HALIFAX -- Young and old gathered Monday at the Camp Hill Veterans Hospital to remember those who have fought for Canada and its ideals.

Among them were a special father and son.

Jack and Ken Whitehead both served in the Canadian Air Force for a combined 71 years.

Jack, 95, is a veteran of the Second World War and signed up in 1942.

Ken is also a veteran who has served overseas and both retired members of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Both have more than 30 years of service.

"We were at sea when D-Day happened, and of course the rumours aboard ship was that we were going to land on the beaches," Jack said. "We had an aircraft carrier full of aircraft."

The ship continued to England as planned.

Jack Whitehead was a radar and radio technician during the Second World War tasked with deploying new technology helping allied pilots land during bad weather.

"We had German fighters come over and things like that, but we had slit trenches built that you could jump into, or dive into, that happened just a couple of times," said the retired colonel.

After the war, whitehead returned to Canada, attended university, and married his sweetheart, Adelaide.

An electrical engineer, he continued to serve with the air force and was later deployed with NATO's tactical air force in Germany. All told, he served for 37 years.

"Growing up and during active service, he didn't talk too much about his war years," said Ken Whitehead, a retired major. "Of course his post-war years I knew about, because I was an air force brat."

Ken Whitehead was a university student looking for direction when family history would repeat itself. He was 21 when he too enlisted with the air force.

"We had eight years of overlapping service, in the 70s," Ken said. "He did come out to my wings graduation in Winnipeg and gave me my wings."

That turned into a 34-year air force career and much of that was spent with the Sea Kings, a helicopter that has been retired.

His missions included a 10-month deployment to the Middle East during the Gulf War.

"We've been to ceremonies together, but never really acknowledged the brotherhood of the air force that we also have as a dad and a son," said Ken Whitehead.

That combined history was remembered Monday as the family came together, with grandchildren and great-grandchildren gathering at Jack Whitehead's side.

"Nobody wants war, it's not glamourous, believe me," Jack Whitehead said.

That's his wish for the future -- from someone who has done their part in the name of peace.