'I just want them to remember,' Winnipeg veteran, 91, says

Every November 11th, Canadians stop for a moment at ceremonies around the country to remember those who sacrificed so much. For those who served, like Donald Cater, showing up year after year is just as important. The cenotaph I went to was a little cemetery in Saint Norbert that had a few Second World vets buried in it. And that's the cemetery at the cenotaph that my wife and I used to go to. For more than 25 years, Cater was part of the Canadian Armed Forces. He felt a calling to serve from a young age. I left school in grade eight and decided I'd go into the forces. I went into the forces, I was only 17 years old, so I couldn't go anywhere. Until I was 18, and then they sent me to Korea. He spent nearly 11 months there, and says that time forever changed him. Seeing the aftermath of it, like I went through Seoul, Korea, you wouldn't believe the devastation. You couldn't believe it, see people walking around with half a limb, some with half a face. For many years he's been quiet about what he saw. Even now, so many decades later, it's still hard. The emotion, still raw. But at 91 years old, he chooses to share some, because it's important. I just want them to remember it, and remember the people that made it. You know, that's the secret. They have to know the people that went before them. And why they're here. I know why I'm here. Veterans Affairs says there's roughly 4,300 living Canadian veterans from the Second World War and the Korean War. Cater says too many of them have fallen on hard times, including one of his former friends he found living on the street. They're standing at an intersection with a bucket full of money. Hurts. So, he's asking Canadians to remember. I would like them to respect Remembrance Day. Respect the people that went before them and show up. On November 11th, throughout the year. Brittany Greenslade, CBC News, Winnipeg.