Odie Brooker was born in 1929 in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood. In the midst of the Depression, Odie was placed in the care of the Children’s Aid Society. He spent the next nine years in foster homes in the Caledon region. At age 15, he snuck into the Canadian Army and spent the next year training at the Exhibition grounds and living in the Horse Palace. He was discharged shortly after VE Day, without seeing combat. He later reenlisted during the Korean War, where he served as a mortar operator. He survived his service, with a few very close calls, and returned to Canada in early 1953. In February of 2016, he sat down with Crestwood students Kevin Guo, Peter Li, Julian Spaziani and Sabrina Wasserman to share his experiences and memories