[danikyvor]

Today marks the 62nd anniversary of D-Day.

A very quiet commemoration here in Britain I have to say!

[Newfy]

Jees, I didn't even realise and I'm in the army. Just shows what the countries coming to.

[danikyvor]

It'll only get worse here on in. Some day all the last vets from that era will be passed on. It's sad!!

[Tricks]

I remembered this morning. Thought about it all day

[SprCForr]

dimoreien dimoreien:

It'll only get worse here on in. Some day all the last vets from that era will be passed on. It's sad!!

Encourage every vet you know to record their experiences. We need that continuity with the events of the past.

[erik06]

5,381 sons of Canada lie in Normandy. 359 of them were killed on this day, 62 years ago.





Lest we forget!

[canadian1971]

Tricks Tricks:

I remembered this morning. Thought about it all day

Diddo....I reminded people and wore my poppy too.

$1:

We came in at the beach, but 'twas hard to reach,
And many lost their lives.
We won our goal, but the terrible toll
Caused grief to far off wives.

Bombardier R.A.Ego,
3rd Canadian Infantry Division

$1:

Queens Own Rifle Co.
C.S.M. Charlie Martin......shortly after landing;

Martin was almost through to the buildings when the grassy meadow gave way to an open stretch of ground marked by minefield signs. Forming the men up on the minefield's edge, Martin signalled them forward. Advancing at a steady walking pace, scanning the ground as they did so, the men tried to ignore the German fire coming their way. Ten paces into the minefield, Martin heard a telltale click just as his foot met some resistance. The CSM realized he had depressed the detonating trigger of a Shutzenmine. The moment his foot came free of the trigger, a canister loaded with 350 ball bearings would bounce three feet into the air ahead of him and rip his guts open. Knowing that as long as his foot remained on the trigger the mine would not be released. Martin froze in place while the rest of the platoon exited the minefield by clambering over a fence and entering the back gardens of the first row of houses.

Martin was calm, for he had been trained to escape this kind of mine's kill radius by simply dropping to the ground right beside it so that the ball bearings would spray harmlessly overhead. But just as he made his move, a bullet struck his helmet, pierced right through the steel, and began spinning round and round inside the liner before exiting with such force that it tore the helmet clear off his head. Fortunately, the force of the bullet striking his head had also knocked him flat and the mine had exploded harmlessly overhead just as Martin had planned. Not bothering to retrieve his helmet, Marting fled the minefield and joined his small band in the gardens. Then he led them warily into the streets of Bernieres-sur-Mer.

Agian I take this from Mark Zuehlke......very good Canadian writer who has two books about Juno Beach and three covering Italy. Very good books for info and, my personal favorite, the little stories about individual soldiers he puts in there.......

link
and
link
and
link

[Arctic_Menace]

I didn't realise recognize it, I'm afraid. However, I do acknowledge it, as my Gradfather was a tail-gunner who went on a bombing run on D-Day....He said it was fun knowing they were putting a thorn in the side of Germany.....

[ridenrain]

$1:

359 of them were killed on this day

Unbelieveable sacrifice in todays climate.
We truely stand on the sholders of giants.

Prez. Regan made a speach 2 years ago, that was reputed to be one of his best. here


Statement by the Prime Minister on the marking of the 62nd anniversary of the D-Day invasion

June 6, 2006
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement regarding the 62nd anniversary of the D-Day invasion:

“On this day, we mark the 62nd anniversary of one of the greatest battles of the Second World War – the invasion of Europe known as D-Day.

“On June 6, 1944, more than 25,000 members of the Canadian Forces took part in the largest sea-borne invasion in history. Their courage and sacrifice played a major role in this successful operation, which breached the walls of Fortress Europe.

“Along with our allies from the U.S., Great Britain, France and other Commonwealth countries, the Canadians endured many months of hard fighting that eventually led to final victory over Nazi Germany.

“The D-Day invasion marked the turning point of the Second World War. It was, as many historians have recorded, the beginning of the end.

“Today, as we mark the 62nd anniversary of the D-Day landings, we recall the thousands of brave Canadians who played their part in this historic event.

“They came from every part of Canada, from every walk of life, to risk their lives for freedom. Many would make that ultimate sacrifice.

“Let us never forget them, and let us never fail to defend their precious legacy.”