Legion acknowledges the sacrifice of D-Day
By Al Beeber on June 8, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com Of the 14,000 Canadian troops who landed on the beaches of Normandy or parachuted into France on June 6, 1944, 359 never lived to see another sunrise.Those 359 killed were among 1,074 Canadian casualties in the Allied invasion of Normandy during Operation Overlord, the largest seaborne invasion ever which began the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupiers.
The Canadian soldiers were part of a force of 156,000 who put their lives on the line to free Europe.
In a small COVID-restricted ceremony Sunday, the General Stewart Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion paid tribute to the sacrifices made by Canadians on D-Day with a ceremony at the cenotaph.
“It’s what we’re all about,” branch president Michael Cormican said before the brief ceremony that included nine participants.
On a windy, cool morning in the shadow of the cenotaph, the gathering heard Cormican speak, a prayer was said and Last Post performed by trumpeter John Van Dyk.
“It was the beginning of the end of the Second World War,” said Cormican.
“Many men and women put their lives on the line and we are grateful,” he told the assembled audience.
Legion service officer Wayne King said in a normal year about 30 people would attend the ceremony, the D-Day event being among several the Legion honours during the year.
“We acknowledge the sacrifice of the veterans in preserving our freedoms,” he said after the ceremony.
With fewer vets alive, King said it’s important to keep the memories alive in younger generations because history can repeat itself.
“It’s part of our national fabric that we must keep alive,” he said. Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter 4
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