Tamworth's Mat Dockerty reflects on time serving with Australian Defence Force in East Timor for Remembrance Day 2022

And when he went back to visit years later, he could see and feel the difference.

"It was probably one of the few operations in recent history where you could walk away and think 'we pretty much fixed it there'," he told the Leader.

"I went back five or six years ago with the RSL for a trip, and it was really good to see the change and the good that we've done.

"In East Timor you can look at it and say 'look the kids are smiling - they're happy again'."

Mr Dockerty joined the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as a private in the infantry when he was 30, and served for half-a-decade between 2000 and 2005.

His role put him on the frontline of the peacekeeping operation in Timor Leste, which had been under Indonesian yoke.

"They put up with subjugation for a long period of time, so they were just keen to get on with life," he said.

"There was certainly a vacuum of power [in Timor Leste], which meant that there were certain individuals and groups that tried to exploit the situation."

The operation involved constant patrolling and guarding of the border with West Timor.

For seven months he was hauled up to the border to watch for any trouble.

"We knew what we were up for and we only really went through one phase of the operation," he said.

"We were just looking to keep security and monitor the border ... it was a fairy regular sort of peacekeeping mission."

At the time, they just got on with the job.

It wasn't until later that Mr Dockerty really understood the role he'd played.

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"I think all of us thought that it was good because we were actually fulfilling what we were trained to do," he said.

"I didn't really learn the underlying reason for why we were there until afterwards.

"I guess it was irrelevant to the job we were doing on the ground ... as grunts on the ground there's just a lot of 'hurry up' and 'wait'."

The grand scheme of things was something Mr Dockerty said probably didn't play on the minds of the young people serving.

"The average bloke was sort of 18 or 20, and I don't think there's a whole lot of reflection on 'what are we doing here?' on a world stage point of view," he said.

"It's pretty much 'I'm hungry' or "I've run out of smokes'."

Mr Dockerty said the mission likely marked one one of the first instances the ADF was back in full operation since Vietnam.

"When Australia first went to Timor at the end of 1999 it was a test of the logistics to be able to deploy that many soldiers, because we just weren't geared up for it anymore," he said.

"The ones in East Timor were the first ones since Vietnam to be awarded the infantry combat badge."

Reflecting on the eve of Remembrance Day on November 11, Mr Dockerty told the Leader his years of service were a time of transition.

Mr Dockerty said he watched the theatre of war evolve.

"When I joined the [military] doctrine was very much based on what we'd learnt in Vietnam and jungle warfare," he said.

"And by the time I got out, we'd changed most of that over to urban operations post 9/11."

He said there was definitely a shift in the culture within the defence force as well.

"A lot of people get that Full Metal Jacket ideal in their heads ... to a certain degree it's like that. You've got to tow the line," he said.

"You are away a bit, but at the same time, I don't think I've had so many holidays."

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