fred arsenault toronto

All this Toronto war veteran wants for his 100th birthday is a birthday card

A war veteran's 100th birthday wish will likely be coming true this year, thanks to the power of social media. 

A photo of Toronto resident Fred Arsenault, a soon-to-be centenerian who served with the Cape Breton Highlanders during WWII, has been making its rounds on the Internet since first being published on Reddit Sunday afternoon. 

Someone posted a picture of the former machine gunner decked out in full Canadian Army veteran ceremonial regalia, holding up a sign with a small request. 

"I'm a WW2 veteran about to turn 100 years old on March 6th 2020 and would like to receive 100 brithday cards," says the sign. 

The sign includes the address of what's presumably Arsenault's Scarborough home. 

Since going up, the photo has received hundreds of comments, likes, shares on Reddit and Twitter, where Mayor John Tory tweeted a shout-out to the vet. 

"Well Fred, it is the very least we grateful Canadians can do to thank you for your service to Canada and Canadians," wrote one Twitter user. "One hundred years old, that's worth a medal." 

Lead photo by

u/hector_c_toronto


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