One of Canada's most celebrated veterans: General Richard Rohmer
As the country prepares to mark Remembrance Day this week, one of its most celebrated veterans is doing his part to remember his fallen comrades.
Retired Major-General Richard Rohmer was just a young man when he served overseas in the Second World War, playing pivotal roles on D-Day and in the Battle of Normandy.
"One hundred and thirty-five missions and going out to the airplane 135 times, getting in it, putting the parachute on, turning on the machine and going out and being fired at, every one of those at low-level by the Germans and hit only once," General Rohmer recalls.
The General is the final veteran left from Squadron 430.
During his service, General Rohmer played a pivotal role, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross in recognition of his successful reconnaissance missions.
He says his drive to serve his country comes from a never-ending desire not to let any opportunity slip past him.
"I'm an opportunity person. If I'm in a field, and I've had several professions, and to say I'm writing, the law, the military, many things," says General Rohmer. "And they all relate to seeing an opportunity to do something and being able to seize the opportunity or to make the opportunity come alive."
This time of year provides him an opportunity to pay tribute to the veterans who did not manage to make it home, as well as those who continue to serve.
"I utilize the memory bank pictures that I have in my mind to pull up the images of several of them, emphatically, and it works very well," says General Rohmer. "I remember them."
With many veterans no longer with us, the General says veterans like himself must share their stories, ensuring the sacrifices made by so many are never forgotten.
"It's an opportunity to try to reach the younger generation with stories and to let them know that we did have a war and that our young people, their age, were sacrificed in it and that we, in my generation, should remember them, and I do," says the General.
General Rohmer has become one of Canada's most decorated citizens in history, becoming an Officer of the Order of Canada and serving in various honorary roles, including Honorary Deputy Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.
He has pursued a successful legal career and has penned more than 30 books.
As he approaches his 98th birthday, he's showing no signs of slowing down as he works on writing yet another book.
"There's no reason to [slow down]! I'm lucky from that point of view. My brain is still, the vacuum between my ears is still working."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.