AS THE sun rises in the east tomorrow, John Fenech will salute the sky in honour of his fallen comrades.

With his medals pinned proudly to his chest the Brimbank veteran will march on the Shrine of Remembrance as a mark of respect to those who never made it back to what he calls the lucky country.

The Keilor resident was one of thousands of Aussie soldiers who laid their life on the line to fight for their country in the Vietnam War.

The 62-year-old was conscripted into the army as an eager 21-year-old and shipped out to the jungles of Vietnam to face his first conflict.

He served as a foot soldier in the 6th ANZAC Battalion between 1969 and 1970.

It was an eye-opening experience for the young man who had never glimpsed war before.

“I was young and adventurous and bullet-proof,” Mr Fenech said.

“I guess you could say I was naïve.

“I couldn’t wait to get out there and do my bit for my country.”

Although he still looks on his service as the best years of his life, Mr Fenech no longer looks on war with the rose’-coloured glasses he wore as a youngster.

He still has nightmares about his experiences.

“We were there to do a job,” Mr Fenech said.

“But it wasn’t a walk in the park.

“The fear was always there and the confusion when you made contact with the enemy was always there.

“I have my flashbacks of a night-time.

“Psychologically it has affected me a lot because of the things I witnessed but you just have to learn to put it to the back of your mind.”

Although he had intended to remain in Vietnam for 12 months, Mr Fenech only served six months.

His company, Delta, was on patrol in the jungle one day when their armoured personnel carrier hit a landmine.

Mr Fenech was hit in the head and stomach.

He went into a coma and woke up more than two months later at an army repatriation hospital in Melbourne.

At the time, he had little recollection of what happened but time has since brought the memories flooding back.

“We’ve all got our stories,” Mr Fenech said.

“I’ve lost a lot of friends and that’s why days like Remembrance Day mean a heck of a lot to me.

“It’s a time to reflect on what we did for our country and remember close friends who weren’t able to make it back alive.

“I will always honour them until my dying day.”