General Richard Rohmer not slowing down at 99
Canada's most decorated military veteran is celebrating his latest accomplishment, turning 99 years old on Tuesday.
Major-General Richard Rohmer has been living in Collingwood for several years now, where he marked the milestone alongside close friends and family, being greeted by a birthday bagpipe salute at his front door.
"I'm surprised and enjoyed it," Rohmer said with fondness. "I don't know what it is to be 99! But I do know it's a long period of time."
Over that long period of time, Rohmer has earned countless accolades throughout his decades-long career of public service. He played a significant role on D-Day and in the Battle of Normandy during the Second World War as a fighter-reconnaissance pilot.
He currently holds numerous titles, including Honorary Lieutenant General of the Canadian Armed Forces. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, amongst many other honours.
Rohmer says the secret to his success is that he never lets an opportunity go by, even at 99 years old.
"[My] day is always full. I've got about four different projects on at any one time, Rohmer says. "I'm an opportunist. If I see an opportunity going by, I will attempt to seize it, whether it's writing a book, doing a film, no matter what it is."
Rohmer is currently working on his latest published book. The poetry anthology, which he started decades ago and never completed, will be just the latest of more than 30 works of literature with his byline attached.
"When I saw that, I went and picked up this little book that I had written of poetry 40 years ago…I hadn't looked at it," Rohmer says. "I opened it up and read the poetry that I had written 40 years ago…and I said, that's not bad, that's not bad at all!"
The General spent his 99th birthday in the company of friends, accepting visits and phone calls from his many notable connections throughout the day, including a bagpipe salute organized by his friends Peter and Gail.
While the bagpipe performance was a gift for the General, it doubled as a gift for the bagpiper himself.
"This is really an event that I'll always remember," says Mark Rich, a bagpiper with the Bein Gorm Highlanders. "Bagpipes are often associated with times of sorrow and memory, and this is one of celebration and looking forward. I'm hoping with 99 will come 100 next year, so obviously a high point in my piping career."
Simcoe-Grey MP Terry Dowdall also paid a visit, dropping off a certificate in honour of General Rohmer's big day to go along with a letter sent by Premier Doug Ford as well.
"As soon as I heard, I knew that we had to make sure we were here to congratulate him," says Dowdall.
"We're so happy that you live here in Simcoe Grey. It's certainly a bragging point for me!"
His advice for others is simple and reflects his lifelong passion for staying busy.
"The opportunities are here to be seized, and we have to be a generation of opportunists."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

'I'm so broken': Grieving family speaks out after B.C. cancer patient awaiting treatment chooses MAID
A devastated family says long waits for cancer treatment led a beloved father and grandfather to choose medically assisted death 13 days ago.
BREAKING Las Vegas police say suspect dead after reports of university shooting
Las Vegas police on Wednesday said they responded to reports of an active shooter on the local campus of the University of Nevada, where there appeared to be multiple victims, and then reported the suspect was 'deceased.'
PM pans Poilievre for 'pulling stunts' by threatening to delay MPs' holidays with House tactics
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is threatening to delay MPs' holidays by throwing up thousands of procedural motions seeking to block Liberal legislation until Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backs off his carbon tax. It's a move Government House Leader Karina Gould was quick to condemn, warning the Official Opposition leader's 'temper tantrum' tactics will impact Canadians.
Lawsuit accuses Sean Combs, 2 others of raping 17-year-old girl in 2003; Combs denies allegations
A woman sued the hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs on Wednesday, claiming he and two other men raped her 20 years ago in a New York City recording studio when she was 17.
Director behind bold and controversial TV comedies has died
Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with 'All in the Family' and 'Maude,' propelling political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of sitcoms, has died. He was 101.
Accused of improper partisan conduct, MPs expected to vote for probe into Speaker Fergus
Members of Parliament appear poised to pass a Conservative motion calling for a probe into House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus' conduct after days of acrimony in Ottawa over what he says was unintentional participation in a partisan event.
Facebook parent sued by New Mexico alleging it has failed to shield children from predators
Facebook and Instagram fail to protect underage users from exposure to child sexual abuse material and let adults solicit pornographic imagery from them, New Mexico's attorney general alleges in a lawsuit that follows an undercover online investigation.
Regina man uses 3D printer to transform house into Clark Griswold-inspired Christmas display
A Regina man has made himself the real life Clark Griswold by going beyond the limits of a standard Christmas lights display.
McDonald's burger empire set for unprecedented growth over the next 4 years with 10,000 new stores
McDonald's expects to open nearly 10,000 restaurants over the next four years, a pace of growth that would be unprecedented even for the world's largest burger chain.