EDITORIAL: They asked so little and gave so much

Article content

There were no church bells, no speeches, no platitudes from politicians.

Eighty years ago, on June 6, 1944, 14,000 Canadians stormed Juno Beach in what was the beginning of the end of the Second World War. All they had was unyielding courage and a great belief that their stand against fascism and Hitler’s Nazis was the right thing to do.

For the most part, they were astonishingly young: The fate of the free world rested on the shoulders of 18- and 19-year-olds.

For Canadians, particularly, the sacrifice was immense. Countless signed up in all arms of the military, not because our own shores were threatened, but because it was the right thing to do. Some went out of loyalty to a mother country they had never seen.

D-Day was a pivotal moment in the war and one in which Canadians performed a critical role. Almost 150,000 Allied troops landed or parachuted into Normandy. The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 124 ships and 10,000 mariners. The Royal Canadian Air Force sent 29 squadrons to the landing, dubbed Operation Overlord.

Canadian casualties were more than 1,096, with 381 killed in action. In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, Canadians led the way, advancing farther and faster than either the Americans or the British. From D-Day to the Battle of Falaise on Aug. 12, when Allied troops surrounded the German 7th Army and the Fifth Panzer Army, more than 5,000 Canadians died.

Canadians served with honour and distinction throughout the war. Our pilots were a vital part of the group Britain’s wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill dubbed “The Few.” In 1940, more than 100 Canadian airmen participated in the Battle of Britain and 23 died in the desperate fight against Hitler’s Luftwaffe, as night after night their bombing raids devastated major cities, especially London, during the Blitz.

They were the very best of us. They asked so little and gave so much and it is to them that we owe our great and free country and all the privileges we hold dear — and sometimes take for granted.

Bells will ring for those brave souls today, reminding us of our solemn pledge to never forget them. Compared to their immense sacrifice, our duty is simple: To defend democracy and stand against totalitarianism.

Lest we forget.