As thousands stood still in the heart of Sydney at dawn, a new generation of Anzac veterans was dotted among an ageing core.
Afghanistan veteran Martin Ryan sat on steps overlooking the wreath-laden cenotaph, remembering friends he had lost to Australia's most recent war.
"Veterans aren't all old and grey, they're young kids these days," Mr Ryan told AAP on Tuesday morning.
"You sit on a bus next to a 20-year-old kid, you probably don't realise that that kid has just come back from Afghanistan."
As the country paused to reflect the sacrifice made by the more than 100,000 diggers who died during Australia's nation defining wars of the 20th century, Mr Ryan said the current generation was forging their own identity.
"They go on about the Anzac tradition, the myth that they are, the kids today they're doing the same job, if not better, they're doing it just as tough," he said.
On Mr Ryan's left chest were his medals of service from Afghanistan and East Timor, on his right were his father's from Korea.
"Its good to see kids down here, and every member of society, not just your typical 'yahoo Australians' coming out, it's so diverse, it's good," the 29-year army veteran said.
An eclectic mix of veterans, their relatives and those who had come to thank them packed Sydney's Martin Place for the Dawn Service.
It marked 102 years since the Gallipoli landings, Australia's first major conflict of World War One, and honoured armed forces past and present for their service.
Thousands of people ran the length of Martin Place on the 90th anniversary of Sydney's first dawn service.
One of them was Leo Pool, who had travelled back to Australia from Minnesota in the United States to march for his father, who served in the Australian Air Force in Papua New Guinea.
"It means a lot to me, I'm very proud to be able to do it," Mr Pool said, with a service picture of his dad Jack hanging around his neck.
Commander of the Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer, gave the Anzac address noting that Australia has lost 102,825 men in war since 1861.
"This morning we don't boast about triumphs or victories," he said.
"We remember the sacrifice of those who were prepared to stand up for someone else, for people that believed that there was something bigger, more important than just their own interests and were prepared to put others ahead of themselves and put their lives at risk of because of those beliefs."
But not everyone took part in the spirit.
The minute's silence in Sydney's CBD was cut short by a protester, who chanted "stop the war" before being drowned out by the army bugle.
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