Both young men had attended school in Camperdown and both were conscripted to the Vietnam War.

Until Wednesday, the pair hadn’t seen each other since they caught that fateful train.

Mr Fleming, now based in Buninyong, said the men were the fifth intake for the National Service.

He said being in the military created very strong bonds between those who served.

“Mateship is about looking out for your mates and taking care of them, and they’re looking out for your life,” he said.

After basic training Mr Fleming was deployed to South Vietnam where he worked as a radio mechanic.

“I went from milking cows to fixing radios in a war zone,” he said.

Now based in Brisbane, Mr Parlour said out of respect for the friends he lost during the war he always made sure he attended all the Anzac services.

“For me that’s very special because they were close friends,” he said.

Mr Fleming said it was also important to ensure that those serving in the military today didn’t receive the same treatment as what Vietnam veterans got when they returned home.

More than 900 people attended the service in Camperdown and RSL president Alan Fleming said more than 450 people attended the dawn service.

For Jim Kidman it was drummed into him from a young age by his father not to join the infantry. Mr Kidman, 94, took the advice and enlisted in the air force.

But the day before he was due to go he was conscripted into the army.

“I did my basic training and then worked as a mechanic and that probably saved my life,” he said.

“I think the heaviest casualties were in the air force.”

Mr Kidman was deployed at the tip of Cape York and later had a compassionate discharge when his father became ill.

“I actually thought I was missing out on all the fun,” he said.