'Freedom didn't come by itself': The Manitoba man on a mission to honour veterans

One Manitoba veteran is on a mission to commemorate and honour those who served our country, and not just on Remembrance Day.

Peter Martin, a self-appointed veterans advocate, said the Canadian Armed Forces is in his family’s blood with four generations of service. He served and his father served, while his son and grandson are currently in the army.

“It’s just in your blood. You feel like you need to give back to your community,” he said.

“Somebody has to do it... Freedom didn’t come by itself. We paid a high price for freedom.”

Martin added it’s important to appreciate and support veterans, which is something he tries to do every day.

Through his work, Martin created banners to honour the 123 men of Transcona who served in the First and Second World Wars and never returned home.

He also started a discount program for veterans and created veteran appreciation decals.

“My goal is to have every business in Transcona and beyond have a decal in their window that says, ‘We appreciate your service. Thank you for doing this,’” he said.

Martin is also Manitoba’s regional coordinator for No Stone Left Alone. This involves running ceremonies for hundreds of students to pay tribute to Canada's veterans by placing poppies on soldiers’ graves and saluting veterans in attendance.

“The students are doing something physical, saying and expressing their appreciation for veterans,” he said.

“That’s what we need to do every day, not just Remembrance Day.”

• With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.