SAND whipped at his face as Major Grant Prendergast trudged in body armour through 51-degree heat boring down from the roasting Middle Eastern sun.

"It's like being at the beach without water, no clouds, no greenery and in some parts it's too hot for birds to survive,” he said.

For Major Prendergast, Remembrance Day is about all soldiers, past and present.

IT'S the little things like fresh milk and fruit that Major Grant Prendergast missed the most while serving in the military overseas.

On one occasion he went three months without hearing a single note of music. He smiled as he remembered the moment the dry spell was broken.

"All the soldiers were huddled around a television, fixated on listening to the music,” he said.

Warwick soldiers have put their lives on the line for Australia for generations, with this Remembrance Day marking both the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba and the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Kokoda.

Brave men and women from the Rose City continue to serve the country today.

Through the tough times, Major Prendergast said training and mateship pulled him through.

"After a while you can look at the soldiers, your mates, and know what they're thinking. You don't have to talk,” he said.

"I've been serving with some of the finest men and women we've got, not just from this country.”

Originally from northern NSW, Major Prendergast entered the army as a trooper in the light horse regiment and worked his way up through the ranks during a 22-year career to become an officer.

He served in 12 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor, earning 11 different medals.

Major Prendergast said seven of those medals should be given to his wife Monique, a Warwick local, a main supporter during his service.

"Even though I'm serving overseas, my wife is looking after the home front,” he said.

On foreign soil Australian troops are training soldiers as well as combating piracy.

Major Prendergast said it was these efforts, as well as the sacrifices made by Aussies in past conflicts, that must be commemorated today.

"The work they're doing is extremely important because they're making lives better for people around the world,” he said.