As thousands of New Zealanders gather on Anzac Day to pay their respects to people who made the ultimate sacrifice, the occasion will hold special significance for a select few.
Friday marks the 110th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, while this year is the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Of the more than 200,000 New Zealanders who served in World War II, only about 100 remain.
Waimate veteran Fred Jackson, 102, was in his early twenties when he served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force in the Pacific campaign.
"There were thousands of us drafted through the islands and that's where I went. I went over there as a cook, which I, to be quite truthful, quite enjoyed," he said.
Fred Jackson. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Jackson conceded he could not boil water before he went, but like many young men he saw it as an adventure.
"It was quite an experience for me. As I was a country boy, never been out of the country all my life there. We didn't go to town much and to get that was quite an experience for me," he said.
The war changed him, Jackson said.
"I felt that I had grown up to being an adult, whereas you were just a silly boy up until then," he said.
Amberley veteran John Stopford was in Germany when Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party came to power.
His father was a navyman and posted to the British Embassy.
"My father was at the embassy in Berlin from 1933 to 1934, but because in 1934 things were getting a bit tricky dad said to me and mum 'I think you better go back to England', so we did," Stopford said.
On 3 September 1939, the Britain declared war on Germany two days after the Nazis invaded Poland.
New Zealand followed suit with Prime Minister Michael Savage rallying the small nation of slightly more than 1.5 million people to the cause.
About 140,000 New Zealanders deployed overseas, with 11,700 dying during the conflict.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Stopford, 99, was only 17 when he joined the Royal Navy, following in his father's footsteps.
"I was set to be part of the invasion [of Nazi-occupied Europe]. God knows what could've happened then, but coincidence happened, their Lordships said no to 12,000 sailors which meant we then went across to the army and went into training, instead of going across the channel," he said.
He ultimately deployed with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment.
An estimated 70-85 million people died during World War II.
Both men still contemplated the enormity of the sacrifice.
Jackson said Anzac Day was important.
"Anzac Day is quite a day, really, because we've got to remember those poor blighters that gave the ultimate sacrifice. It is a day that should never be forgotten and I don't think it will be," he said.
"Anzac Day, it's always been and always will be quite a big day."
Jackson and Stopford planned to be among the thousands of New Zealanders at Anzac Day services on Friday.
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