The older I get, the more time compresses. June 6, 1944, no longer seems that long ago. Seventy-five years is within the lived experience of many Canadians, including my own parents whose fathers served, survived, and came home following the conclusion of WW2. Many of their childhood friends and neighbours and thousands upon thousands of their allied soldiers remained behind on the beaches, in the fields, and in the trenches.
The older I get, the more time compresses. June 6, 1944, no longer seems that long ago. Seventy-five years is within the lived experience of many Canadians, including my own parents whose fathers served, survived, and came home following the conclusion of WW2. Many of their childhood friends and neighbours and thousands upon thousands of their allied soldiers remained behind on the beaches, in the fields, and in the trenches.
There is absolutely no beauty in war. But there are heroes, there is courage, and there is always sacrifice - - a depth of sacrifice as a mother I hope I will never ever know. And the older I get the more I have come to realize and appreciate how close our world was to a different outcome had it not been for the service and sacrifice of the allied forces, including Canadians.
Tomorrow we give due recognition to the 75th anniversary of D-Day when over 150,000 allied troops began their assault on Normandy that marked the beginning of the end of Hitler and his Nazi regime.
May we always remember them. May we never lose sight of the cause for which they fought and died. May we commit to the principles of freedom, equality, and peace. Lest we forget.
