WHEN Bob Shewring finally sees the bodies of the men that died for our country laid to rest in their own soil, he will be one happy man.
The Howard Springs local has worked tirelessly for more than four years researching and petitioning the Federal Government to bring home the bodies of 25 young Australian men who lost their lives during the Vietnam War, and remain buried in Singapore and Vietnam. 
Mr Shewring was named the People's Choice at the NT News and Sunday Territorian's Pride of Australia medal ceremony at Parliament House yesterday.
A veteran himself, Mr Shewring said the recognition was humbling. "For me it will just be enough recognition just to get the Prime Minister to change his mind and bring the men home," he said.
"I'll be very happy when they are all returned and buried in Australia - that will be recognition enough." Mr Shewring's fight began when he wanted to bring back the body of the only Territorian who was killed in the Vietnam War - Reg Hillier.
Hillier was a friend of Mr Shewring's family, but the process to exhume his body was more difficult than expected.
"We just wanted to bring our own guy home and then we thought, stuff it, we'll bring them all home," he said.
The thousands of hours he has put in by establishing operation Bring Them Home, has paid off.
The Federal Government recently announced it would repatriate the soldiers' bodies.
"I've had brothers of the dead crying on the phone to me saying, 'I just hope I will still be alive when they bring him home'," Mr Shewring said."It's the right thing to do."