Some insist it does, while others reject this out of hand as a complete distortion.

One thing which stood out during the dawn service in Canberra on the centenary of the Anzac landing was the reading out of letters and diaries from Australians who had served in war.

They were all striking in their honesty and pain, others were just tragic, but one thing which stood out was the difference of the letters over time.

During World War I and II there was little joy in the task being undertaken – after all why would there be?

The only messages were of the horrors of war or the hopes of seeing loved ones again.

This was echoed by the words of several World War II veterans to the Sunday Canberra Times – each distancing themselves from any hero tag and giving no description of pride of battles won, with tales of mates rather than national identity.

But as they moved closer to the present day, the letters read grew more proud, more patriotic – there was a pride in serving your country in war.

What part did Anzac Day itself play in this change?

The Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, acknowledged disputed views on the extent to which the actions of the Anzacs shaped the Australian character, but embraced the position the Anzac legacy was an "eternal obligation" to look beyond Australian shores and help those in need, "whatever the cost".

This fits neatly with a nation that has committed troops to various Middle Eastern battlegrounds in the last quarter century, often as Asia-Pacific's leading contributor, and continues to do so today.

It is only natural pride in the nation – at war, or otherwise – has increased from a time when the Commonwealth of Australia was all of 14 years old, 5 million strong, and following Britain – our legal creator – into foreign adventures was accepted without question by the nation's leaders.

But the behaviour of a record crowd of an estimated 120,000-plus speaks for itself. Anzac Day is Australia's day to remember the dead and the service of those who returned. The march of veterans from all recent wars reminds all the actions on a Turkish beach tell only part of the story.

Warm, respectful – but far from rapturous – clapping greeted the veterans marching past. Dr Brendan Nelson referred to a "reverent" hush during the Last Post and minute's silence, but this was also a service where a former governor-general, Michael Jeffery, could slip comfortably into parade with other Vietnam veterans without noticeable security or attention.

Human characteristics: strength in adversity, courage and an informality extending to distrust of pomp and unquestioned power were what many Australians associate with the Anzacs.

Consistent with this, commemoration, rather than glorification of war or its Australian fighters, was the tone which the crowds set on Saturday.