https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LADvicrO78&feature=youtu.be

If you’ve set foot in the USO on Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, at some point in the last five years, chances are Henry Edmon greeted you at the door.

Edmon, originally from Sudbury, Ontario, volunteered at the USO every day the center has been open for the past five-plus years — minus the two days he took off to attend his daughter’s and the USO center director’s weddings. He recently retired from his volunteer duties after donating roughly 4,000 hours of his time to the organization.

Edmon, who served in the Canadian and American armies, enjoyed chatting with young service members about his military career as a means of encouragement.

“Most of the kids are so damn scared of [starting out in the military] that they’re not too sure of where they’re going to go or what they’re going to do,” Edmon said. “And I just say, ‘Look, it’s not that bad.‘”