help build the country we know today, as teachers, tradespeople, business owners, public servants, volunteers and community leaders. They raised families, contributed to their towns and suburbs, and quietly carried their experiences with them. Their military service was only one chapter, but it shaped lives that, in turn, shaped Australia.
This year’s 75th anniversary provides an important opportunity to correct the historical record and reaffirm an essential truth: our national servicemen belong alongside all Australian veterans. They share a respected place in our military family.
The RSL is proud to stand with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs at the national commemorative service in the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra. But commemoration alone is not enough.
The best way to honour national servicemen, and all who have answered Australia’s call, whether by choice or by ballot, is to ensure they receive the support they have earned. That means access to fair recognition, appropriate health care, and ongoing assistance when service has left lasting impacts.
They didn’t choose to serve. But when their country asked, they stepped forward.
Australia should always remember that.
Lest we forget.
