A local Gulf veteran is sharing his story in honour of Remembrance Day, for those that weren't able to return home, and everyone who served their country.
Corporal Andy Keys served in the British military for 15 years during the Cold War era in the Royal Engineer Regiment, supporting the frontlines during the First Gulf War.
Keys' military career began in 1980 when he walked into the recruitment office on his 16th birthday, it wasn't long before he became a boy soldier and was sent to Germany with his first unit.
During his time in Germany, they dealt with constant Soviet threats as well as the feelings of tension as the Berlin Wall was taken down.
"We did a lot of maneuvers when I got to my first unit in Germany, practicing what would happen if the Soviets jumped over the border at that time," Keys shared. "I was an armoured engineer, and we drove tanks that could put down bridges under fire, you press a few buttons inside and a hydraulic system operates a bridge that would fold out in front,
"We cleared minefields with the aid of a mine plow that was on the front of the tank, what we had on the front of the tank was also tied up with a ton and a half of explosive in what they called a Giant Viper."
His job during the First Gulf War in 1991 included clearing minefields, putting down bridges, and removing booby traps from vehicles.
Following his return from action, the Corporal headed to Canada to train British soldiers, specifically on battle simulations.
Following in his father's footsteps, Key's son moved back to England where he joined the British Army, after attending both Swift Current's Fairview School and Central School for a period of time.
"[My son has] now done 17 years, he's been deployed to Afghanistan and just this time last year he was on a ship doing a supply run down to the Gaza Strip," he said.
Keys spoke about a heartbreaking experience during his son's deployment in Afghanistan where he received a phone call from his son, who needed to talk to someone who had experienced the heaviness of war first-hand.
"I was prepared to see these things, do these things, see what horrors there are," he added. "I was prepared but I wasn't prepared to have my kids see that stuff, so that kind of affected me in a different way."
When speaking at schools, the local veteran likes to highlight two other Swift Current veterans; Master Corporal Byron Greff, the last Canadian soldier to lose their life in Afghanistan and Hewitt Murch, a D-Day veteran who fought on the beaches of Normandy and who Keys himself knew personally.