Canada's last WWI veteran, 107, gets award

Canada's minister of veterans affairs presented an award to the country's last surviving veteran of the First World War on Saturday.

John Babcock received a Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation from Greg Thompson at a ceremony in Spokane, Wash., where he now lives.

Thompson called the 107-year-old an "ambassador for all those who served in the First World War," adding that veterans are critical to the remembrance and understanding of that period in history.

Babcock, a native of Kingston, Ont., joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the age of 15.

He was soon deployed to England, but was too young to serve on the front lines and never saw active service.

The Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation is presented to individuals who have contributed to the care and well-being of veterans and to the remembrance of their contributions.