D-Day Anniversary

Yeah, what he said.

It's been a really busy last few days for me. But even though I will not be waxing nostalgic about the Canadian heroes of WW2 on my blog, I will stop and remember their bravery and courage. We owe those men a great deal. If you can read this account from Veteran's Affairs without shedding a tear and remembering those who sacrificed, then you are no friend of mine, and I want nothing more to do with you.

Although only one Canadian unit reached its D-Day objective, the first line of German defences had been completely smashed. By evening, Canadian troops had progressed further inland than any of their Allies. It was a remarkable achievement but, despite casualties being less than expected, it was an expensive one, too. "The German dead were littered over the dunes, by the gun positions", a Canadian journalist reported. "By them, lay Canadians in bloodstained battledress, in the sand and in the grass, on the wire and by the concrete forts. ...They had lived a few minutes of the victory they had made. That was all." To ensure that D-Day would succeed, 340 Canadians had given their lives. Another 574 had been wounded and 47 taken prisoner.

Thank you, warriors of Juno. I shall not forget.