Vietnam veterans and their families will be gathering for a special commemoration next week in Bomaderry.
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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, making next Thursday's Vietnam Veterans Day particularly significant.
Clyde Poulton, sub-branch president of the Vietnam Veterans, Peacekeepers and Peacemakers Association of Australia (VVPPAA), said the call would be going out widely for next week's gathering.
"We'd like to see maximum participation at this commemoration not just from Shoalhaven's Vietnam Veterans but from other conflicts since," he said.
"They followed us and are sadly even more forgotten."
August 18 marks the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, the costliest battle for Australian forces in Vietnam with 18 Australian soldiers killed and 24 injured.
The battle has been marked by Vietnam veterans in the years since, and has been officially known as Vietnam Veterans Day since the 1987 Welcome Home parade for Vietnam veterans in Sydney.
To commemorate the day, the Commander and Executive Officer of HMAS Albatross will be present at the Bomaderry service, along with government and service representatives.
The Bomaderry Hotel is hosting a reception afterwards.
Mr Poulton said the day would be open to all.
"We'd also like to see those servicemen and women who served here at home," he said. "And, of course, the general public."
At the ceremony, Vietnam war correspondent Carl Robinson will be speaking on his years in South Vietnam and contemporary trips back with Australian veterans visiting the Long Tan Cross near the base of Nui Dat.
The Commemorative Service will be held between 5pm and 6pm on Thursday, August 18 at Walsh Park, Bomaderry.
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