National servicemen are honoured and recognised every year with National Service Day on February 14.

The Orange commemoration will take place at Newman Park at 9am and will be run by the National Servicemens' Association. It will involve a short march through to park to the memorial for the service.

Among the participants will be Ben Cooke who trained at the Bardia Barracks at Ingleburn in 1954. He said out of 16 mates only three remain.

"We are all in our 80s," Mr Cooke said.

According to information from the Department of Veterans' Affairs, there were four national service schemes in Australia in the 20th Century.

The first National Service Scheme did not involve overseas service when it ran from 1911 to 1929.

It was revived at the start of World War II in 1939 when unmarried 21-year-old men were called up for three months' service until the scheme finished at the end of the war in 1945.

Men from the militia units of the 30^th Battalion served in Papua New Guinea on the Kokoda Track.

From 1951 to 1957, all men aged 18 were required to register for National Service. Those men were not sent on active service and the scheme ended in 1959.

The last National Service scheme was introduced in 1964 and conscripts were called up to take part in conflicts in Southeast Asia, including the Vietnam War.

More than 280,000 national servicemen served between 1951 and 1972, and were known as nashos.

National servicemen who completed their obligation under the third and fourth schemes are eligible for the Anniversary of National Service 1951-1972 Medal.