For the children of Charley Fox -- a Canadian war hero credited with hitting 56 ground targets and injuring one of Hitler's top commanders -- Remembrance Day has special meaning this year.

Fox died in a car accident in Southern Ontario on Oct. 18, at 88 years old.

The Spitfire pilot is credited with wounding German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel in 1944, as well as destroying or damaging 22 train locomotives, 34 enemy vehicles and landing in 14 planes that were deemed un-flyable due to enemy fire.

He also flew in 222 operational missions and brought home two Distinguished Flying Crosses for his service.

But to many, Fox's status as a bonafide hero came after his time in theatre, when he became a strong advocate for Canadian veterans and got closely involved with educating young Canadians on the country's military history.

For his son Jim Fox and daughter Sue Beckett, Remembrance Day is a day to remember their father, whom they are still mourning after his recent death.

"Remembrance Day was certainly very important to dad as he chose to honour the veterans that he knew personally and of course all the other veterans that we pay special tribute to today -- so it is a special day for us," Jim told CTV's Canada AM.

Beckett agreed Nov. 11 was an important day for her father.

"It certainly holds a lot of memories because there were many that we spent with him, but also knowing where he was on Remembrance Day and what his mission was on Remembrance Day -- remembering all those who went before him," she said.

For much of his life, Fox rarely spoke about his wartime experience. In fact, 60 years passed before it emerged that it was Fox who had injured Rommel -- he simply chose not to make a big deal about it, telling Canada AM prior to his death that he was reluctant to take credit for it.

"It's something I never did want to make a fuss about," Fox told Canada AM host Beverly Thomson.

"Throughout the years others have claimed it but I never wanted to make anything out of it and I do feel a little bit uncomfortable. There's so many what ifs and the thing is I look at it now, back then, what if I hadn't shot at Rommel, what would have happened?"

After the war Fox returned to Canada and began working at a shoe factory, got married and started a family.

But he never stopped wondering why he was spared -- why he came home safely from battle, while so many others never made it home alive.

Jim said the question "haunted" his father, but he finally found the answer when he began sharing about his experiences in schools and service clubs over the last 15 years of his life.

"That tended to form the answer in his own mind: maybe the reason he did survive was to share the stories, share the experiences and let other Canadians know what role our veterans had played in past wars," Jim said.

Fox had spent time working on a book about his wartime experiences, but wasn't able to finish it before his death. Jim said the family plans to discuss the project in the months ahead, and will likely attempt to carry on the project as part of their father's legacy.