100-year-old Sask. veteran marks Remembrance Day in good spirits

100-year-old Second World War veteran John Watson has sure outlasted the life expectancy his family had for him when he first shipped off to Europe. I went over. They thought they'd never see me again, but I fooled them. I made it back home. And you stuck around a long time after that. Yes, I mean, yeah. Watson says he's the last surviving member of the Royal Regina Rifles to have served overseas during the war. I guess I'm getting old. Oh. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. But he still makes it out to all the Remembrance Day events in his adopted home of Swift Current. It brings back a lot of memories, some good and some bad. The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 56 says Watson has been a valuable ambassador to local youth. Oh, it's meant the world to us and to the people of the community. It's a great way for younger generations to engage and learn that history from somebody who was there. Watson grew up in Drinkwater, Saskatchewan. He says he signed up for war when his brother failed the physical and his family felt someone should represent them. Do my duty for our family. Just another job. Oh, Reflecting back over the years, there's one message Watson comes back to. Quit doing these wars. You know, the world's crazy. my The wars that we're in today, and nobody seems to learn a lesson from them, so I don't know how you do it. I think we're in the worst condition God. we've ever been in in our lifetime. For wars all over the place, and for what? Last year, Watson returned to Europe to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. You couldn't believe it. You couldn't imagine how they rebuilt their country. It kind of made you feel more proud because we were proud of it and we helped them get there. He says Ward taught him to appreciate every day, but it never changed him. I still stayed the happy-go-lucky guy, and life was good. You laugh out of here and there, and if you don't have a few good laughs a day, it's a wasted day. Thank you. Thank you. Sean Mullen, CBC News, Swift Current.