In the days leading up to Remembrance Day, flags are lowered outside the Charleswood Legion.

A member there recently passed away, another person who had served in Canada’s military.

The signs of remembrance carry on, as soon as you enter the doors to the 100 Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

A group gathered there Wednesday and spoke about their experiences – combined the group has served across Canada and around the world.

Many of the men and woman said they joined the military by chance.

“I was just out of school, my father had died, and the recruiting unit came to my small town and I thought well I might as well check this out, and before I could say I wasn’t that kind of a guy, I was,” said Bill Brown, who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1955 to 1993.

For a time Brown served with former army major, Bill Scott.

Scott said one of his fondest memories involved a polar bear, while leading a troop of 100 across a frozen lake in Churchill.

“Sargent Major said we've got a visitor, I thought how would we have a visitor here in the north, 40 below and that, and he said he's big, he's white and he’s fuzzy,” Scott Said.

While students were ducking under desks during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and as the world watched on when the Berlin Wall started coming down, these men and women shared a perspective in history most people did not see.

“You could see the end coming and you could tell what was really going on, and you’d learn to live with it,” former Air Force pilot, Bob Gordon said.

The place that brings these veterans together is the Royal Canadian Legion.

It's a gathering spot, a watering hole and full of therapeutic comradery.

Current President Phil Otis worries who will keep the legion going when aging veterans no longer show up.

“If you join the legion we can help you through the Department of Veterans Affairs for any kind of sickness, but we don't only look after the veteran themselves, we also look after the family,” Otis said.

The Charleswood Legion will host a ceremony that is open to the public on Remembrance Day at 10:30 a.m. at Oak Park School.