More than an old U.S. Army vet telling his story, the Eastern European-born Ferencz uses his unique link to World War II history to advocate for peace, morality and justice. His idealistic vision is that someday humans learn to settle political differences without arming themselves to kill and destroy. "War invariably makes murderers out of otherwise decent people because that's the purpose of the war," Ferencz told CBC Radio this year. "You kill him or he'll kill you. That's the system. My God, can't we think of anything better way to settle disputes?"