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DUBBO veterans have pledged to provide troops returning from Afghanistan with support that was not there in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
Dubbo RSL Sub-Branch president Tom Gray said they were ready and willing to help men and women who may have emotional "scars for the rest of their life".
Mr Gray, a Vietnam veteran, welcomed Saturday's announcement of a national day to recognise and commemorate those who served in Afghanistan and the Middle East by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Mr Abbott was in Darwin to attend the official welcome home parade for 250 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel from Afghanistan.
He nominated March 21 next year as the day to mark the conflict, in which 40 soldiers were killed, and 261 were wounded.
Mr Gray was encouraged by the announcement and said Australia would learn from its past.
"A lot will have scars for the rest of their life," he said.
"(This announcement) is on the right foot, better than what happened to us."
He not only expected the government to pay its part but also claimed the provision of support as a responsibility of the Dubbo sub-branch.
"We'd love to meet them and assist them in any way we can," Mr Gray said.
"If they want someone to talk to we're ready to help.
"The support will be there, what we missed out on."
Mr Gray asked that returned defence personnel contact him or sub-branch secretary and welfare officer Bill Greenwood via the Dubbo RSL Memorial Club.
He also encouraged parents of serving members of the ADF to pass on their offer of assistance and said the sub-branch held its monthly meeting on the last Friday of each month at 6.30pm.
On Saturday family, friends and the Darwin community officially celebrated the ADF personnel, who returned to Australia in December after the completion of Australian operations in Uruzgan province.
Mr Abbott said, although it was impossible to know what the future held for the people of Afghanistan, "every day you were there was better than it would have been; every day will be better than it would have been because you were there".
He was echoed by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
"You put yourselves at unimaginable risk... no words that can convey the gratitude of the nation," he said.
There are 400 members remaining to provide ongoing training and advisory support for the Afghan National Security Forces.