Mr Howard said no one wanted to see New Zealand soldiers get injured or killed, but going to Iraq was part of "our responsibility as part of the international community".
Mount Maunganui RSA president Carol Cook said the country could not sit back and "let the evil people do what they are doing".
"A non-combatant role is a good position to be in - if we help the local people to defend themselves adequately long term, that will benefit everyone. The local defence force will learn skills to defend themselves in future."
Mrs Cook, who was in the armed forces herself, agreed with Mr Howard.
"This is why people join the forces. They don't join thinking they are always going to stay at home."
J Force veteran Bob Swale said he agreed with sending troops to Iraq in a training capacity, but did not think they should be put into action.
"I think Isis could be a threat to New Zealand, there could be a few terrorists in the country already." Tauranga RSA member Alice Raynel believed the Government should have waited a few more months before deciding to send troops to the Middle East. "We're only a small country but we've been doing an awful lot there."
Mrs Raynel, whose husband was in the army for four years and fought in Japan and Guadalcanal, said she did not think Mr Key should have made the decision to send troops to Iraq off his own bat and it should have been a whole Parliament decision. She said the soldiers should definitely not be involved in any fighting.
"I know for a fact it's not easy."
Waiariki MP and Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell said his party understood the desire to assist in the fight in Iraq.
There was a large scale humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, and New Zealand had much to contribute - but not by sending our own troops.
The Maori Party believed that sending personnel to train troops was effectively the same as sending troops to participate, and would be regarded as an act of aggression by Isis.
- Additional reporting NZME.