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VANCOUVER – Even as the rain started to fall around him, retired veteran Cpl. David Ward stood proudly at the Cenotaph in Vancouver on Thursday.

In memory of the fallen soldier in Ottawa, Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was gunned down on Wednesday, Ward said it is his duty to be at the Cenotaph today.

“In honour and respect of the young corporal that was murdered yesterday doing his duty,” he said.

The news of Wednesday’s events hit members of the military, both past and present, particularly hard. Within hours of the shooting a Facebook and Twitter campaign had swept the nation calling on those who serve, or who have served, to stand at their nearest Cenotaph.

“We have a bunch of old veterans that are going to be on duty across Canada at the Cenotaph, so I got off duty of my patrols and came straight from work to here,” said Ward. Soldiers in Edmonton have also been standing guard.

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The 63-year-old member of the Royal Canadian Regiment was based in Ontario, but served in Cyprus in 1974-5, was then posted at the United Nations in Egypt and helped at the Summer Olympics in Montreal in 1976.

He said he needs to do his duty so that people know Canada is still strong.

“To let those a**holes that murdered our Canadian soldiers here in Canada know that they’re not gonna win,” he said.

“I’m not the only retired veteran that’s out here. There’s going to be hopefully thousands of us to let them know you’re not going to defeat us.”