The roundel in Barrie's Military Heritage Park was renamed in honour of Major-General Richard Rohmer on Monday, someone Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall described as a hero both in and out of the service.
General Rohmer, who turned 100 years of age in January, was led into the ceremony by a bagpiper as a crowd of dignitaries from the mayor, city councillors, representatives from Base Borden, local veterans, and other guests gathered near the waterfront park to witness the unveiling of a plaque honouring Canada's most decorated veteran in military history.
He holds numerous honours, such as membership in both the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario, the Distinguished Flying Cross, Commander of the Order of Military Merit, and served as Honourary Adviser to the Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Rohmer was a WWII fighter reconnaissance pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force who climbed through the ranks.
This latest honour was accepted with humility but there was still the soldier in him.
"I guess I am humble in some respects, but not in others," Rohmer quipped, chatting with Barrie 360 after the ceremony. "It's a mixture of being humble, but to be a general you have to stick your nose out and be hard from time to time. I am very soft-hearted though because I love people."
Rohmer took part in the Battle of Normandy and D-Day overseas, and joined the war effort in 1942 at age 18.
"I couldn't stay home," when asked why he signed up with the military. "We were in the middle of the war and I decided that if I was going to be of any value, I could join the air force where I wanted to be because I wanted to fly."
The former Collingwood resident who now resides in Toronto said to be a good person in uniform you had to be first committed to your country.
The commitment has never been lost on Rohmer, despite the challenges Canada has faced and that he has witnessed.
"The world is a very scary place at the moment, said Rohmer, referencing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and instability in Europe and the Middle East. "We in Canada live on an island of peace and quiet fundamentally. We should be very grateful for living in Canada. The reality is, it's a very safe place and lived by the law, and it's a wonderful country to be in."
