Bannockburn paramedic Angela Ryan spent 10 years in the Royal Australian Navy, before joining Ambulance Victoria (AV) in 2016.
This ANZAC Day, she said it is more important than ever to pause and reflect.
"You've got to respect the past because that's why we've got our present and our future," she said.
Angela Ryan as part of the Royal Australian Navy in the mid-1990s.
"ANZAC Day reminds us that people have sacrificed so much to have the comforts we have now.
"In my career, I spent time recruiting for the military and it wasn't a spiel to me, it was true, that it was an honour to be in the military and an essential part of our country.
"A lot of the older war veterans are now gone, so it's more important than ever to have people remember why it happened, why so many died and why we're so comfortable in our life now."
In the Navy, Angela did her basic training at HMAS Cerberus before travelling Australia as a dental hygienist.
"There's only one dental team that manages the whole naval fleet, so there aren't a lot of opportunities to do sea time," Angela explained.
Angela and her youngest daughter Holly at the Torquay dawn service.
"I did have a short stint at sea on HMAS Tobruk but mostly I travelled the country visiting different ships."
Angela joined the Navy straight out of high school, applying to the Navy, the police force and nursing school and entering the one that got back to her first.
"The military was amazing for me as a young person," she said.
"There were so many challenges, but I just treated it like an adventure.
"The military is so structured and organised, a bit like AV, and I enjoy that structure and the teamwork."
Angela became a paramedic in 2016.
Later in her military career, Angela worked in recruitment, moving to Canberra and then to the UK where she spent an additional three years working on transfers between the British and Australian naval services.
"When I came back from London, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do but I always liked the medical side of the Navy, so I applied to study nursing," Angela said.
"I spent 10 years nursing and then followed one of my friends in transitioning to paramedicine.
"The military and paramedicine are both as enjoyable and rewarding.
"I have lifelong memories and friendships, both from the military and at AV."
Lest we forget.
